cartridge advice again

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cressy
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#1 cartridge advice again

Post by cressy »

Hi guys, as you may know my sae 1000lt cart has had it ao im currently using an oem kenwood cart on my kenny kd 07. This cart is in good shape so is doing stand in duty till i get something else. Having made up my mind that what i want is another high output moving coil im considering what to go for
Another sae would be the obvious choice but as the cart is buggered on one channel for no apparent reason and is only availibla nos so is about 30 years old ive decided i need something new.
Options are fairly limited but there are several.
1. A sumiko blue point which is available at 200 quid from origin live
2. A blue point special evo 3 again off origin live at 285
3. A dynavector 10x5 at around 300 ish
The sound of the deck itsself is very clean and slightly dry in the mid so im not sure the sumikos would suit as they seem to exhibit a similar sound in reviews ive read on the web. Id rather have something warmer to balance the sound of the deck and cart mre towards neutral rather than analytical.
The dynavector may fit the bill but id rather have a second opinion from someone and any other suggestions if anyone has any. Moving magnets are also a consideration but not low output mc's as i want to dispense with step ups.
Any opinions welcome.
Cheers ant
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pre65
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#2

Post by pre65 »

The Denon DL110 is a high output moving coil for £140 - £180 and seems to get good reviews.
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#3

Post by vinylspinner »

Hi Ant,

Try contacting Natalie and Dom (hifimaster) at Northwest Analogue
they may be able to repair the SAE1000lt for you, I have seen their work first hand, and their rates are very reasonable.


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Paul Barker
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#4

Post by Paul Barker »

I didn't like the bp special when I owned it.

Don't throw out the transformers, stick with low output cartridges.

Just one man's opinion.
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#5

Post by davebms »

i have the 10x5 very pleased with it (its a bit more open with its outer cover off) its got sort of a big sound without being to cleaver the snag ,ive not had much to compare it with ! i had the default cart with rega 3 and the next one up .. i tried a 1042 that in my system was horrible (i got 10x5 from nick emporium) good price lots of knowledge re carts

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#6

Post by cressy »

hi phil, i tried the denon a while back on my jbe which has a similar sound to my kenny and wasnt that keen so i kind of discounted it, nigel, the sae is about 140 including postage from the guy in canada i used before so i think it'd be uneconomical to repair the buggered one tbh, but i think i might contact dom and natalie about the carts as they are likely to have alot better knowledge on carts than i have :)
paul, tbh using the stepups introduces too much hum for me at the moment and dulls off the frequency extremes, muddies things a little so id prefer not to use them.id not noticed it until i got the sae, but using them with the sae to give the input a kick up the arse i found i preferred the sound without them. id got the sound i wanted before it packed up so the carts demise is a setback i could have done without. but if i have to get something else id prefer to stay on a similar track to the one i was persuing.
problem is, carts are so system dependent its very difficult to buy blind. what works for me in the kenny might sound terrible on mr smiths 401 or mr joneses lp12 and vice versa.
i hate buying carts :D
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Paul Barker
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#7

Post by Paul Barker »

Yes cheap transformers roll off the top and have no base.

Hum tends not to come from the transformer (unless an idiot put the low level transformer near another higher level transformer) but is a product of the low output cart and what is picked up in the pathway before the signal is stepped up by the transformer (which should be in mumetal and grounded, or no good to man nor beast.)

You don't have to buy Stevens billingtons Slagle or Tribute overpriced stuff to get 99.9% of their sound. But don't expect to get anything worth having for £20.
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#8

Post by cressy »

Thing is they are sowters, paid alot for them when they were bought. I noticed it with my sl15 and then with the sae. Never noticed it with the various 103s or the benz micro i had. Plus its difficult to put them anywhere they dont pick up hum from something.
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#9

Post by Paul Barker »

That's a shame. Maybe they didn't pot them in mumetal. But the bandwidth should be good. You should get at least half your money back on ebay for the name.
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#10

Post by Andrew »

Stick them in a EMI shielded can Ant, look for CFL4T (comes in lots of sizes) from Farnell.

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#11

Post by cressy »

After a load of research I went for the dynavector and its utterly superb. Exactly what i wanted. And decided that come upgrade time (or damage) i'll be going for the dv20 x high output model.
An absolute bargain, i cant stop listening!
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#12

Post by Reffc »

10x5 would have been my choice too. I've owned all of the ones you listed and hated the BP with a vengeance...bright, shrill, coarse...enough to rattle fillings from your teeth. The BPS Evo was a different kettle of fish. They improved the flux damping and frequency response and its actually quite a refined cart capable of surprisingly detailed and refined performance but I always found it to be a little bass shy. The 10x5 is more gutsy and neutral and remains one of the better HOMCs I reckon.
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