P-Mount phono cartridges

[sgb]

I have an old Technics Straight Line Tracking Turntable (I think it's an SL-10, but not sure) that needs a new phono cartridge. It originally came with a Technics Moving Coil cartridge which has been broken for about 15 years.

I checked needle doctor and saw only 1 P-Mount cartridge, a cheap Audio Technica.

Anyone know where I can find one better than that?

[mcow1]

http://www.garage-a-records.com/ is a good place for a P-mount cartridge. Prices way below list. You can get Grados and higher quality Audio Technica's.:)

[sgb]

Thanks, mcow1.

I did a google search and found the garage guy. Am leaning towards an Ortofon MC, I think it's called the XF1-MCP. If anyone has tried this cartridge and has anything to say about it pro or con, please LMK.

[mcow1]

Garage a Records is also a good place to get a carbon fiber brush as you get a discount when buying a cartridge. I'd like to know about the Ortofon myself, I picked up a Grado from them and while it sounds great the damn tracking at the beginning of some records drives me nuts.

[sgb]

Originally posted by mcow1
Garage a Records is also a good place to get a carbon fiber brush as you get a discount when buying a cartridge. I'd like to know about the Ortofon myself, I picked up a Grado from them and while it sounds great the damn tracking at the beginning of some records drives me nuts.

mcow, if what you're saying is that when your arm sits down on the record it skips into the song several grooves, then I'm afraid that a different cartridge won't help you much. You'll probably need to apply a bit more anti-skate to your arm. (I'm assuming you have a tonearm that provides this option.) Adjusting by the seat of your pants can be frustrating, especially in view of the fact that too much or too little can end up causing undue wear on your records.

Another factor you'd have to consider is whether or not your preamp can play a moving coil without buying a step-up transformer or head amp. The X1-MCP is relatively high output (2 mV), so if you've got 30 dB or so of gain available to you in it, then you're probably in good shape.

Here's the lowest price I've yet to find on it:

http://www.adelcom.net/OrtofonCart1.htm

[mcow1]

Originally posted by sgb


mcow, if what you're saying is that when your arm sits down on the record it skips into the song several grooves, then I'm afraid that a different cartridge won't help you much.
It only happens with the Grado. I have tried several other cartridges but the Grado so far has had the best sound. I believe we've had some discussions about that particular problem with Grados on the forum before. It seems to have something to do with a lack of damping.

[Ronald]

The original Sumiko Oyster Blue Point, or just Blue Point, was a P-mount cartridge. It is a high output MC cartridge and will work fine in a MM input. The cartridge is hot for my tastes and the plastic body does vibrate a smidgen with very low bass, but its performance may suffice if there are other parts of your playback do not extend the treble.

I haven't checked lately, but the price was decent at $125 a few years ago. I'll guess it may still be available from almost any cartridge dealer.

[sgb]

Originally posted by Ronald
The original Sumiko Oyster Blue Point, or just Blue Point, was a P-mount cartridge. It is a high output MC cartridge and will work fine in a MM input. The cartridge is hot for my tastes and the plastic body does vibrate a smidgen with very low bass, but its performance may suffice if there are other parts of your playback do not extend the treble.

I haven't checked lately, but the price was decent at $125 a few years ago. I'll guess it may still be available from almost any cartridge dealer.

Thanks for your input. The currently available Blue Point won't work, however two owners had contacted me regarding ones they had for sale.

Checking with a friend who once owned a Blue Point whose characterizations of it sound roughly coincide with yours, I don't think this is the cartridge for me. He added that it wasn't much of a tracker.

I've pretty much settled on the Ortofon X1-MCP. These can be had for under $100, and one owner who's into turtable design gives it pretty good marks for sound quality. I don't expect the SL-10 with this cartridge to outperform my SOTA/JH/VXMR combo; my goal is to have something listenable for those times when I'm playing vinyl in the background.

[Dan]

Originally posted by sgb


I checked needle doctor and saw only 1 P-Mount cartridge, a cheap Audio Technica.

Anyone know where I can find one better than that?

Check out http://www.ewsaunders.com/

I got a great deal on an Ortofon from him. Just remember to specify P-Mount because many models also come in standard mount as a default.

[sgb]

Thanks Dan,

I bought the Ortofon X1-MCP about a month ago, and it works fine in my SL-10. Even with its high output, though, it's a smidgen short of what the Shure does on my other TT, so the preamp's noise just starts getting in the way. I can't quite get it to live levels withouth running the preamp's volume control way up in the danger zone (if I forget it's set about 1:00 o'clock and switch to another input, I've got way too much volume). Sounds great at moderate levels though.