Grado cartridges are actually moving iron, not moving magnet. Moving iron gives you most of the benefits of a moving coil cartridge, but at a far lower cost and are compatible with a standard phono pre-amp. I'm a big fan of vintage Stanton and Pickering moving iron cartridges.
ADC made cartridges like the TRX-1 I still have that do the same. They call it Induced Magnet. The coils are in the cart, the magnet lies with the stylus, but is not moving. It induces a thin metal wig on the cantilever. It looks a bit like how AT builds them but AT has the magnets on that cantilever and ADC chose for the ultra light weight solution. It was my best cart ever and sadly they don't make styli for it anymore. Sad, because the nude linecontact diamond is still in good shape but the rubber suspension has hardened...
Since you broke the news that Grado is is a family owned company in Brooklyn, maybe you can get a factory tour to see how these things are made, especially the styli. Make a great video. I worked in manufacturing and engineering all my life and how those diamond tips are made has always been confounding.
I remember using a Stanton 681 EEE in a Dual turntable (I think it was a 1219 model) and it sounding full and at the same time crisp with nicely detailed highs. Are Stanton and Dual still around?
I'm pretty new at understanding all of this. I have a ion ttusb usb enabled belt drive turntable w/ a GT cartridge. No idea how old or use the stylus is. Which cartridge in your video would be the best replacement for the GT? Thanks!
Hi there, I currently have a Pro-Ject Debut Carbon with an Audio Technical AT100E cartridge. I'd like to upgrade the cartridge as I feel it is a bit rough around the edges, and the bass is really sloppy for my taste. I'd like tighter bass, better detail retrieval and an overall more balanced and musical presentation. Can you recommend some no-fuss carts I can install on my Debut Carbon? Debut Carbon is feeding a Sansui AU-555A which is powering a pair of Celestion Ditton 551. Many thanks, Dana
When I bought my Rega P2 about 5 months ago I had the shop replace the standard carbon with an AT-VM540ML and I'm happy with it. The Rega replace my Technics SL-5 linear tracking TT that no longer turned on.
Thanks for your video. You can try the Ortofon 300 or 500 series p-mount if you don't like the Audio-Technica. Stylii for the 300-series, 305, 310 and 320. Stylii for the 500-series, 510, 520, 530 and 540.
back in tne day I had the AR turntable I bought when I was in Korea in the late 60's, I still have the records but that AR was given to a friend. I'm using the Nagaoka MP110 cartridge ($110 when i bought it)and am quite happy with the sound i get from it on my Rega RP3. I have heard some good things about the Goldring E3 but have not heard one yet.
Loved your video, especially your use in visual aids when describing the differences between elliptical and conical styli. The 2 fingers and the blue clock pen was the best. BTW, your problem with the p-mount AT 360 is not the cartridge (or stylus), it’s the geometry of the arm. Too short is my guess. You can check my hypothesis using a stylus overhang gauge. Why p-mounts came and went so quickly was just this problem. The p-mount tone arms were made to be as simple as possible with no adjustments available to screw up. But all too often the arms came from the factory pre-screwed 😮.
Excellent show as always, i also use a AT 3600L as it has a carbon cantilever, but the mainstay of my carts are the Audio-technica vm series , the orange, red ml , and brown shibata , and i use these on my Technics sl 1200g , which is a superb yet expensive deck , so i don't buy expensive carts , as you proved with the wonderful Grado carts from bottom to top in the series you highlighted, you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference. I really enjoy your reviews. Regards from England.
Last month, I bought an Audio-Technica LP-60 variant bundled with headphones and a headphone jack. From listening to the 3600 so far, it sounds warm to my ears.
Love your reviews, I have 2 Sony turntables, a PS-LX300H and a PS-LX350H...both have an Audio-Technica AT-VM95C which i will eventually upgrade to the elliptical stylus.
Do you know if there are 'house sounds' on the (MM) cartridges? Does price level mean more in common across brands, than (if) any 'house sound'? I am thinking of buying second cart. (orotofon, but moreso I am looking at Sumiko, Goldring, Nagoaka) to change off to spare existing cart. from wear; Vintage Shure that will be tough to get a another replacement stylus. Comments appreciated, though budget will be $600 to $800.
Hi, I'm from the Philippines and I'm interested in T4P Grado cartridge but according to a post, it's only for US sale. Is there a way for you help buyers from other countries?
If you play a lot of mono records (which I do), a mono cartridge is a must-have. I know that some TT have a control that switches between mono and stereo. You get crosstalk even with it switched to mono. It's like FM. A station that is far away you don't get good reception. Switch it to mono and the reception is fine. You've got a video (as well as ANA[DIA]LOG) on mono records. As soon as I got a mono cartridge I was amazed at the difference it made. Anyways, have a good Sunday.
Shit, never thought of grabbing a mono cart. Does it really matter? I have a handful of beatles records in mono... will it sound any different/better with a mono cart? And why?
My new turntable came with the Ortofon 2M Red and I was pleasantly surprised. But with a completely new system I decided to try a moving coil for the first time and am really impressed with it. I'm not one to bounce around with different components once I've found something really good, so this cartridge will possibly be the last for me. Oh, and I prefer a micro-line stylus myself.
@Record-ology There is also another cartridge called the Sanyo MG-29D that you can buy off of China for around $15 to $25. Goldring rebranded it after Sanyo was not doing too good as the Goldring Elektra. The only difference is is that it has an elliptical Stylus and still beats the at95e and the at3600l
Also can you put the grado cartridges on a Fluance 81+? I’m sorry if that’s a dumb question. I just got into vinyl’s and this is my first record player
Its a good question! Yes you can absolutely. Grados are a bit tall so I have had issues with some turntables' tone arms being too low but you shouldn't have that issue with the 81.
I think the 320 may be specifically setup for linear tracking turntables. In a regular pivoting arm it will be out of alignment at the outer and inner tracks of a record.
Ranking my cartridges using 3 characteristics. 1. Sound Quality 2. Trackability 3. Affordability Note: I own 6 cartridges, I very recently replaced the stylus on each, mounted on 6 headshells for quick, easy exchange: My favorite cartridge Ranking: 6. ATN-XP3DJ 5. Shure M91ED 4. AT-96E 3. Shure R47xt 2. Pickering XV-15 1. Stanton D6800-DL
I have been interested in trying a Grado Prestige Green 3, but a lot of reviews I've read suggest that these carts are finicky on tracking and something about "grado hum". I currently run a AT VM95ML mounted on my SL1200 MKII and running that into a pair of klipsch R51 PM (powered speakers) and running a R120SW by klipsch. So, my question is this. Does the Grado require a low mass tone arm for proper tracking? Alos, does Grado Hum exist or is it a unicorn? I'm supposing that my mid mass SL1200 tone arm would be acceptable for a Grado Prestige? Thanks in advance
Grados are prone to hum with some turntables as they are unshielded by design. It's supposed to be less of an issue with Direct Drives; more prone to happen with AC than DC motors by all accounts. My experience - Grado Prestige Black 3 hums on my Technics SL-20 which is a DC belt drive, the motor is to the right front, so in the arms path and likely the cause. It doesn't hum on a Pioneer PL-12D, which is AC belt drive, until closer to the inside/end of an LP; as the motor is at the back left this would indicate the cause is proximity to the motor.
It'll set you back a bit over $200, but throw a nude elliptical Stylus 20 on that Ortofon 5E and it'll sound amazing without being finicky like the fine line and shibata styli can be.
the AT-95 is very popular but it's even better with an aftermarket (hyper-elliptical and/or microline) stylus, available from at least two online vendors. I also have a Grado-blue. Great sounding cart (especially for jazz music) but finicky to set up properly..especially the VTA adjustment.
The problem I have with Grado cartridges is that they tend to sound harsh at the inner grooves of a record. I'm very careful with aligning the cartridge in the headshell for my Technics 1200mk2, and this happens on any Grado I use. My current favorite cartridge is the Audio-Technica AT-VM95SH. Tracking at 2 grams, this cartridge pulls out detail from my records that I've forgotten was even there. Stereo separation is wide and clean, which also bodes well when playing matrixed quadraphonic records. I highly recommend this cartridge.
You are right it is all subjective for sure. I use to have a Grado Gold Prestige, then I went with the 2m Red, which for me, I liked a lot better, then I upgraded to the 2m Blue, and never looked back. I know there are a lot of people that don’t like the Ortofon 2m’s but I am not one of them. In fact I am currently running the 2m Blue on both my turntables, a 25 year old Dennon DP47f and my Fluance RT85.
wow i did not think you could top last show i was wrong this was just as good I remember hearing of grado carts but they were out of my price range always used audiotechnica carts I remenber when I bought the atlp-120 TT it came with the95e cart it sounded better than the 3600 cause of the eliptical stylus then when I got the crosley c-10 it had the ortophon ome5 cart now that sounded great so then I got one for the lp-120 tt it was not expensive the 3600 is a great cart and it is good for dynagroove albums which were made especially for the old TT's that had the conical type stylus which a lot of the ceramics had ,I bought a garrard mpk autoslim tt it came with a ceramic cart a sonotone type I switched it to a mag 3600 cart from ebay for under 20.00 the amp that I hooked it up to was from the later 90's they cannot handle the ceramic carts the bass response on these amps are very limited compared to the early 70's amp which could handle them but that cart worked out fantastic its perfect cause this tt had a tracking force adjustment and I do not know how this works but the antiskate is perfect I am thinking that since the sonotone was tracking at 4 grams it was set for that I cannot explain it I have no reason to try another cart for now the audio technica and ortophon are what works for me ,I would not mind the grado knowing that is made in USA I would like to know how they sound ,as for moving coil carts in my opinion they might sound better and just saying might they are too expensive close to 1000.00 from last I saw but to hear and extra ting !!! from a song you are listening to is a waste of money ,once the stylus is worn you got to send it out the whole cart to replace stylus now how many of regular people have an extra 1000'00 to buy a back up moving coil cart not to mention the extra money for the old cart while the old one is being replaced ,only a snooty audio phile who has money to waste and does not understand what it is to work for a living and I was one many years ago not anymore JRo
If you love music you must go with Grado. I have had most of them since the mid seventies culminating with my present black, green, blue and Gold. I also have AT's and Ortofon Blue. But the Grados rule. The fact that you appreciate the Grados makes you a competent reviewer in a sea of so called experts. My compliments.
There is definitely a difference between the Grado Black, Blue, and Gold. There was a distinct difference in sound imo as you went up the chain. The Blue body slammed the Black and the Gold just opened up more than the Blue
I would highly recommend the most recent AT-VM95e is a more rounded cartridge. As an upgrade, the AT-VM95ML is amazing. On first listen the E and the ML have a very similar profile, however the ML can bring some bad pressings (i.e. cheap polystyrene 45 rpm singles) back to life as well as some records with light surface scratches as it is playing deeper in the groove. It also has something like 4x the playing time of the E. Depending on what you are doing, both are in the best bang for your buck category. As far as the woes with the P mount cartridge, I just put a brand new Audio Technica AT-85 on my 1981 Technics SL-Q3 turntable as it sounds amazing and tracks very well. It replaced the old AT-92 that was on it from 1981 and while I considered just replacing the stylus on it, the AT-85 is slightly better regarded by most people on the forums. As far as the AT-3600 goes, I agree it is a nice sounding cartridge, however not that big into conical styli, so I found an after market eliptical which improved the sound considerably.
Interesting that the 85E would be better than the 92E. I used to have a 92E when AT was selling them dirt cheap with 1/2" adapters in blister packs. 'Twas alright, but I'm not all that impressed with the top end and tracking ability. T4P wise I much preferred a conical-tipped Sanyo MG67D. AT might've stepped it up when it comes to the bonded elliptical on the 85E even though the specs are similar. Now you have me curious to test one myself!
In between the 95E and the 95ML is the VM95EN.... kind of like Audio Technica's version of the Ortofon 2M Blue. Not much more than $100.00 (I went ahead and bought one with a headshell). The only issue with the VM line is the output is a little lower than you might want, and I was running through a 70's -vintage Marantz, so I bought an external phono pre-amp that allows gain adjustment. Test record: 45 RPM "Fleetwood Mac - Rumors" LP. I've probably heard that album a couple hundred times..... but never like this! Really diggin' the VM line!
The atvm95c is a beautiful conical cartridge and is available for $50!!! Lot of bang for the buck and easy on your well loved albums! Try lpgear replacement for your audio Technica p mount. Pretty sure you have reviewed the lpgear stylus outfitted on a 3600l. Also, it might just be the nature of p mount tonearms to get the inner groove distortion. I have a similar Technics turntable and will set it up and see if I notice that with 45's.
I will also add mastering will make or break the sound of a record (especially new recently released vinyl) no matter how premium a cartridge one uses. Once in awhile I’m pleasantly surprised. The new Morgan Wallen album “One Thing at a Time” (Yes it really is 36 songs on 3 records. lol ) actually sounds better on LP than CD. Sterling Sound did the mastering with the initials JNH in the dead wax. That engineer knew what they were doing and it was properly mastered for vinyl. I’ve bought other new recent releases that were disappointing sound wise compared to vintage LPs.
Vwestlife is correct. They are also less sensitive to the capacitive loading of the pickup (cartridge head) cables. The Grados of the past, and I assume today, have a flatter midrange and even table than most cartridges, as measured by Consumer Reports in years past (the olden days now). It is better to get the second one up from the bottom because in the past, the second one up was made of the top 10% of the bottom one. Grado no longer states this on their website, so it might no longer be true. The Grados need a little more tracking force, 1.5 grams, compared to the Shures and Audio Technicas. Most of the Audio Technicas will peak some in the treble, though the 95e is an exception. The Audio Technicas do track well, however. The Denon 110 (don't get the more expensive 130-it peaks in the treble--Iv'e seen the measurements from a British Hi-Fi magazine in the past) is a good high-output moving coil. The Sumiko Blupoit is also a good high-output moving coil, but it costs a lot now, like F400. I got mine when they were only a $100.
Grado Prestige series are amazing, and I believe you can still get them in P mount (I have the green that I used on an old TT). I use the blue nowadays on a U-Turn TT.
P-mount cartridges are still available from Grado, true. But they are manually cut from 1/2" mount standard bodies and this is too obvious on first sight. Overall impression of quality isn't that convincing. In addition, the P-mount standard was not just about the mechanical fixing, but also required a standardized vertical tracking force. Grado pickups don't exactly meet that standard. One more thing to be aware of: Current "cheap" amplifiers with MM inputs often tend to suffer from way too high input capacitance values. Those amps wont work well with many MM cartridges (especially those with rather high inductance like most AT designs). Unfortunately, using MI designs like Grado or Nagaoka is not helping here at all, even if some people tell you so.
Can I also recommend the Sumiko Pearl. Outstanding cartridge. A true giant killer. I also have the AT3600, AT95E and Orrofon OM5 on other turntables but the Sumiko is miles better.
The best part of owning an A/T95E, or a Grado Prestige is that you can make a significant improvement simply by stepping up in stylus. BTW, do NOT clean the black "goop" when you change your Grado stylus.
All Grado Prestige styli (Black, Green, Blue, Red, Silver and Gold) are bonded elliptical styli. The cheapest Grado cartridge with a nude stylus is the $600 Sonata3.
I agree that the Audio-Technica AT3600 is quite good for the price. I understand that the AT95e has been replaced by the AT-VM95e. As for your AT320 p-mount? That’s not entirely the fault of the cartridge. Your issue is the fault of the p-mount turntable system of that era. I remember hearing cartridges like that on regular tonearms and they sounded good. If I remember correctly, the p-mount cartridges were meant for the early 80s “linear tracking” turntables. Those had that short arm that tracked straight across the record instead of the normal pivoting arm. I thought that they sounded good WHEN THEY WORKED. In other words, those linear tracking turntables were very unreliable.
So far nobody else has… I went back and checked the video also. Sometimes RUclips buffers video like this… Try restarting the application and trying again. Sorry for the inconvenience.
@@Recordology I'm using optical out from my TV into the SMSL SU-1 DAC. Video is coming from PC. I'm guessing that's where the problem is happening. Switching to the TV's app.
@@Recordology This is interesting. Initially I restarted YT on PC, still had the sync problem. Switched to the TV's built in app. No sync problem. Switched back to PC, and problem is fixed. ???? I didn't restart Windows just switched from HDMI input to built in app. Strange bug somewhere? I've been reading recently about how HDMI is causing a lot of headaches for people. I hadn't had any, and I'm an early adopter of tech. Thanks for the help.
Don't give the manufacturers an idea to raise the price. If you like it, they like you for doubling the price. LOL I had a Grado back in the day. It had a white cap holding the stylus. The entire cartridge came in a case larger than a square bracelet box in gray.
Well, a lot of people cant afford a cartridge over $100 and there is a very large consensus that there are plenty of great sounding ones in that range and below. As I stated in the video, more money does not always mean better quality. As for CDs...love CDs - they sound better than vinyl ANY day (from a technical perspective at least) Still love the warmth and presence of vinyl.
What AWFUL BAD advice from the guy that says cds are horrible. I've used cartridges that can run with around $2,000 cartridges of today with a tonearm of compatible quality; and cds are NOT HORRIBLE. In fact they sound OUT OF THIS WORLD GREAT with the right player. You wonder if some of these people don't get some kind of a pleasure giving horrible advice to others. It would take one whale of a cartridge to come anywhere near the sound quality of my cd playback equipment. A lot of vinyl snobs and those that promote it are like competing with the Joneses, and they are the more wealthy upper status exclusive Jones and the cd users are the lesser Jones in their mind. They throw their money down the drain on expensive vinyl pressings, thinking they have something superior or exclusive.
Grado cartridges are actually moving iron, not moving magnet. Moving iron gives you most of the benefits of a moving coil cartridge, but at a far lower cost and are compatible with a standard phono pre-amp. I'm a big fan of vintage Stanton and Pickering moving iron cartridges.
Yep and can be driven by typical moving magnetic voltage on a preamp.
ADC made cartridges like the TRX-1 I still have that do the same. They call it Induced Magnet. The coils are in the cart, the magnet lies with the stylus, but is not moving. It induces a thin metal wig on the cantilever. It looks a bit like how AT builds them but AT has the magnets on that cantilever and ADC chose for the ultra light weight solution.
It was my best cart ever and sadly they don't make styli for it anymore. Sad, because the nude linecontact diamond is still in good shape but the rubber suspension has hardened...
My 2 favourite MMs are the Nagaoka MP110 & 150. Warmish but accurate.
Since you broke the news that Grado is is a family owned company in Brooklyn, maybe you can get a factory tour to see how these things are made, especially the styli. Make a great video.
I worked in manufacturing and engineering all my life and how those diamond tips are made has always been confounding.
Great video! The comparison at the end convinced me to buy the black over the gold cartridge. Oh, and I am actually a subscriber!
Great video! What was the record playing during the Grado segment?
I remember using a Stanton 681 EEE in a Dual turntable (I think it was a 1219 model) and it sounding full and at the same time crisp with nicely detailed highs. Are Stanton and Dual still around?
You're awesome man
Record ology your utube videos are awesome my friend 🎉🎉🎉
I'm pretty new at understanding all of this. I have a ion ttusb usb enabled belt drive turntable w/ a GT cartridge. No idea how old or use the stylus is. Which cartridge in your video would be the best replacement for the GT? Thanks!
Record ology I learn a lot from you about bying quality turntables new and used and phono cartrdges 🎉🎉my friend
Hi there,
I currently have a Pro-Ject Debut Carbon with an Audio Technical AT100E cartridge. I'd like to upgrade the cartridge as I feel it is a bit rough around the edges, and the bass is really sloppy for my taste. I'd like tighter bass, better detail retrieval and an overall more balanced and musical presentation. Can you recommend some no-fuss carts I can install on my Debut Carbon?
Debut Carbon is feeding a Sansui AU-555A which is powering a pair of Celestion Ditton 551.
Many thanks,
Dana
When I bought my Rega P2 about 5 months ago I had the shop replace the standard carbon with an AT-VM540ML and I'm happy with it. The Rega replace my Technics SL-5 linear tracking TT that no longer turned on.
What's that record btw? Loved it
👍🏻nice very nice awesome presentation 👏 😮
Thank you! Cheers!
@@Recordology awesome 👌 👏 👍🏻 your welcome and thank you very much no problem 😊 👍🏻 see you in the next video enjoy 😀
Hi! What do you think about at3600 vs at91?? Which is better?
Thanks for your video. You can try the Ortofon 300 or 500 series p-mount if you don't like the Audio-Technica. Stylii for the 300-series, 305, 310 and 320. Stylii for the 500-series, 510, 520, 530 and 540.
Hi great video
At long last someone who lives in the real world regarding down to earth price's.
For phono cartridges, keep up the great work
#5 Totally agree! Low cost amazingly good ! Grado makes amazing cartridges and I want one of their Platinum 3's but it's around $500 lol
Did you hear blue at3600 with elliptical stylus from "LP Gear" company? Better than standard at3600 or marketing?
back in tne day I had the AR turntable I bought when I was in Korea in the late 60's, I still have the records but that AR was given to a friend. I'm using the Nagaoka MP110 cartridge ($110 when i bought it)and am quite happy with the sound i get from it on my Rega RP3. I have heard some good things about the Goldring E3 but have not heard one yet.
Loved your video, especially your use in visual aids when describing the differences between elliptical and conical styli. The 2 fingers and the blue clock pen was the best. BTW, your problem with the p-mount AT 360 is not the cartridge (or stylus), it’s the geometry of the arm. Too short is my guess. You can check my hypothesis using a stylus overhang gauge. Why p-mounts came and went so quickly was just this problem. The p-mount tone arms were made to be as simple as possible with no adjustments available to screw up. But all too often the arms came from the factory pre-screwed 😮.
@Record-ology The one that I mentioned on the Victrola record player is definitely NOT the same one as the Sanyo MG-29D.
Excellent show as always, i also use a AT 3600L as it has a carbon cantilever, but the mainstay of my carts are the Audio-technica vm series , the orange, red ml , and brown shibata , and i use these on my Technics sl 1200g , which is a superb yet expensive deck , so i don't buy expensive carts , as you proved with the wonderful Grado carts from bottom to top in the series you highlighted, you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference. I really enjoy your reviews. Regards from England.
Last month, I bought an Audio-Technica LP-60 variant bundled with headphones and a headphone jack. From listening to the 3600 so far, it sounds warm to my ears.
LP Gear makes a nice upgrade package for that turntable that really improves the sound.
Love your reviews, I have 2 Sony turntables, a PS-LX300H and a PS-LX350H...both have an Audio-Technica AT-VM95C which i will eventually upgrade to the elliptical stylus.
Do you know if there are 'house sounds' on the (MM) cartridges?
Does price level mean more in common across brands, than (if) any 'house sound'?
I am thinking of buying second cart. (orotofon, but moreso I am looking at Sumiko, Goldring, Nagoaka) to change off to spare existing cart. from wear; Vintage Shure that will be tough to get a another replacement stylus.
Comments appreciated, though budget will be $600 to $800.
I would love to hear something in that price range… Regarding the Nagaoka MP 110… I was actually a little disappointed. Sounded like a dull 3600.
Hi, I'm from the Philippines and I'm interested in T4P Grado cartridge but according to a post, it's only for US sale. Is there a way for you help buyers from other countries?
I don’t sell cartridges but I would recommend contacting Grado.
I like these top five! Shure 27E, Grado Black 3, Audio Technica 92E, Ortofon Red
If you play a lot of mono records (which I do), a mono cartridge is a must-have. I know that some TT have a control that switches between mono and stereo. You get crosstalk even with it switched to mono. It's like FM. A station that is far away you don't get good reception. Switch it to mono and the reception is fine. You've got a video (as well as ANA[DIA]LOG) on mono records. As soon as I got a mono cartridge I was amazed at the difference it made. Anyways, have a good Sunday.
How dare you tempt me to buy something I was already considering buying
Shit, never thought of grabbing a mono cart. Does it really matter? I have a handful of beatles records in mono... will it sound any different/better with a mono cart? And why?
Using a Grado red on my Thorens TD 318 and a Shure M97xE on my Thorens TD 160 turntable. Both sound pretty good.
I have a suggestion how about top five red tip Needle for the record player?
what is the name of the LP you played while showing the Grado Gold?
Sounded to me like a Command / Project 3 Enoch Light performance.
I got two Shures. ...................... RX6, Radio Shack version. And a M70EJ. Where to I get stylus?
My new turntable came with the Ortofon 2M Red and I was pleasantly surprised. But with a completely new system I decided to try a moving coil for the first time and am really impressed with it. I'm not one to bounce around with different components once I've found something really good, so this cartridge will possibly be the last for me. Oh, and I prefer a micro-line stylus myself.
I really want to try a moving coil at some point.
I have an AT VMN 95 ML. Once it's broken in, it's an amazing stylus.
@@Recordology
The AT-OC9XEB is $259 which isn't that bad. But not being able to replace the stylus makes me super careful handling my moving coil.
@Record-ology There is also another cartridge called the Sanyo MG-29D that you can buy off of China for around $15 to $25. Goldring rebranded it after Sanyo was not doing too good as the Goldring Elektra. The only difference is is that it has an elliptical Stylus and still beats the at95e and the at3600l
Also can you put the grado cartridges on a Fluance 81+? I’m sorry if that’s a dumb question. I just got into vinyl’s and this is my first record player
Its a good question! Yes you can absolutely. Grados are a bit tall so I have had issues with some turntables' tone arms being too low but you shouldn't have that issue with the 81.
@@Recordology thank you!
I think the 320 may be specifically setup for linear tracking turntables. In a regular pivoting arm it will be out of alignment at the outer and inner tracks of a record.
It is possible!
i have an audio technica 3472 and it looks similar to the 320 but it tracks quite well
why does it say audio technica OM5 in the indexing? I prefer the AT95 with the conical AT93 stylus
Ranking my cartridges using 3 characteristics.
1. Sound Quality
2. Trackability
3. Affordability
Note: I own 6 cartridges, I very recently replaced the stylus on each, mounted on 6 headshells for quick, easy exchange:
My favorite cartridge Ranking:
6. ATN-XP3DJ
5. Shure M91ED
4. AT-96E
3. Shure R47xt
2. Pickering XV-15
1. Stanton D6800-DL
I have been interested in trying a Grado Prestige Green 3, but a lot of reviews I've read suggest that these carts are finicky on tracking and something about "grado hum". I currently run a AT VM95ML mounted on my SL1200 MKII and running that into a pair of klipsch R51 PM (powered speakers) and running a R120SW by klipsch. So, my question is this. Does the Grado require a low mass tone arm for proper tracking? Alos, does Grado Hum exist or is it a unicorn? I'm supposing that my mid mass SL1200 tone arm would be acceptable for a Grado Prestige? Thanks in advance
I’ve never had an issue with any of the Grado Prestige Series. No hum, standard tone arms etc. They come with weights for low / hi mass tone arms.
Thanks for the reply! @@Recordology
Grados are prone to hum with some turntables as they are unshielded by design. It's supposed to be less of an issue with Direct Drives; more prone to happen with AC than DC motors by all accounts. My experience - Grado Prestige Black 3 hums on my Technics SL-20 which is a DC belt drive, the motor is to the right front, so in the arms path and likely the cause. It doesn't hum on a Pioneer PL-12D, which is AC belt drive, until closer to the inside/end of an LP; as the motor is at the back left this would indicate the cause is proximity to the motor.
With that NASA cap, are you in Huntsville, AL, where I now live?
It'll set you back a bit over $200, but throw a nude elliptical Stylus 20 on that Ortofon 5E and it'll sound amazing without being finicky like the fine line and shibata styli can be.
What’s the name of the vinyl you were playing for the grado?
First record was Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer followed by A Charlie Brown Christmas.
@@Recordology thank you!
the AT-95 is very popular but it's even better with an aftermarket (hyper-elliptical and/or microline) stylus, available from at least two online vendors.
I also have a Grado-blue. Great sounding cart (especially for jazz music) but finicky to set up properly..especially the VTA adjustment.
The problem I have with Grado cartridges is that they tend to sound harsh at the inner grooves of a record. I'm very careful with aligning the cartridge in the headshell for my Technics 1200mk2, and this happens on any Grado I use. My current favorite cartridge is the Audio-Technica AT-VM95SH. Tracking at 2 grams, this cartridge pulls out detail from my records that I've forgotten was even there. Stereo separation is wide and clean, which also bodes well when playing matrixed quadraphonic records. I highly recommend this cartridge.
You are right it is all subjective for sure. I use to have a Grado Gold Prestige, then I went with the 2m Red, which for me, I liked a lot better, then I upgraded to the 2m Blue, and never looked back. I know there are a lot of people that don’t like the Ortofon 2m’s but I am not one of them. In fact I am currently running the 2m Blue on both my turntables, a 25 year old Dennon DP47f and my Fluance RT85.
wow i did not think you could top last show i was wrong this was just as good I remember hearing of grado carts but they were out of my price range always used audiotechnica carts I remenber when I bought the atlp-120 TT it came with the95e cart it sounded better than the 3600 cause of the eliptical stylus then when I got the crosley c-10 it had the ortophon ome5 cart now that sounded great so then I got one for the lp-120 tt it was not expensive the 3600 is a great cart and it is good for dynagroove albums which were made especially for the old TT's that had the conical type stylus which a lot of the ceramics had ,I bought a garrard mpk autoslim tt it came with a ceramic cart a sonotone type I switched it to a mag 3600 cart from ebay for under 20.00 the amp that I hooked it up to was from the later 90's they cannot handle the ceramic carts the bass response on these amps are very limited compared to the early 70's amp which could handle them but that cart worked out fantastic its perfect cause this tt had a tracking force adjustment and I do not know how this works but the antiskate is perfect I am thinking that since the sonotone was tracking at 4 grams it was set for that I cannot explain it I have no reason to try another cart for now the audio technica and ortophon are what works for me ,I would not mind the grado knowing that is made in USA I would like to know how they sound ,as for moving coil carts in my opinion they might sound better and just saying might they are too expensive close to 1000.00 from last I saw but to hear and extra ting !!! from a song you are listening to is a waste of money ,once the stylus is worn you got to send it out the whole cart to replace stylus now how many of regular people have an extra 1000'00 to buy a back up moving coil cart not to mention the extra money for the old cart while the old one is being replaced ,only a snooty audio phile who has money to waste and does not understand what it is to work for a living and I was one many years ago not anymore JRo
My turntable has an AT-VM95C on it.
If you love music you must go with Grado. I have had most of them since the mid seventies culminating with my present black, green, blue and Gold. I also have AT's and Ortofon Blue. But the Grados rule. The fact that you appreciate the Grados makes you a competent reviewer in a sea of so called experts. My compliments.
Grado reference sounds like the Led Zeppelin is in my living room
There is definitely a difference between the Grado Black, Blue, and Gold.
There was a distinct difference in sound imo as you went up the chain. The Blue body slammed the Black and the Gold just opened up more than the Blue
I would highly recommend the most recent AT-VM95e is a more rounded cartridge. As an upgrade, the AT-VM95ML is amazing. On first listen the E and the ML have a very similar profile, however the ML can bring some bad pressings (i.e. cheap polystyrene 45 rpm singles) back to life as well as some records with light surface scratches as it is playing deeper in the groove. It also has something like 4x the playing time of the E. Depending on what you are doing, both are in the best bang for your buck category.
As far as the woes with the P mount cartridge, I just put a brand new Audio Technica AT-85 on my 1981 Technics SL-Q3 turntable as it sounds amazing and tracks very well. It replaced the old AT-92 that was on it from 1981 and while I considered just replacing the stylus on it, the AT-85 is slightly better regarded by most people on the forums.
As far as the AT-3600 goes, I agree it is a nice sounding cartridge, however not that big into conical styli, so I found an after market eliptical which improved the sound considerably.
Interesting that the 85E would be better than the 92E. I used to have a 92E when AT was selling them dirt cheap with 1/2" adapters in blister packs. 'Twas alright, but I'm not all that impressed with the top end and tracking ability. T4P wise I much preferred a conical-tipped Sanyo MG67D.
AT might've stepped it up when it comes to the bonded elliptical on the 85E even though the specs are similar. Now you have me curious to test one myself!
In between the 95E and the 95ML is the VM95EN.... kind of like Audio Technica's version of the Ortofon 2M Blue. Not much more than $100.00 (I went ahead and bought one with a headshell). The only issue with the VM line is the output is a little lower than you might want, and I was running through a 70's -vintage Marantz, so I bought an external phono pre-amp that allows gain adjustment. Test record: 45 RPM "Fleetwood Mac - Rumors" LP. I've probably heard that album a couple hundred times..... but never like this! Really diggin' the VM line!
I have the AT 95e which is fine for me.
It’s a good one!
The atvm95c is a beautiful conical cartridge and is available for $50!!! Lot of bang for the buck and easy on your well loved albums! Try lpgear replacement for your audio Technica p mount. Pretty sure you have reviewed the lpgear stylus outfitted on a 3600l. Also, it might just be the nature of p mount tonearms to get the inner groove distortion. I have a similar Technics turntable and will set it up and see if I notice that with 45's.
Record ology my hobbies are painting 🖼 and listening to shortwave and ssb I have 5 shortwave receivers iam thinking about getting my ham license 🎉
Did he say "moving pomeroy?" What is that?
I have the Ortofon 2M Red and I'm not very happy with it. I kid you not but I like the AT3600L better.
I will also add mastering will make or break the sound of a record (especially new recently released vinyl) no matter how premium a cartridge one uses. Once in awhile I’m pleasantly surprised. The new Morgan Wallen album “One Thing at a Time” (Yes it really is 36 songs on 3 records. lol ) actually sounds better on LP than CD. Sterling Sound did the mastering with the initials JNH in the dead wax. That engineer knew what they were doing and it was properly mastered for vinyl. I’ve bought other new recent releases that were disappointing sound wise compared to vintage LPs.
Sterling does great work
@@Recordology Agreed!
Record ology Iam going to san Diego CALIFORNIA in October 2023 19-23 for five days with my cousin and his wife we are flying there
Since you like Grado, why not get a Black with p-mount? They do make them.
No longer made unfortunately!
@@RecordologyGrado also discontinued the Blue and Silver cartridges and styli.
Vwestlife is correct. They are also less sensitive to the capacitive loading of the pickup (cartridge head) cables. The Grados of the past, and I assume today, have a flatter midrange and even table than most cartridges, as measured by Consumer Reports in years past (the olden days now). It is better to get the second one up from the bottom because in the past, the second one up was made of the top 10% of the bottom one. Grado no longer states this on their website, so it might no longer be true. The Grados need a little more tracking force, 1.5 grams, compared to the Shures and Audio Technicas. Most of the Audio Technicas will peak some in the treble, though the 95e is an exception. The Audio Technicas do track well, however.
The Denon 110 (don't get the more expensive 130-it peaks in the treble--Iv'e seen the measurements from a British Hi-Fi magazine in the past) is a good high-output moving coil. The Sumiko Blupoit is also a good high-output moving coil, but it costs a lot now, like F400. I got mine when they were only a $100.
Grado Prestige series are amazing, and I believe you can still get them in P mount (I have the green that I used on an old TT). I use the blue nowadays on a U-Turn TT.
P-mount cartridges are still available from Grado, true. But they are manually cut from 1/2" mount standard bodies and this is too obvious on first sight. Overall impression of quality isn't that convincing. In addition, the P-mount standard was not just about the mechanical fixing, but also required a standardized vertical tracking force. Grado pickups don't exactly meet that standard.
One more thing to be aware of: Current "cheap" amplifiers with MM inputs often tend to suffer from way too high input capacitance values. Those amps wont work well with many MM cartridges (especially those with rather high inductance like most AT designs). Unfortunately, using MI designs like Grado or Nagaoka is not helping here at all, even if some people tell you so.
Can I also recommend the Sumiko Pearl. Outstanding cartridge. A true giant killer. I also have the AT3600, AT95E and Orrofon OM5 on other turntables but the Sumiko is miles better.
Love the Black Pearl!
The best part of owning an A/T95E, or a Grado Prestige is that you can make a significant improvement simply by stepping up in stylus. BTW, do NOT clean the black "goop" when you change your Grado stylus.
Record ology my other hobbies are listening to rock Record and county music and 50 60 70s and 20s 30s and 40s music 🎶 🎵 🎉😅😊
go Denver!!!!
Grado cartrtidges are made in brooklyn,New York
The Grado Black is Elliptical! The Blue the same but a nude stylus!
I never realized the blue had a nude stylus!
@@Recordology what I mean is they call it nude because the diamond is solid and not bonded to the cantilever.
All Grado Prestige styli (Black, Green, Blue, Red, Silver and Gold) are bonded elliptical styli. The cheapest Grado cartridge with a nude stylus is the $600 Sonata3.
I agree that the Audio-Technica AT3600 is quite good for the price. I understand that the AT95e has been replaced by the AT-VM95e. As for your AT320 p-mount? That’s not entirely the fault of the cartridge. Your issue is the fault of the p-mount turntable system of that era. I remember hearing cartridges like that on regular tonearms and they sounded good. If I remember correctly, the p-mount cartridges were meant for the early 80s “linear tracking” turntables. Those had that short arm that tracked straight across the record instead of the normal pivoting arm. I thought that they sounded good WHEN THEY WORKED. In other words, those linear tracking turntables were very unreliable.
I agree whole heartedly on Ortofon and definitely
Audio technica, I can really boogie and some of the other cartridges I can puke
I have some machines with a good needle......but experience with amstrad needles but sound and so called record wearing ratio
Is anyone else having an issue with the sound not quite syncing with the video?
So far nobody else has… I went back and checked the video also. Sometimes RUclips buffers video like this… Try restarting the application and trying again. Sorry for the inconvenience.
@@Recordology I wasn't sure if it was on my end, which is why I asked. Thanks!
@@Recordology I'm using optical out from my TV into the SMSL SU-1 DAC. Video is coming from PC. I'm guessing that's where the problem is happening. Switching to the TV's app.
@@Recordology This is interesting. Initially I restarted YT on PC, still had the sync problem. Switched to the TV's built in app. No sync problem. Switched back to PC, and problem is fixed. ???? I didn't restart Windows just switched from HDMI input to built in app. Strange bug somewhere? I've been reading recently about how HDMI is causing a lot of headaches for people. I hadn't had any, and I'm an early adopter of tech.
Thanks for the help.
I know . the cartridge[atn3600] is very under-rated the output is very clean
Agreed.
I’m with you on the AT3600, but I’m not a fan of the AT95. It’s just too flat and boring.
Don't give the manufacturers an idea to raise the price. If you like it, they like you for doubling the price. LOL
I had a Grado back in the day. It had a white cap holding the stylus. The entire cartridge came in a case larger than a square bracelet box in gray.
Didn't think of that lol....
Why buy cheap cartridges and don't hear what's meant to be heard. Makes no sense. May as well listen to cds and that's horrible
Well, a lot of people cant afford a cartridge over $100 and there is a very large consensus that there are plenty of great sounding ones in that range and below. As I stated in the video, more money does not always mean better quality. As for CDs...love CDs - they sound better than vinyl ANY day (from a technical perspective at least) Still love the warmth and presence of vinyl.
What AWFUL BAD advice from the guy that says cds are horrible. I've used cartridges that can run with around $2,000 cartridges of today with a tonearm of compatible quality; and cds are NOT HORRIBLE. In fact they sound OUT OF THIS WORLD GREAT with the right player. You wonder if some of these people don't get some kind of a pleasure giving horrible advice to others. It would take one whale of a cartridge to come anywhere near the sound quality of my cd playback equipment. A lot of vinyl snobs and those that promote it are like competing with the Joneses, and they are the more wealthy upper status exclusive Jones and the cd users are the lesser Jones in their mind. They throw their money down the drain on expensive vinyl pressings, thinking they have something superior or exclusive.
AT OM5? Well ... no such thing.
Sadly most cartridges are way over priced
True
@@Recordology cartridges
Having a limited life so
Makes it hard to justify
Some of the outrageous
Cost
@Record-Ology please read the very first one. I sent you an email regarding the Sanyo/Goldring Elektra
Just read it! Thank you for the tip!
@@Recordology Of course you as well you're awesome! The skywalk LP that you mailed me is one of my best full analog records I have!
@@Recordology Sent you an email by the way so you can know other places where to find this cartridge at