Have found the Ortofon 2M (red) a good match for many "budget" to mid-priced systems. Seems to like working with Rega Planars.Dismal Pillock wrote: ↑Sat Jul 25, 2020 11:28 pm another example. Decided I wanted to try the best cheap MC cart there is. Googled around and the reviews all lead back to Denon DL-110. A moving coil cart that you cannot switch out a new stylus for. Once it's worn out, that's it, another $250 please. They last about 2,000 hours. It is literally like a junkie paying for high grade shit to needle into their blood. After my first one wore out I swore to myself, I'm not an audiophile, not that fussy surely, this $30 Audio Technica one over here will do me, good reviews, clicked buy, hooked it up, didnt even last 30 seconds. Even before breaking it in it was obvious the sound was a massive downgrade from the Denon. Couldnt do it. Sorry. Just cannot go back.
MC really is for "high-end" stuff. They are incredibly fussy, a bitch to set up and, obviously, need a sh*t load more amplification due to their low output. It's not a great analogy but a bit like an exotic performance car: expensive, requires a lot of fettling, can be damaged easily and for the majority of drivers, the inconveniences would never be offset by the benefits. I note the Denon is HOMC and so (presumably) gets by the need for pre-amp (MC/phono)?