Cartridges that are most compatible with a NAD (Rega 250) tonearm

Sacha Florence Steele New member Username: Audiophilejunkie Post Number: 1 Registered: Dec-06	Posted on Thursday, December 28, 2006 - 17:13 GMT Here is some background information on my equipment: I have had a NAD 533 turntable for several years now. It has a Rega 250 tonearm on it. I also have a NAD Phono PreAmp PP-1 which connects my turntable and my NAD Stereo Intergrated Amplifier C370. I have a Goldring Elektra cartridge and stylus on it which came with the equipment. It is now time to replace the cartridge and stylus, because lately my albums are beginning to sound flat and the high end sound just isn't there anymore. I have never really been satisfied with my Goldring Elektra cartridge anyway. I would like to upgrade my cartridge, but I'm not exactly sure what my tonearm can handle. Here are some cartridges that I'm looking at: (1) GRADO PRESTIGE TURNTABLE GOLD PHONO CARTRIDGE (2)GRADO REFERENCE PLATINUM CARTRIDGE (3)Clearaudio Aurum Classic Phono Cartridge (4)Denon DL 103 MC cartridge (5) Denon DL 160 High Output MC cartridge (6)Ortofon 520 MK II 520MKII cartridge (7) ORIGINAL ORTOFON Stylus 30 for OM Super OMP. If you need information on these, you can go to www.needledoctor.com Please help me figure out which one is the most compatible with my tonearm, but will produce the best sound for the money. Thanks so much for any help you can provide me!
Nuck Gold Member Username: Nuck Post Number: 5057 Registered: Dec-04	Posted on Thursday, December 28, 2006 - 17:32 GMT Hi Sacha. I can't offer anything for your cart, but I really admire your setup. What speakers are you running? How are you supporting your player?
audiophilejunkie New member Username: Audiophilejunkie Post Number: 2 Registered: Dec-06	Posted on Thursday, December 28, 2006 - 18:21 GMT Thanks for the compliment. I have B&W DM603 S3 speakers. You're question about how I'm supporting my player, which player are you talking about?
Nuck Gold Member Username: Nuck Post Number: 5062 Registered: Dec-04	Posted on Thursday, December 28, 2006 - 21:44 GMT Your TT. Sorry.
Jan Vigne Gold Member Username: Jan_b_vigne Dallas, TX Post Number: 9535 Registered: May-04	Posted on Friday, December 29, 2006 - 02:10 GMT . The 250 can deal with any of the cartridges you've listed. It becomes a matter of sound quality from each cartridge and what you think you want from the final system. I would say a few of your cartrige choices exceed the abilities of your phono pre amp. You should be able to find informative reviews of almost all of your choices. I would avoid MC cartridges if your phono section doesn't allow you the ability to trim the cartridge's input load. Most MC's will tend to sound toppy if you run them into a conventional 47kOhm load meant for moving magnet cartridges. Certainly this is true of the Denon 103. You should also look at the potential for a volume mismatch with the rest of the system components if you choose a MC. Most listeners dislike a large change in level when switching between CD, tuner and phono. If anyone else has access to your system, it could prove problematic and even potentially dangerous to your speakers. .
Two Cents Silver Member Username: Two_cents Post Number: 789 Registered: Feb-04	Posted on Friday, December 29, 2006 - 08:14 GMT Sacha, Of the cartridges you're considering, I currently use two, the Clearaudio Aurum Classic (wood body) and the Denon 103 (actually the 103R). The Aurum is an excellent cartridge that should work well with your analog set-up. If the Aurum doesn't significantly improve your sound, it's the NAD TT and preamp that are the limiting factors. I used to listen to the Goldring Elektra on a Music Hall TT. The Aurum should kill the Elektra in every aspect. The Denon 103 will not work well with the NAD preamp, because it's a low-output MC cartridge. You'd have to get a new phono pre-amp that provided more gain and lower impedance, about 100 ohms. The Denon 160 is a high-output MC cartridge, so it should work with your current equipment. I have not heard the 160, but if it's anywhere near the quality of the 103, it's definitely worth considering. FWIW, the 103R is a wonderful cartridge. I prefer it to other cartridges I've had in my system costing two or three times more than the Denon. I have no personal experience with the other cartridges so can't comment on them, other than I've heard occasional reports of a humming problem with Grado carts on Rega equipment. (As you know, the NAD TT is a rebranded Rega table.)
Sacha Steele New member Username: Audiophilejunkie Post Number: 3 Registered: Dec-06	Posted on Friday, December 29, 2006 - 15:39 GMT Thank you all so much for all your help! You guys have really helped me figure out some things. I know now that my system can't handle a MC low output cartridge. Thanks to you, I have narrowed it down to the Clearaudio Aurum Classic Phono Cartridge or the Denon DL 160 High Output MC Cartridge. Does anyone have a comment on these two? Also,Two Cents, I was wondering, since you have these two cartridges or a cartridge similar, which one of these do you think is the best for the money? This might help me, since I haven't heard either of them. I selected the cartridges in my beginning post based on a lot of research.
Two Cents Silver Member Username: Two_cents Post Number: 790 Registered: Feb-04	Posted on Saturday, December 30, 2006 - 05:59 GMT You can't go wrong with either the Aurum or the Denon. You've obviously given it a lot of thought to narrow down your choices and ended up with two quality carts. Neither is objectively better than the other. It's now a matter of personal taste. They're going to have slightly different sonic characteristics. If you listen to a lot of rock, you should be happy with the Aurum, which is a good all-around cart that excels in pace, rhythm and timing. It has a real lively presentation. The DL-160, if it's anything like the DL-103R (a big assumption since they are very different designs) will sound more laid back and spacious, which is great for listening to music with acoustical instruments. We're really talking nuances here and I'm not sure if the differences will be noticeable on your system. If you aren't able to listen to either cart, it's basically a coin flip situation. The good news is: heads you win and tails you win also.
Sacha Steele New member Username: Audiophilejunkie Post Number: 4 Registered: Dec-06	Posted on Saturday, December 30, 2006 - 20:16 GMT Thank you so much! You have been such a help. While I do listen to acoustical tracks, I find myself listening to rock most often. Therefore, I'm going to go with the Clearaudio cartridge. I really appreciate all your help.

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