hello, i just bought a project debut iii and don't love the overall sound of the ortofon cartridge. also, on loud rock and roll it seems to develop a very high, grating ringing (or am i nuts?). wondering if a new cartridge would solve both problems, or if the ringing could be the turntable or tonearm. also wondering what folks would suggest as an upgrade, either for the cartridge or the whole turntable. (apologies if this is a question asked a zillion times already--i didn't see anything in a quick search. and thanks for your wisdom.)
If it's a standard debut it comes with an ortofon OM5 which is an abomination. Have a look at Ortofon's own 2m series or Goldring's very impressive new 2000 series. I would not change the mat at this point.
plumber's putty between cartridge and headshell is a good cheap tweak. Make sure to rebalance. Also, try tweaking your setup alignment and settings. You could be mistracking.
thanks much. the pro-ject rep happened to be in the stereo store when i went in today, and he suggested i increase the tracking force. it definitely sounds richer and less plastic-y. it also occurred to me that my left speaker was on the same surface as the turntable, so i moved it, and i think the high ringing is better. (sorry to be so dumb.) i will probably change the cartridge eventually but it sounds pretty good for now.