What are you using to play classical music? Anyone getting satisfaction with MM?
Now that I have decided to get back into classical music, I am agonizing (irrationally) over the fact that I sold my Denon MC cartridges and broke another some years ago.
Conventional wisdom says that for complex orchestral pieces, MC cartridges are a necessity if you want to hear the complete performance. Well, as you all know, the prices for MC have bolted into the stratosphere — beyond my budget. (More frustrating cuz my Melos pre-amp can be finely adjusted for gain).
My current main cartridge is a Shure V15 Type IV with a Jico SAS HE stylus. It does a pretty good job — but I am wondering. I'd like to know what all you TT enthusiasts who love and play classical are using — especially you who use MM cartridges. That being said, I'd like any comments from both sides of the MM/MC fence.
(Aside: Good and interesting vinyl is expensive here in Northern Japan. And, interesting, junk store vinyl is really hard to find as well as very frustrating to look for unless you like 30 year old J-pops (no, thanks!). But sometimes a trove of nasty, worn classical vinyl turns up. Nasty, but sometimes very interesting stuff as in great conductors and amazing orchestras from decades long past. For that, I have bought a cheap Nagaoka with a conical stylus in order to preserve my SAS stylus on the V15. (Sometimes the raw music is more important than perfect fidelity.))
Now that I have decided to get back into classical music, I am agonizing (irrationally) over the fact that I sold my Denon MC cartridges and broke another some years ago.
Conventional wisdom says that for complex orchestral pieces, MC cartridges are a necessity if you want to hear the complete performance. Well, as you all know, the prices for MC have bolted into the stratosphere — beyond my budget. (More frustrating cuz my Melos pre-amp can be finely adjusted for gain).
My current main cartridge is a Shure V15 Type IV with a Jico SAS HE stylus. It does a pretty good job — but I am wondering. I'd like to know what all you TT enthusiasts who love and play classical are using — especially you who use MM cartridges. That being said, I'd like any comments from both sides of the MM/MC fence.
(Aside: Good and interesting vinyl is expensive here in Northern Japan. And, interesting, junk store vinyl is really hard to find as well as very frustrating to look for unless you like 30 year old J-pops (no, thanks!). But sometimes a trove of nasty, worn classical vinyl turns up. Nasty, but sometimes very interesting stuff as in great conductors and amazing orchestras from decades long past. For that, I have bought a cheap Nagaoka with a conical stylus in order to preserve my SAS stylus on the V15. (Sometimes the raw music is more important than perfect fidelity.))
