morphsci Posted August 17, 2008 Report Share Posted August 17, 2008 I am bringing my old Dual CS-721 (vintage 1976) out of retirement. I had some work done on it around 2002 and it works great. The cartridge on the other hand needs some help. It currently has an old Ortofon LM30 cartridge. A replacement stylus costs about the same as a new cartridge of comparable quality. Therefore, I am looking at alternative cartridges for this table. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated, especially from those using older direct drive turntables Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grawk Posted August 17, 2008 Report Share Posted August 17, 2008 i like the sumiko pearl I'm using at jp#s recommendation. It was $99, and sounds good to me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Voltron Posted August 17, 2008 Report Share Posted August 17, 2008 I have an old Grado moving iron cart on my Dual 505 and it sounds pretty nice. The Sumiko is definitely a good option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LFF Posted August 17, 2008 Report Share Posted August 17, 2008 The pearl is a nice cart. I would also recommend the 2M or the AT440MLa. I also really like the Shure M97xe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DigiPete Posted August 17, 2008 Report Share Posted August 17, 2008 I have been enjoying the Denon DL160 immensely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
postjack Posted August 17, 2008 Report Share Posted August 17, 2008 what kind of tonearm you got on there? detachable headshell? S shape or straight? sorry I don't know much about dual tts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morphsci Posted August 17, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 17, 2008 what kind of tonearm you got on there? detachable headshell? S shape or straight? sorry I don't know much about dual tts. Its the standard tonearm that came on the system. Straight 8.75" tubular tonearm with a detachable cartridge holder. Four-point gimbal suspension with adjustable counter-balance, tonearm height and anti-skating. Will accept any cartridge with a mass of 1 - 10 g. Unless you owned one (and had the manual at hand) there would be no reason to know any of that (unless you were practicing for an audiophile cocktail party). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
postjack Posted August 17, 2008 Report Share Posted August 17, 2008 Its the standard tonearm that came on the system. Straight 8.75" tubular tonearm with a detachable cartridge holder. Four-point gimbal suspension with adjustable counter-balance, tonearm height and anti-skating. Will accept any cartridge with a mass of 1 - 10 g. Unless you owned one (and had the manual at hand) there would be no reason to know any of that (unless you were practicing for an audiophile cocktail party). Sounds like any cartridge recommended so far would be nice. I might as well throw in my standard DL-103 recc since thats what I always do about this time. Of course its output is very low, so you'd need a step up or an MC capable phono. The AT440MLa is also always a good choice. Solid cart from top to bottom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aerius Posted August 17, 2008 Report Share Posted August 17, 2008 That's the exact same turntable I have, I'm using a Shure V-15 type III since I have a bunch of warped records and need a cartridge that can track anything. I'm pretty happy with the sound, it gets a bit strained & confused on loud complex orchestral works but otherwise I can't complain too much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morphsci Posted August 18, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 18, 2008 Thanks. Lots of good recommendations. I will track them down and try to make some decision. Right now the AT looks very interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grand Enigma Posted August 18, 2008 Report Share Posted August 18, 2008 The Denon carts are very nice. They seem to be especially forgiving for tables that are less then perfect. The Shures are much the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morphsci Posted August 18, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 18, 2008 So is there a reason to choose the AT440MLa over the AT440ML, other than the ML is no longer in production? The stated specs of the ML appear superior to the MLa? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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