OK, a Q from a young family friend, which I thought I'd put out there your collective wisdom....

A new cartridge required, budget 'NZ$500-ish'.

Existing cartridge, a Dynavector 17D3 has a collapsed suspension.

Aside from having the cartridge checked out to confirm the problem and/or sending to Dynavector for a factory rebuild (costly)....
Recommendations please - MC or MM.

The existing system consists of a Linn LP12 with Basik LVX tonearm.
Amp & lspkrs - not sure at the mo'.
Preamp is a Linn Kairn - with MC & MM inputs.
Also on hand is a Dynavector P75 MkII phono stage.

A nice front end (which was inherited IIRC), however new cartridge budget is restricted at the mo'.

My immediate thoughts are:

- ~$500 is not going to buy many MC carts, although there's Ortofon Quintet Red (NZ$499rrp) or Blue at a stretch (NZ$749), or Goldrings?
- The 17D3, being a v high quality cartridge, has a line contact stylus & the elliptical Quintets above (or any low priced MC) will likely disappoint in HF tone & resolution.
- OTOH, you could say that the LVX arm may not have brought out the best in a 17D.
- So, that leaves MMs, of which there are quite a few, even some with 'fine-line' type stylii - eg. Ortofon 2M Bronze (NZ$659), Audio Technica VM series (various models NZ$400-700).
- Grados, Sumikos, Clearaudios, Goldring...?
- Denon 103R MC(import)?

DarkLantern blog - darklanternforowen.wordpress.com

Shure V15/3 can be bought cheaply.With a Jico SAS stylus ( about $350 ) it's very close to my Garrott P77 SAS, Technics 205/3 SAS and others I have.
Beats my Denon DL103 easily.

With that medium weight arm I would recommend an Ortofon 2M Blue. Available locally for under $400. Spend the rest on records.

I'd be inclined to give our resident cartridge Guy a nudge, and try one of those new Goldrings  , or, there is always the trusty Denon DL110,HOMC,  meaty, beaty, and bouncy  .. works well in the LVX or Akito

Never play Leapfrog with a Unicorn.

Um...

Soundsmith?
Expert Stylus?

Would they be cost effective? Of course there is always the lead time on the fix to consider too.

Does the LVX have VTA adjustment Owen ? If not then that probably counts out anything with a radical stylus profile ?

Linn LVX arm uses similar mount as Linn's other arms (LVV, Ittok etc), VTA is easy, loosen a bolt on the side and adjust away.

the obvious cartridges are the denons - 103, 103R, 110, 301

some of the new sumikos come in under $500

new audio technicas

grado still available in nz ?

Thanks guys, some good thoughts so far.

DarkLantern blog - darklanternforowen.wordpress.com

IME the Basik is fine but the tonearm cable makes a big difference. I set one up on a Denon DP300 once and put one of the less costly Audioquest tonearm cables on it, a huge difference!
Not many carts are like a 17d3 at that price. IIRC they were about $700 in the 90s. The Ortofon MC20 and MC30 were its main competition. The 17d3 might not have been the best match on the Basik, it’s brighter sound exciting the tendency towards glare on this tonearm, and a slight loss of depth. Perhaps one of the newer Ortofons could work. It might correct the depth issue and match well to the Basik.

AMR-iFi R&D

How did you get on with a cartridge? I ran a DL301 II on the axis with the Basik Plus tonearm. It was a big improvement over the K9, and a cost effective (circa $450NZD) entry to MC.

I can't compare it with others, but it was very balanced and musical, and I'm guessing would have more control on the LP12.

Interesting that this one popped up again as I have just finished mounting a Goldring E1 on a mates LP12 with basik arm. Sounded fantastic, even though the LP12 is a long way from an optimal setup, siting or partnering equipment. (hes not really a HiFi guy, was given the LP12 and the rest of his system is shit basically...)

gifting an LP12 to a non-hifi person is positively sadistic

Ha, just needs some entry level Naim electronics to then have a lifetime of upgrade possibilities.

Dont get me started. Did seem like an awful waste as im sure there are more deserving people out there that would better appreciate it. He will never get anywhere near the best out of it, it sits on the same shelf as the bookshelf speakers he picked up on TM for $10.00, all driven by a horrid BPC Sherwood amp. Wouldnt even get a look in as a garage system at my place tbh, but hes not the sort to "waste" money on hifi.