Uh the 3+ fits the bill then, a touch warmer then neutral, with plenty of gain and power on tap. It would work well with the 58x, the grado would also be pretty nice too
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thanks… i mostly wondered because some said the liquid spark had a tube like sound so i wondered more… the amp is the thing i need the most right now because 58X seem to like power even if they are easy to run
The 3+ would be more neutral to the liquid spark here, along with more impact and a less smoothed out sound, both are pretty great, but it depends on what type of signature you want to go for
i want something that compliments the standard vinyl sound but will not lead to overly muddied low end and vocals… for example my copy of songs for the deaf had this issue on my 58X where the vocals sounded so much lower in the mix than the drums and lower guitar. and i could put that one up to say that album not really being mastered that well but even an some hip hop albums i got were still feeling like the bass was too much and the vocals weren’t clear… probably because the headphone jack of computer speakers wasn’t meant for 150 ohm headphones
Gotcha, in that case, I would lean towards the 3+ to be safe side of things
also the hard part about cartridges is that i dont have a lot of money for upgrading so my max is maybe 250 dollars and i like the sound of my grado black, so i dunno how to really upgrade and make the most out of my orbit since it cant do cartridges over the weight of an ortofon 2M blue
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That is already plenty and there are many decent carts in this pricerange.
I checked the US prices.
With Grado I would at least get the silver, because of the better coils.
Personally I have often had the following problems with Grado MIs: uneven channels, slight groove loss on wavy records, depending on the protractor - distortion on inner or outer grooves at the higher misalignment angles. Sometimes I suspect that Grado sells the good Grados in Amreika and the second choice in europe.
The Goldring 2000 series is made by Nagaoka, which is probably why it is not more expensive in the USA. The sound would be more neutral than Grado but still no CD sound like a 2M Blue. The 2200 has an incredibly good bass slam for the price, which I love for hip-hop. With 50pF the high frequency should also be very smooth, even though not as reset as grado but much clearer and less distortion. The made in england G1006 is too expensive.
You could also try a cheap Nagaoka MP-110, which is similar to the 2000 Gold Ring sound signature. This way you can try a different sound signature without a big investment.
The 2M Blue has good price performance in the US too but sometimes sounds aggressive.
If you really listen to that much Hip-Hop I would probably look around more towards Technics. The low frequency precision just makes it the go-to for hip-hop.
Can work, but I also listen to a lot of indie rock and punk as well, and plus Technics are mostly known as DJ turntables than audiophile (and pioneer plx are a good replacement)
thats weird i always thought goldring was a british company, and i cant really find US prices on amazon, turntable lab, or goldrings own website (at 195 Pound Sterling it must cost a lot to import and my mani preamp cant do moving iron or the 7.4 gram weight on the cartridge as thats .2 grams more than the tonearm can handle)
I can’t agree, even an unmodified old MK4 or 5 sounds better. The SL-1200GR is no longer aimed at DJs and is a serious competitor on the HiFI market.
The 2000 series is manufactured by Nagaoka in Japan. The 1000 and MCs are made in England.
I can find the 2100 for $192.99 and the 2200 for $269.00 with Armenian location on LPGear.
I don’t think the weight is a problem because it weighs as much as a 2M Blue. If necessary, you can simply attach a small magnet or something else to the counterweight.
Your Grado already is an MI cartridge.
I’m not trying to stop you from buying Grado, just offering some alternatives. That Grado SIlver or Gold will certainly sound very good.
What’s the consensus on the Denon DL-110 MC cart? Looks like I can get a pretty good deal on that one, including headshell for under $300, and with the Goldring 2200 I’m looking at more like the $325 range once I add the headshell.
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There is no such thing with Denon MCs.
It is one of those carts where opinions differ heavily. This controversy has to do with the fact it is extremely sensitive. Bad alignment, cheap preamps or wrong load resistance will make it sound horrible.
Personally, I wouldn’t play around with it without a Rothwell MC1-H step-up transformer in sight and a lot of small weights for tuning.
It works well in some systems. But even well tuned just too thin for my taste.
The DL-110 definitely requires a 9g headshell on your record player.
2200 should be fine but we don´t know the true tonearm mass.
Another option would be to go with something like the Nagaoka MP-110 and upgrade everything else first. (slipmat, tonearm rewiring, headshell etc). After gaining experience and knowledge with the affordable cartridge, you can move on to a more sensitive MC. You will therefore know more precisely which characteristics you want. In the $600 range there is also more potential and variety.
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Guessing that includes the 103? The 103R jumps above budget, but the standard 103 I could get under $300 as well.
I’ve definitely considered the MP-110, as I’ve heard it’s great for what it is. I had it in my Amazon cart forever when it was down around $110. Now that it’s in the $180 range, I’m kicking myself for not getting it before.
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it’s even more sensitive but a 1:20 step up and a heavy tonearm is a pretty save way to get good sound out of it
I would advise you to get new tonearm wiring bevor messing with any low output stuff.
I’m not very familiar with the Denon stuff so please take everything with a grain of salt.
The MP-110 is good for $110 but don’t get run over by the hypetrain.
The 2M Blue does have a tendency to be bright but it still is a solid performer. I don’t think you would have big issues using your new preamp an the stock headshell. Paying about 100$ more for the 2200 will only give you more smoothness but no resolution.
The DL-110 isn’t bad. You just need to be prepared for some experimenting. If you really like it, a step up transformer might be a good upgrade in the future.
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Cool, thanks for the input!
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I’ll jump in because I don’t know anything about turntables, not my cup of tea
We’re buying the Rega Planar 2 as a birthday present for a friend, but it needs a preamp, any reasonably priced options that go great with it? Preferably available on this site, but not required
I really like my Schiit Mani.
Its $129 and most will say to get anything better you need to spend over $500.
Not sure what shipping and potential tariffs are though going out of the US.
Figures, much like with most of audiophile stuff.
I need something available in the EU? 
I’ve seen others recommend iFi Audio Zen Phono Preamp.
Though I personally haven’t compared it.
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Check out Pro-ject. Should be pretty readily available in EU, and priced better than we get here in the US. I love my Phono Box DS2 USB.
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