Had back & forth checking with @Murmur think we both agree a MC (even for rocking, highly regarded carts like Koil, Troika/Karma etc) isn’t ‘rocking hard enough’ (not as involving) to communicate the real deal of rock and pop music. But MC certainly shines when neutrality becomes the priority like classical music. Very much depends on one’s music preference.
Thinking go back to MM at the moment but got to admit I still have a soft spot
for Koetsu Black’s romantic, warm and bodied sound that is quite unique for MC carts. Apparently my TT isn’t quite up for it.
One thing to consider is that the MM of the 70’s (and 80’s?) were pre neodynium magnets, so the moving mass was way higher than MC. That’s no longer the case with modern MM cartridges (and never with MI or MP).
But long story short, an MM cart from the 70’s shouldn’t be considered to be the same thing as a modern one. So nice that you have experience of both “types”. And I do wonder if that’s part of what contributes to your first point.
just waiting for my AT 540ML TrigB to arrive for the second LP12 I’m putting together, should be here this morning.
The main LP12 has a DV 10X2 which sounds great, sounded even better after Peter @ Cymbiosis had upgraded the LP12 and set it up properly for me . So I guess I’ll have a foot in both camps.
I have an Ekos tonearm with a Linn Kandid MC cartridge and a second MM AT540ML RigB cartridge. I use the Kandid and Linn Urika 1 more often with Qued Reference semi/balanced cables, but the AT 540ML with a 322/4 phono card is an excellent MM for the price, with no frustrations or flaws. The Linn Kandid has exceptional resolution.
A friend lent me a Nagaoka 500 MM and another friend lent me a Grado Sonata 2. I find that these two cartridges are similar: the music is rich, warm and engaging, never disturbing. Choosing a good MM is less expensive than choosing a good MC with a suitable MC phono stage.
It’s relatively new (2024). Because I like my Nagoaka cart (JT-1210), I was already interested in at some point looking at the MP-500, which some consider the best MM (it’s MP) cart out there.
But the MP-700 was introduced to sit above that, and hifinews also gave it a very favourable review, including lab report. Both suggest it indeed does and is the cart to beat at its price-point.
Must have to do with me approaching 60 now, noticing myself stepping away from these absolutes. Several times in this thread I would answer “it depends”, on a lot of things actually.
I’ve come to accept that vinyl replay is a mission, a matter of trying for yourself, developing insights, research further, try again, inevitable trial-and-error. Much like hifi in general, really.
Well if I explain it like this , a Turntable with better bearing/motor/psu/subchassi/tonearm and a cheaper cartridge will outperform a Turntable with an expensive cartridge with lesser bearing/motor/psu/subchassi/tonearm.
In principle, the neutrality and superior performance of the turntable should benefit an inherently inferior cartridge, which does not necessarily mean that the result will surpass that obtained with a slightly inferior turntable and tonearm equipped with a superior cartridge. The sum of each part and each level of difference determines the result in favour of one or the other.
He regards as a given that the rest of the parameters of the turntable are well taken care of and then he wonders whether it’s worth going for an MC vs a good MM.
In that context I have replied to him and nowhere have I mentioned that the rest bits and pieces of a turntable should not be considered.
So I don’t know where you got that impression.
In addition you are referring to a specific turntable (LP12) that we don’t know if the OP has. If, for example, he has an SL-1200G (which is a “closed system” tt) and all those parameters are taken care a priori what then?
. So I guess I’ll have a foot in both camps.
