Of all the cartridge comparisons I have seen on KZfaq, this is by far the most effective. Going step by step up, and then comparing the #1 to the one we started with, was really eye opening. Thank you for all your work. I'd love to see something similar with under $200 cartridges.

The Shure M97xe, if you can even find one, now sells for $325 at LP Gear (plus tax and shipping). Nagaoka cartridges have almost tripled in price where I'm from in Canada. Listen to how far we've come!

My cartridge of choice is Shure M92E also for the sound definition at 1,25 g of tracking weight. A good way to preserve aged and rare records.

The Ortofon AT31e cartridge in its day was excellent, and very often overlooked. It tracked superbly well, created minimum surface noise, didn't exaggerate vinyl damage (clicks & pops etc), and provided many years of pleasure in my Technics SL1200 fitted with a Linn Basik Plus tone-arm and a custom arm base plinth. Although few people regard the Technics as being anywhere near an "audiophile" product, it offered great service and listening pleasure, with absolutely nothing going wrong. No belts to stretch and change, very good shock resistance, instant start up, no "noise" transmitted via the arm and cartridge, in fact, a great all round turntable. In closing, I would note that some time ago, a good friend purchased an 'upgraded' Technics SL1200 unit modified by TIMESLIP, a company based in Devon. The numerous changes they made most certainly did make subtle listening changes and differences to mine. I'm not 100% sure about the arm they use, but it was certainly much more 'engineered' and substantial than the Linn. However, having said that, the total package did cost alot more than mine ! In conclusion, I'm still more than happy to 'live' with my set up as it suits me fine. I would however note that although the TIMESLIP set-up did undoubtedly offer more insight & depth to some recordings, overall I wasn't left with the feeling that I must rush out and spend more money - well not just yet anyway !

I have only lived with the Shure M97 and the Ortofon 2M Red. I found the M97 to be analytical, detailed but cold. The 2M was warmer, more musical. Both sound good and it would be a matter of taste and equipment. I'm using an old David Hafler phono preamp with the 2M Red and I am constantly thrilled by the music. Thanks for the videos.

"Rega Carbon" that cartridge will always make me laugh. It is nothing but a AT3600 which you can get by far less money. Don't get ripped off by audiofools!

Excellent video and channel. I got out of restoring and flipping vintage tables (mostly Denons and Technics) right around the time your channel must have shown up. The only other guy doing decent cartridge comparisons was Joe Collins (Bad Edit Pro) and he was a huge source of reference for what carts to buy, although I ended up just ponying up the cash and trying everything from $19-129 myself at the time. Your rank is dead on, although there’s a couple on your list that I never tried or weren’t available during my time with this 2011-2016...but given I did get to hear a random T4P Sumiko Blue Point that I got by accident, and regrettably sold (as it sounded amazing), I would imagine your rank is still spot on. I personally never liked Grado sound, at all. (The only one really worth a damn was the John Grado Gold - for easier listening and warmer albums). It’s fitting that you placed all of the grados in the beginning and even mentioned the amazing little CN5625AL, which for the money, was a giveaway and sounded amazing. The stereo-separation was beyond almost every other cart I’d ever heard well into over $100...unfortunately, the lack of high end is what places it at its price point - but that’s ok - it has its place! The AT95E, to me, was a thin, almost unnatural or artificial sounding mid-range performer. Although I agree with where you placed it, I personally hated it. Where it filled in high end the CN5625AL didn’t have, it artificially colored everything else in a way that lacked the warmth of its lesser-priced sibling. I would argue the AT92ECD was a better option than the AT95E for about the same money. The Ortofon 2MRED looked cool, and seemed cool, but once I heard it against the Audio-Technica AT-120E and AT-440MLa/b I was over it. It served it’s purpose. It pushed into spending over $100 on other carts and I don’t regret having tried it, but ultimately let it go. The OM/OMP series has a much better sound in my opinion and I’m back to having an OMP for my P-mount, another type I should have never gotten rid of the first time. Totally love the Shures. Hands down, totally agree with where you placed them. The M92E (of which I have an original version with silver, not black, body) and the M97xE were always underpriced for what they gave. Will miss Shure for sure! Although I have graduated to the +$100-$300 range since, I still have both Shures and wish I had kept the CN5625AL for occasional simpler needs. Since I got the AT-120E and AT-440MLa and MLbs and was so happy with their sound for the price, I stopped there. I had tried some moving coils - Denon DL-110, 160, 80MC, and the Sumiko Blue Point which I liked a lot, but both of those MM ATs outperformed the MCs I tried and I decided there was no point in spending more money on the 2MBLUE and other more expensive moving coils or moving magnets I was eyeing, when I was not super impressed by moving coils in general and so displeased with the 2MRED and turned off by the crazy prices of its bigger siblings. I use the 440MLa or MLb for digitizing LPs, mostly, or for tracking pieces with really difficult passages. I use the AT-120E for typical listening on the big machine, and I use the Ortofon OMP for my little T4P player. I also switch back and forth to my Shure M92E on the T4P for a different sound and the M97xE for another sound in place of the AT-120E and have actually used it to digitize a few albums that it really shined with in a way the other just didn’t. It has a warmth that cannot be matched with certain albums. It doesn’t suffer from the artificial thinness or overly bright high end that others can sometimes over-pronounce. At the end of the day picking one favorite is impossible, but the ones I have now I have for a reason - and they are all my favorite. I don’t need any others. The AT-120E is probably the all around go-to stylus, but that M97xE has a special place in my ear’s heart too. Again, they each have a purpose and that’s why I have the ones I mentioned. Keep up the great channel and thanks for keeping the hobby alive! I miss being more active in it.

I bought a Nagaoka MP-110 for $98 thanks to the eBay flash sale. Thanks to this loophole, it outclasses every cartridge in this video.

I'd recommend the mp 110. It replaced an AT91 and was a significant upgrade. I've also tried a Grado Blue which had a nice tone, but had an annoying hum at high volumes and the mp 110 tracks a bit better. The Shure is nice though and can take Jico styli.

Obviously what sounds best is subjective. We all hear the same sound but perceive it differently, the result of which is influenced by way to many things to list here. Having said that, for me personally, I found the Audio Technica AT95E to be the best "all round" bang for the buck cartridge in the $50-$300 range. The most expensive cartridge I've tried being the the Ortofon 2m Blue. I didn't care for the blue. It sounded way too "bright" for my tastes. The only cartridge I thought was slightly better than the AT95E was the Nagaoka 110. But it costs twice as much the AT95E. I also own the Ortofon 2m Red and honestly I can't hear any real difference between it and the AT95E. As mentioned before, YMMV. But for me, the AT95E is the sweet spot in terms of price vs. performance.

I AGREE with the #1 pick!! The Shure M97xE is by far and wide the best cartridge in this video! I've been using one for years. In fact when I first purchased mine, it had a hefty price tag of $140!!! The M97xE just sounds so damn good that many caught onto it and bought them so they can sell them for slightly less than $100. Damn fine cartridge!! Warm, smooth and if aligned properly, will take care of any of that nasty inner groove distortion we all hate!!!!!

I love my M97xE. Just a bummer they don't make them anymore.

I'm happy with my Ortofon 2M Red.

Thank you very much. Nice to hear an unbiased opinion. Doesn't each cartridge produce a different sound on other different systems? We would all have to have the same turntable, preamp, poweramp, speakers, ears and same brain ad yourself to possibly agree? However, what I learned from your video is that higher price does not necessarily mean better sound on a particular system (at least in cartridges under $100). I trust your opinion and appreciate learning about the top contenders in that price range. That is the best lesson learned! Thanks again!

It's difficult to do good audio review or comparison videos on KZfaq, but you did a very good job. I also agree with the majority of your rankings. Excellent work. 👍

the p-mount Shure M92E is an excellent value for money. I highly recommend that for those on a tight budget.

I loved the way you did this video!!! Especially the "instead of this, I would recommend..." You have a new subscriber.

This is a very good video comparison. I have a late Shure M97XE (elliptical stylus) this cartridge is a little heavier than normal and it proved difficult to balance the tonearm so I had to attach an auxiliary weight to the end of the main balance weight on my vintage Technics DD turntable. After I attached that the tonearm balanced well. The tracking was incredibly good, the sound had good clear detail, no humming, delivered flawless playback (no sound distortion through my large floor speakers with double 12 inch woofers) and even greater accuracy to tracking with even the most stubborn spots on those dreadful very thin late 1970s-1980s LPs which had a tendency to skip even without any scratches. Skipping was eliminated completely with the Technics auxiliary weight. I wanted to compare the tracking of these cartridges myself, so I've played the same troublesome LP on other turntables with other brands of new cartridges eg. Audio Technica with elliptical stylus but the Shure M97XE was the clear winner because the AT cartridge just wasn't as highly accurate in tracking (it skipped track on the same spot) where as the Shure M97XE continued to track more accurately without any skipping of tracks. I was very disappointed to read that Shure had ceased manufacturing all of it's phono cartridges and stylus replacements. I could cry.

Most cartridge bodies, especially Shure and Audio Technica can be upgraded with styli that are available now. Shure originals are no longer made, but SAS and Vivid Line replacements are devine sounding! Ok, so SAS is no longer cheap (used to be 139 a pop, now 300 - scream!!!), but Vivid Line is still there for 80 to 110 dollars at LP-Tunes and LP-Gear

Wow! I had the AT95E a good 35 years ago. Glad it's still recognised as a great "value" stylus!

Also, there are a lot of upgrade styli available for the cheap AT carts from places like LP Gear.

I am VERY surprised that Grado didn't make it higher on the list. After many cartridges I have come to the conclusion that Grado is my choice. Currently I have a Grado black @ $75 or so on an old Arriston transcription table and it sounds great!

I DO agree, the Shure M97eX is one HELLUVA cartridge for less than $100, it's HARD to beat!

The only problem with the Shure recommendations: Shure is no longer making these stylus/cartridges which is devastating. BUT - I will be 100% recommend the Ortofon RED. It's EXCELLENT. Very detailed and warm. Basically the best needle you are going to get under $100. My 2 cents. If you are on a budget the Audio-Technica AT95E is great, followed by the even cheaper (and almost as good as the AT95) Audio-Technica ATN3600L which fits on the Audio-Technica AT-LP60. It's $19 and a great buy IMO.

I always buy Grado---made in Brooklyn by a family-run business. My latest was a Grado Black2

Thank you so much for your cartridge comparisons. They have helped me decide to go with a Rega/AT and eventually a Nagaoka. I really appreciate you sharing your knowledge!

I had the Sure M97xE on my P3/2000 and thought it sounded wonderful..... Until I took Ian’s advise on the Nag MP110, wow, what an ear opener I was hearing sounds that just weren’t there before and I’m not trying to be dramatic here, I can only compare it to “finally getting that water out of your ear “ experience.

I liked the Audio Technica AT95E I found the voice stage much clearer and dynamic.

I use the Grado Green2 on my Technics SL-QL1 turntable set to 1.5g tracking force, and it is an amazing sounding cartridge.

I have the sumiko Oyster and the Grado Black and was very surprised to see the Sumiko placed so high and the Grado Black so low . I do understand the complexities and viariabilities possible because of setup , cartidge and tonearm compatability plus to turntable per sea . All that being said I just can't imagine a system where the Oyster sound better then a Grado. The Oyster sounds smooth at the expense of detail and dynamics The Grado is a very dynamic cartridge with a lot of detail not thrown in your face and for the price great soundstage . Just my 2 cents worth

I have to admit when i decided to purchase my Pioneer PL 117D turntable, after i restored it mechanically, replaced the timber veneer, i spent some time investigating cartridges. I started out slow though and i came across the Audio Technica AT95E and have loved it ever since. But its like anything else, like why I prefer S Shaped Tone Arms or why I use the Art DJ phono preamp instead of the onboard inbuilt output on my amp - it all makes sense to my ear - I like using the Behringer EQ Ultragraph Pro and the DBX 3BX enhancer - but i also like experimenting with cartridges and the convenience of just swapping out headshells...

Great video, although the Rega is a rebadged $25 AT. I was fortunate enough to find a sealed, NOS M97xe, with original, unused stylus, but it cost me a bit more than $100! I had the Grado Green as well, but sold it due to hum issues.

I like the way how you have arrange the entire story on how you recommend each of this. Great!

I’m trying to get my wife to agree to let me get a turntable again… I was directed to this channel by final TV because you seem to take cost and value vintage turntables. Thank you so much for your channel and I appreciate you and I’ll be consuming a lot of your content! Best wishes 😊

Wow, Great video! The Grado Green sounds so boomy compared to the Shure M97xE but that's only when compared together. I also think the Nagaoka MP110 also sounds a bit harsh next to the Ortofon 2m Red which is probably where my ears differ to yours. I do however think all of the cartridges in this video sound good.

A bit more and you will get the Nagaoka MP 110 -> a sensationell Cartridge , you will love it !!

Brilliant comparison. Not huge differences via KZfaq and on a song I don't know. Biggest difference i heard was $30 AT then AT95E. I like the design of the OM5E, the way the stylus itself isn't obscured by a bit block of plastic, and the super low tracking weight.

Great video! I recently purchased a Nagaoka MP200 and as I am sure you know, this is a top-drawer cartridge. Still, I have another turntable and I need a good cartridge that is affordable and this video helped! Thanks again!

I would go along with a lot fo your findings that for sure, bit shocked the Oyster placed so high, and Grado so low, Also, im no fan of budget Ortofons, never any upper bass power imho, but.... Very useful video comparison indeed buddy, thanks.

Great work on this video. Wish I had watched it before buying. Was surprised at how well the Rega Carbon sounded, was competitive with some others at a higher price.

I only use the Shure M97xe for mint or near mint pressing, it have a very detailed sound and very analitic click finder, so for more used worn record I prefeer the Ortofon Arkiv E or Shure M44E.

The Red, the Shure and the Oyster were my favs.

I may try m2 blue..as I have red. One improvement is I used a swab coated with contact cleaner..on headshell contacts. Incredible difference.

Please use classical music next time or a track with a lot of stereo effect and a lot of instruments because with this track its a little hard to compare the cartridges. But still I appreciate your work.

We all know our system's strengths and weaknesses when adjusting our bass treble and separation that it has. That said the trick is to pick the cartridge that better enhances your audios weaknesses. For this reason, running an all early to the mid-70s system I feel the O-RED is the one for me. Trust your ears and adjust to your liking.

I'd recommend the Ortofon Omega at $38. And The AT3600L at $12 its a Rega Carbon, I'm very serious. You can go on Amazon and Get an AT3600 with the headshell, and stylus, for $10. I just bought one yesterday. I may get another one just to have. Again I'm serious, go check it out.

Up your budget a bit to the Nagaoka MP110 at about $125 retail. A clear winner and better than the cartridges listed.

Nice review! I would put the top three as equal! I really have enjoyed your hard work and great effort to get good comparisons of the styli/cartridiges.

My 2MRed In It's box best place for It. I'll get It out when I get some Boot Sale Records to play. I have the MP110H and the 150H these are best through the Schitt-Mani, they will make Your Vinyl sing like You have never heard It before. If You can afford It, the MP200. I have a AT95E with a 78 stylus for playing back My 78 number ones. And It sounds Awesome Thanks for sharing.

Very satisfied with my Rega Carbon on the Planar 3 turntable. Better than the most expensive other Rega budget cartridges. Like also the Ortofhon OM 10.

The AT91, REGA carbon, AT3600L and a few others that use the 3600 rebranded all sound the same. I found it funny at the end when you said look how far we've come. The change in sound is drastic. But my ears did play the trick on me. The swap back I didn't hear a difference the first time.

Sadly, Shure left the market.. the Sure M97xE is still sold, but at insane prices now.

I use to have Shure m97xE in my Rega P2 and tracking was bad and also it was dull sounding. After that i went to Audio Technica 440Mlb and it was in my Rega p5 turntable. Tracking was great but the sound was too clinical. And now i have Nagaoka MP-150 and that is all i want for sound. Musical and tracking is also great.

I would agree that all of these cartridges are in the running but would disagree as to ranking. The sound is also highly dependent on the system one uses the cartridge in. I find the Grado Green to be worth the 15 dollars over the Black. Grados may not have the detail of some other cartridges but their ability to render voices is unparalleled at this price range. I love Rega products but cannot understand why they chose a repackaged AT with a conical stylus. They probably did not want anything that would show up their own British made cartridges. As you pointed out, it is equivalent to an AT of about half the price. I am not a fan of AT cartidges generally because they tend to sound bright and thin (the opposite of Grados). For me, it would come down to the Ortofon Red or the Grado Green, depending on the table or system. The Ortofon is more accurate but the Grado is more musical. Thanks for your interesting review even though we may have some differences of opinion.

Great video! I own several carts, the Shure m97xe w/ the Jico stylus is up there w/ the best I own from Dynavector, Soundsmith and Nagaoka. I absolutely love this cart / stylus combo.

Am I the only one that thinks the 2M Red kinda sucks? It sounds thin to me. Good definition, but not worth the trade-off imo. I ended up grabbing a AT95 because they're available cheap here ($49AU or ~$34US, which is a bit over a third of the 2M Red) and I think it has a pleasant, forgiving, full sound. For the price I think it's basically impossible to complain, but I will eventually get another headshell and a more revealing, 'hi-fi' cart to compliment it.

Shopping for a new cartridge after resurrecting my turntable from storage. It has a Shure M97HE that was purchased in the early 80's. After listening to this comparison, I'm going to buy a replacement stylus for the M97HE. It costs just over $100 for the JICO and it should sound better than the xE.

Man, this is going to sound ignorant, but I'll risk it. It seems that the more "detailed" a cartridge is, the more harsh it sounds. Yes, your number 1,2 and 3 picks had an open, airy quality, but they also began to hurt my ears. The Sumiko and the Ortofon seemed to be good compromises, revealing the details while still feeling easy to listen to. Thanks very much for this, it was eye opening!

Perfect review vid! Short and to the point, with clear recommendation and reasons. If only all reviews did the same (instead of waffling on and on and then concluding with the ubiquitous "...it depends... You decide" 🙄😤

Fantastic video. The best I've found for directly comparing how different cartridges sound, with no unnecessary twaddle. Just the facts and the sound, (or as much as possible on youtube). Keep up the good work.

I tend to prefer the Grado at the front end of the video, just sounds warmer, richer, more honest. I think there is this perception of a frequency boost around the 2K or so slot as being more "open" sounding but to me it sounds kind of phony. Her voice gets forward in a way that robs the balance, the only carts that don't seem to do this are the two Grado carts at the beginning of the video.

I have to agree the rega carbon is an over priced AT-3600 , and that sounds good to me at about £15 brilliant sounds for the price. I have now installed a AT-VM 95e and it sounds really good. I do have difficulty hearing differences between these cartridges, obviously age and too many rock concerts have taken there toll. Music is all about enjoying it.

Red MM was my pick honestly, but the one with the little brushes punches above its price point

pickering AT15 P-AC yes its vintage but there are plenty of then out there

I have several Grado's in use and 3 shure m91ed . Shure is under use to be under $100.00 but sound great. I have Grado F+1, G-1, and silvers. Yes the Silvers Are a little higher at $150.00 but sound fantastic. Now though my favorite is that F+1from 1971

I just found your video and immediately subscribed. I have an original M95ED in a Technics SL-3300 turntable. It had been sitting in my closet for over 30 years! I recently pulled it out and gave it a nice cleaning (lots of dust accumulated over the years). I ordered a new record brush and needle cleaning kit. I pulled my old albums and found my original "Best of Bread" Vinyl. Gave it a light cleaning and was surprised how clean the sound was. Barely any clicks nor static sounds. Just the sweet warm sound of vinyl. Anxious to go over my small collection and see if the others are as clean as the Bread album. I think my stylus on the M95ED is still in great condition, as I don't recall using it much, once I bought a CD player (Marantz CD-63 MkII). I am saddened Shure no longer makes a replacement stylus. I would like to ask your for your comments regarding purchasing a replacement stylus like JICL ($83 basic or $195 for SAS). Am I ok buying one of these or should I jump and purchase an Ortofon 2M Red ($99), or Blue ($240)? Are they similar to the Shure 95ED in sound? Or is there another cartridge out there I could consider? Thanks for the great videos and looking forward to future reviews.

Now I'm confused, but: Thank you very much for confusing me, great comparison and very helpfull!

Hi, congratulations, very good video. I bougth a reloop 200MK2 turntable and it comes with a ortofon cartidge I suposed is the OM5E. Very happy with it. Best regards.

The Shure m97XE is on Amazon but it cost $171 no $99. I listened to your samplings with 2 headphones, a Sennheiser HD 414's and Betron YSM1000's (the Sennheiser is more accurate and better sounding, but the Betron is portable) The one I seemed to prefer over all of them, and of course this is personal opinion, but the Sumiko Oyster seemed to have a tad more depth and separation to it with close to same tonal quality with better low end response than the Shure M97XE for almost half the price.

Haha! Interesting! I watched this video because I was thinking maybe there is some better value out there to replace my 8-year-old m97xE... wondering if I'm missing out. I laughed out loud when we got to the end and saw my current cartridge as the top recommendation under $100. I guess I'll have to look at spending more if I am considering an upgrade.

Mp-100 sure sounded great. Little tamer than the Ortofon Red. The other Ortofon sounded great too. Oyster was great too.

Recommending a rega carbon whe nthe AudioTechnica AT-3600L is literally identical for half the price... Are you sure? The 65 bucks of the carbon buys you an AT-VM95E ;). I would say there's still a lot to learn for the person who made this video and the comments, judging by what is considered 'good'. Also they don't seem to know about compliance and I hear some massive anti-skating issues. But I love the comparison video, it's something I wish i could make because it's awesome to hear them all side by side. As for the Carts; The MP100 leaves them all in the dust (also because it reasonably matches this arm), but I'd definitely shell out a little extra for the MP110.

I’ve been using the OM-5e with a red stylus for about ten years. I’ve been happy with it, but in a few ways I preferred the Audio Technica that the previous owner had installed. I think for the price I’ll give the CN5625al a try and see how it stacks up.

I'm surprised the Grados didn't chart higher. I know they have some issues, but with 30dB of channel separation, I could forgive a lot. I have a Black1 on my mmf-2.2, and apart from the fact that it doesn't like my platter (steel), I like it a lot. It's the first cart that was playable right from the start, and it only got better with time. However, I'm hesitant to transfer it to my next turntable, which is probably going to be the Pioneer PLX-500. I haven't heard anything about whether it has hum issues with that table, and I'd hate to give it up because it does. But the stock cartridge will definitely be going out - unless LPGear has that ATN91-compatible stylus with the carbon fiber cantilever...

2M Red, you can later up grade to the Blue just by fitting a Blue stylus.

Instead of Shure M97xE #1, I would recommend : Shure M55e #0 (vintage). Same 2x7 elliptical stylus as Shure V15 Type I. Brighter than the M97xE and louder, too. The cartridge that set the american stereo market on fire! Shure M44 + a 2x7 N55e stylus is the same thing!

bit of an Ortofon fan from way back. dependable good quality reliable sound...mmmm.

Thank you for doing this, great work

I am surprised Grado wasn’t placed higher. To me they sounded very balance vs Ortofon (too soft sounding) or Shure (too bright and bass too strong). Audio Technica cartridge sounds too generic.

I happen to prefer the smooth sound of Grado carts, myself. Very natural non-fatiguing sound.

Thank you for this video!! great job! i made my choice, the oyster.

quality video, sumiko for me, the 2m sounded distorted.

That shure at the end sounds like a bunch of the midrange is missing and it’s shrill up top whatever was right before the 2m red was probably the best sound

One cartridge I have just tried recently for under $100, is The Vessel A3SE cartridge. With a good phono amp, excellent sounding!

Same to me but at home I use a 2m red and love it.

well , having an orfoton OM10 & looking for aN afordable jump up in quality, i was excited at the many cheap coices i could go for, but as it rolled on it seems what ur terming as the upper scale of your recommendations (Nagaoka MP-100)is said to be of similar quality to my OM10, The MP 110 actually, which is stated to be more mellow sounding(some say DULL) than my OM10, & i'm actualy wanting MORE detail:) so my expectations took a dive as the vid went on, can't imagine the earlier cheaper suggestions are going to better the OM10, which i'm wanting a VERY noticable improvement on, so back to the drawing board for me, if i KNEW something was going to give me more detailed quality sound i'd go for it, but i'm now thinking, stylus are a bit like Guitar valves of which there are many, but little differance can be noticed, there are harsh/brittle & dull ones, then there are OK ones, but there Ain't no Fantastic ones. I did ponder this upon only very recently using my turntable again, What differance could a stylus make to the sound, really, even read on a forum a guy had the extortionate OM30, yet preffered the sound from the OM10:)

Did you match output levels? It would be more accurate to compare them with matched levels and their output might be different slightly from cartridge to cartridge, but anyway thanks.

Thanks for a very interesting video and comparison. I have the 2M Red and a Black Grado. Is there meant to be an audible sound change in the music played during the video, as the cartridges change? I didn’t hear it ... but that’s probably KZfaq compression and my ears.

AT3600 beats them all. Its the cheapest. Not here but the regal one is your tone test.

It's interesting. I preferred the grado green 💚

JUST RECOMMEND ME SOMETHING ALREADY.

Great video! They all sound the same to me. I own 2m blue.

They all sounded like a Samsung 4G phone.

Conical better than elliptical?!? No way. A conical stylus will not read all the details in the grooves of your records and will wear the grooves more faster. The elliptical stylus are far superior, read the informations from the grooves much better and will preserve your records for a much longer time. I'm not a big fan of Ortofon, but the ortofon 2m red is by far the best sounding one in this video (even with KZfaq compression of sound).

Still got my 2M Red. Kinda want something new still and leaning towards that Sure at the end.

The m97xe wins hands down again and again and again and again! I've owned over 100 cartridges in my lifetime including many Shores and some of the high-end stuff but the m97xe gives the greatest Price performance of all very Dynamic and true to the vinyl microgroove. It's the champ!

I couldnt hear the difference. I thought i liked the Carbon but it was most likely that hit on the ride bell at that time. Great song.

The lifespan of a mp-110 last me 6 months and 300 hours only after horrible distortion. Nagaoka says ( 150-200 hours ) Grado told me that the Prestige 3 series as a 2000 Hours stylus lifespan. This is a game changer for me, i will be moving to Grado Red3 next time.

The Ortofon 2M series is great, but the AT95E is better at tracking. Did some tests on an Ortofon test record. Ortofon 2M Black did up to 70um without issues. The AT95E did up to 90um. So warped and badly mastered vinyl might play better with an AT95E.

I've heard so many mixed reviews on cartridges that made my head spin! I just bought a Fluance Rt83 Reference Turntable that comes with the Ortofon 2m Red. That's going to be my starting point and I'll go from there if I have to! It amazes me how many people hear a completely different sound from the 2m Red. Some say it has too much bass and some say it's too tinny! Well I will have a Subwoofer to adjust the amount of Bass I want so we'll see!