Cartridges & Styli

The cartridge retrieves the music from the groove — an upgrade here is often the cheapest route to noticeably better sound. MM cartridges (moving magnet) are uncomplicated, work with any phono input and have a replaceable stylus. MC cartridges (moving coil) resolve more finely but need an MC-capable phono input and are replaced as a whole.

Important when buying: the cartridge must match the tonearm (weight, compliance), and the stylus is a wear part — depending on the cut, sound and record protection are gone after 500 to 1,000 playing hours. For MM cartridges the matching replacement stylus is available separately.