Technics SL1200GR most suitable cartridge and speakers : Advice needed : Please.

droggers

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Hi all.
I recently rediscovered my old JVC JA S-44 amp which I bought back in 1980. It's being refurbished right now. From memory it was a great amp and I have fond memories of it, so I would love to hear it again. I haven't listened to my old vinyl since the mid 90's, so as you can imagine, I can't wait to get back into the groove.


I've decided to order a Technics SL1200GR turntable, but can't decide on which cartridge and floorstanding speakers to buy. Looking online at the likes of Ortofon 2M Blue or Bronze MM cartridges, but there are so many!!. Am I right in saying a MM cartridge is the right one to use as the spec sheet for the amp says; "Input Sensitivity: 2.5mV (MM)"? Eventhough these cartridges specs say 5mV output. Is this too high for this amp's phono stage input? Do I need to worry much about matching impedances between the cartridge and the Phono input of the vintage amp, etc? I'm also looking at speakers in the approx price range of 1450 quid, for example Wharfedale EVO 4.4 or Kef 950 or B&W 603 or Dali Opticon 6, but would love your thoughts before I take the plunge.

Any advice/recommendations on this would be greatly appreciated, even any Do's or Don'ts, except don't buy the Technics TT ;-) as I don't want to end up with a mismatched combination of separates. I'm not totally against buying a new amp/pre-amp, or even a reasonably priced MC cartridge, if I thought it would make a noticable difference, but I do love the look and sound of that JVC.

Thanks for reading.
 
I think the best bang for buck cartridge IMO is the Audio Technica VM95ML for around £140. I used this on my Linn Axis and it sounded very good, nice even sound with loads of detail from the micro fine diamond. It also has the benefit if having a very good life of over 1000 hrs compared to the usual eliptical ones at around 3-500 hours.

If you want to spend a little more the the VM95SH is about £30 more, reading reviews it is not necessary better but different.

As for speakers, the JVC has 45W on tap but a fairly low damping factor so higher sensitivity 8 ohm speakers may be better. However, the speaker (coupled with placement and the room) have the biggest effect on the sound so best to either see if you can get hone auditions or at least wait until you can hear in a shop. Let your ears decide which you like.
 
I used a 2M Bronze when I had an SL-1210 Mk2 and it was a great combo. I should think the GR wold get even more out of it. Hopefully someone else can advise about compatibility issue re the input sensitivity on your amp.
 
Thanks UGG10 and DT79 for your replies.

Yeah UGG10, I've read some good reports on those particular Audio Technica cartridges, and well worth considering methinks. Very reasonably priced too. Interesting!
I've also read great reports on the 2M Bronze of course. But I'm glad to hear, DT79, it sounded so well with your Technics SL-1210Mk2. That's very encouraging.

Thanks UGG10, I'm gonna take onboard your advice on the higher sensitivity 8 ohm speakers, before I make any final decision. I wouldn't have thought of that. The JBLs I had with the JVC amp, years ago were rated at 200W, so I presume a similar power rating is OK this time.

I'll call in to our local AV supplier and listen to some speakers, just like you suggested. The living room is rectangular measuring approx 13.75ft x 28ft, so I'm hoping that I won't have any issues. But I get what you mean about placement.

Thanks again to you both.
 
Power handling is of no real value in speakers I.e. the 200w quoted.

You need to look at the sensitivity rating in dB/W/m, I would look for something over 90dB/W/m If you can. The higher this number the less power is needed for a certain volume.

In terms of impedance most speakers badged 8ohm will drop to around 5ohm at some frequencies so worth tying to find out the minimum rather than the nominal rating.

Most speakers tend to work best about 0.5m from any walls so bear this in mind or look for those that are less sensitive to placing (front ported or sealed, maybe). As you near the rear wall and corner You will get a slight boost in the bass but as it is reflected sound it may be a little muddy.
 
OK, I see what you mean about the power rating. A relatively minor issue, as long as there's a bit of headroom, I take it.

From the four speakers I was looking at, the Kef Q950 has a rating of 91db/W/m. So maybe they'll do the job. Fyne Audio F502 is also rated at 91db. Focal Aria 926 at 91.5db. Fyne Audio F502 at 91.5db. I'll check out some reviews on these. I don't see any higher values than these, unless I'm not looking in the right areas, or in the right price range!

I did some searching online, based on your advice, in an effort to educate myself on the science behind all the terminology. It does get very complicated, and some people suggest that some speaker manufacturers use different methods to measure some of the specs, which is slightly worrying.

So I think your advice of letting my ears decide, is probably the best advice I'll get. But I'll definitely also watch out for minimum impedance and placement fussy speakers. We definitely don't want reflected muddy base.

Thanks again for all your help. I really do appreciate it.
 

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