Best Phono Cartridge Under $500

Nagaoka MP-110 MM Phono Cartridge

The cartridge Nagaoka MP-110, being lightweight and with a bright character, brings out the midrange qualities of your audio sources. If you prefer a cartridge with added bass support to back up the light-weighted sound quality, a slower tracking speed MM like the Sumiko Bluebird or the ZYX Airy 3 might appeal more.

The Nagaoka MP110 is a budget-friendly and supremely cheerful cartridge. The cartridge competes well with other mid-range products like Ortofon and has good-quality sound at a relatively low cost. The cartridge has a warm high-end sound, perfect for listening to rock or jazz; however, it can also handle classical music and sound effect tracks quite well. Since the cartridge replacement is relatively simple, users are not compelled to send the entire device in for maintenance; be careful not to apply excessive pressure if you decide to change the needle yourself!

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The Nagaoka MP-110 is a fantastic value K&M cartridge, and surprisingly, it holds up well against its silver competition. The price tag is comparable to that of the famous Ortofon, making the Nagaoka an excellent choice for consumers looking for a lower-priced alternative that still brings high quality. Besides the excellent sound performance, one aspect that stands out in this product is how quickly you can replace the needle since it’s detachable - further bolstering its appeal.

How the Nagaoka MP110 cartridge is constructed prevents you from changing the stylus. This works in its favor because this cartridge features a separate top and body, and you can easily change them. Unlike some records played on other cartridges, these won’t wear out as quickly.

The Nagaoka MP110 cartridge features solid and polite bass performance. Between the frequencies of 3k up to 5kHz, there is a bump in overall volume that adds a nice bit of clarity to vocals, specifically sibilance. So, overall the Nagaoka MP-110 is the best phono cartridge under $500.

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Audio Technica AT-F7 Moving Coil Cartridge

The Audio-Technica AT-F7 is an excellent option for those who want to immerse themselves in the rich listening experience that vinyl offers, but with none of the issues such as crackling and popping associated with it.

The AT-F7 is a moving coil cartridge, and while it’s less popular than moving magnet MM cartridges when compared side by side, there’s no doubt the AT-F7 has excellent features that should be explored too. The cartridge provides an excellent and rich sound. The formulation’s transparency and frequency response are second-to-none. As a result, it delivers on the vocals, offers excellent acoustic performance, and provides precise stereo imaging.

The AT-F7 cartridge comes with 0.07 mm stainless immersion wire which translates to a higher quality than cheaper products because of its use in moving coil audio cartridges. Moving coil cartridges use the suspension wire as a pivot point and measure its exact length so that the playback is of higher quality than most other stylus options.

The Audio Technica AT-F7 model is an affordable professional cartridge with a compact, lightweight design that’s easy to replace, and in its price range, it provides excellent tracking, sound quality, and good bass response. The Audio Technica AT-F7 provides excellent tracking in the price range, so, overall, Audio Technica AT-F7 is the best phono cartridge under $500.

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Ortofon 2M Blue Moving Magnet Cartridge

The Ortofon 2m Blue Featuring a Nude Elliptical stylus, creates a broader contact with the groove than the 2M Red model; the diamond stylus is directly attached to the cantilever with no mounting block or shank, resulting in a more accurate and forgiving output. The Ortofon 2m Blue is the latest addition to the legendary Ortofon range of professional turntables. This exclusive 2m stylus features a highly sensitive and responsive elliptical diamond stylus that delivers a comprehensive, direct, and natural sound from any vinyl source.

The 2m Blue phono cartridge is a 5.5 millivolt output and offers 1.8 grams of tracking force, making it relatively universal in terms of turntables and tonearms available on the market today. The 2M Blue has a unique design that will fit most design preferences for modern homes and offices.

The Ortofon 2m Blue exterior includes a solid aluminum sheet with machined aluminum caps that form the ends. Unfortunately, the stainless steel bolts and the brass nuts are not included in the package; for this reason, it works only with turntables having an M3 mounting pattern.

The Ortofon 2m Blue phono cartridge is a very competent cartridge that can give you a satisfying and well-balanced sound. In addition, it offers good dynamics, transparency, and superb resolution.

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Audio-Technica At-F2 MC (Moving Coil) Phono Cartridge

The Japanese electronics company Audio-Technica manufactures many products, including turntables, headphones, and audio equipment. Among Audio-Technica’s best-known products is its AT-F2 moving coil phono cartridge. It features an elliptical stylus with a radius of 0.3 mils and provides sound quality that is fully dimensional.

Many features and configurations are available for this AT-F2 cartridge that are ideal for anyone who wants to upgrade their turntable system. It has channel separation of 25dB (1kHz), a vertical tracking angle of 23°, a PCCOC coil (purer transmission), a hybrid body, a dual moving coil system, and a frequency response of 15 - 30,000Hz.

The Audio-Technica At-F2 Moving Coil Phono Cartridge is a moving coil cartridge produced by Audio-Technica in the early to mid-1990s. It uses a metal cantilever with a diamond stylus and produces high-quality sound.

In addition, the At-F2 is one of the earliest moving coil cartridges to use an elliptical stylus design, which reduces distortion and produces better sound quality than other styli designs. It has a bonded round shank and a recommended load impedance of 100Ω.

Features Of The Audio-Technica At-f2 Moving Coil Phono Cartridge

The Audio-Technica At-F2 Dual Moving Coil features a moving coil design that delivers high-fidelity audio reproduction and has a coil Impedance of 12Ω (1kHz) and DC resistance of 12Ω and the coil Inductance of 25µH (1kHz), which is great. The At-F2 Moving Coil Phono Cartridge is compatible with any standard vinyl player and produces an output voltage of 0.32mV (1kHz and 5cm/sec.) and output channel balance of 1.5dB (1kHz), and has brass terminal pins and a weight of 5g.

Designed for turntables with built-in phono inputs, the Audio-Technica At-F2 cartridges are made to fit these types of turntables. It has a high quality, low distortion, the best stylus tip, and extended frequency response with conformity of 35×10-6cm/dyne and dynamic compliance of 9×10-6cm/dyne (100Hz).

A non-rotating carbon fiber arm tube and helical tracking force range are featured in the Audio-Technica At-F2, as well as an aluminum/synthetic resin body and stylus curvature radius of 0.3 x 0.7 mil. It’s time to enjoy your music once you’ve set up your Audio-Technica At-F2 moving coil phono cartridge and tonearm!

Ortofon 2M Red Moving Magnet Cartridge

I love the Ortofon 2M Red cartridges in the Ortofon 2m series and use them for my basses. It’s a great-sounding cartridge with a lovely textured bass with plenty of punch and clarity. In addition, the Ortofon 2M Red treble is crisp and clear, giving an excellent sense of air and space to the sound and the cartridge mid-band is also open and transparent.

The 2m Red treble is a 2m driver with a wide, open mid-band. This makes the sound very crisp and clear, giving the sound a perfect sense of air and space. In the last few years, many people have used the 2m Red cartridge in cartridges with low mass. This low-mass arm is mainly used in high-quality audio recordings such as dubbing and vinyl record production.

The Ortofon 2m Red cartridge weight is 7.2g. It is a little heavier than the average MM cartridge, but it can be used successfully. The 2M Red is a Proprietary System with a maximum frequency of 20 Hz to 20000 Hz.

It can read your stylus and gives you the best performance without lagging up to 1,000 hours, but if you break it, it will not rust. The Ortofon 2M Red cartridge is the highest quality cartridge in the world. This is an exceptional value for an outstanding product. It’s a great successor to the Ortofon 2M and comes at a very affordable price, making this one of the best value cartridges.

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Goldring E3 The Blue MM Cartridge

Every one of the Goldring E3 cartridge body designs has a beautiful violet color that accompanies it. The design for this cartridge is shared with different model types, which were differentiated through the bottom edge color. The body is made through a massive stocky form well crafted in plastic molding. It is shaped similarly to M2 / OM series cartridges by Ortofon.

The Goldring company was founded in 1906 and is the oldest cartridge manufacturer. It is best known for its moving iron models. This Goldring E3 phono cartridge is made with an aluminum cantilever, an elliptical tip of 0.3 x 0.7 mil, and its tip has a 0.6 mil circular profile bonded to the stylus. The dual magnet MM engine provides excellent stereo performance, replicating almost Audio Technica’s AT95E series.

On the E3 cartridge, captive nuts make it simple to attach mounting Allen-key bolts onto its front side. A straight edge there assists in making the actual alignment of the cartridge simple.

According to Turntable Expert users, once you’ve aligned the E3 cartridge onto your Rega Planar 2 turntable, installation takes less than ten minutes. The only caution is for those who use a thicker headshell because longer screws may be needed for assembly for some users. 

The Goldring E3 cartridge is accompanied by nuts and bolts to attach its many mounting accessories. You’ll find a straight-edged guide, which helps you to align your cart effortlessly to the headshell. The mounting process is simple, but it’s important to note Rega Planar II owners may need longer screws because the headshell is particularly thick under its platter!

The Goldring E3 weight is incredibly light. It’s an easy-going 6.9 grams, which we love. It sits at a typical 2.0g, which may surprise you, given how wildly light it is compared to most other digital calligraphy pens. So, overall the E3 cartridge is the best phono cartridge under $500.

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