Grado Green3 vs Ortofon OM5e

[Member 90125]

I haven't had a turntable since the 80's- but I'm pulling the trigger on a U-Turn Orbit custom build here soon. The available options I'm considering for the cart are the Grado Green3 vs Ortofon OM5e. I've scoured the internet for reviews, etc, but don't seem to have much direction. I'm guessing, as these are both pretty budget friendly options, that the differences wouldn't be all that crazy- I could be wrong. But, since one of my favorite hobbies is analysis paralysis, I thought I'd throw it out into the ether here and see if anyone had a strong opinion either way. It looks like both carts have minor stylus upgrade options down the road, if I decided to experiment. I enjoy a variety of music- from classical, jazz, alternative, classic rock, etc. I'll be using the phono stage on the Wiim Ultra to start. Vinyl won't be my primary music source- but I am looking forward to sitting down with records again from time to time. I guess I'd say I'm looking for something with good detail and not overly colored- warm or bright. Any thoughts appreciated- thanks!

 

[raindance]

I'd suggest an Audio Technica AT95E as a better option and you can upgrade to a line contact stylus later once you get tired of IGD ruining the last track or two on each LP.

Best to check if the compliance is a match, but your initial choices appear quite far apart in that regard.

 

[Steven Holt]

I'd suggest an Audio Technica AT95E as a better option and you can upgrade to a line contact stylus later once you get tired of IGD ruining the last track or two on each LP.

Best to check if the compliance is a match, but your initial choices appear quite far apart in that regard.

I'll second that. you can spend more, i'm not sure you will get more.

 

[Member 90125]

Thanks for the responses. The AT95e isn't an option from the vendor in this initial purchase scenario. I'm just trying to keep my costs down and see if I enjoy vinyl again- or if it's even a rabbit hole I have an interest in going down in the future. I fully understand this initial setup isn't the 'end all be all' of vinyl heaven- and I'm OK with that. I was just curious if anyone had experience with those particular budget carts. I appreciate you sharing your experience and thoughts on the subject- thank you.

 

[JeremyFife]

I don't know the Grado, so check, but the ortofon lets you swap out the stylus in the same body if you ever want to upgrade ... OM10 or OM20 are as far as you'd really want to go.
I started with the OM5e too and was quite content with it.

(I'd prefer an AT95 too, but I didn't know about these at the time.)

 

[Member 90125]

I don't know the Grado, so check, but the ortofon lets you swap out the stylus in the same body if you ever want to upgrade ... OM10 or OM20 are as far as you'd really want to go.
I started with the OM5e too and was quite content with it.

(I'd prefer an AT95 too, but I didn't know about these at the time.)

Thanks, mate- yes, I did read that the OM10/20 would be about the end of the line for upgrading the OM5e stylus- and quite easy to do. Glad to hear you had a good experience with the OM5e at the start! Thank you

 

[raindance]

I personally don't like the OM5E but it is reasonably high compliance and I suspect that arm would work best with it out of your choices. It is a decent tracker (the Grados are a bit fussy in that regard). I don't like the OM10 or OM20 styli, I think the OM30 is the first one with a decent stylus and it costs a bloody fortune.

 

[Member 90125]

I may end up going with the Audio-Technica AT-LPW40WN turntable. It comes from the factory with the AT-VM95E. Nice looking setup, I think- and perhaps a better choice in the short and longer term. I appreciate the input- thank you.

 

[DSJR]

The OM5e is a safe little cartridge. Not as toppy as the 10 and 20 can be in my experience
HiFi Choice tested these decades ago and didn't rate the 5 as a HiFi cartridge, which I would disagree with. I currently use an OM30 and it's great, better balanced subjectively than the supposedly better Super OM body, subjectively at least...

The AT95e is friendly enough and the VM95 body with ML stylus is huge fun.

 

[LTig]

I may end up going with the Audio-Technica AT-LPW40WN turntable. It comes from the factory with the AT-VM95E. Nice looking setup, I think- and perhaps a better choice in the short and longer term. I appreciate the input- thank you.

I think that is the better choice. Audio-Technica has never stopped making turntables while U-Turn is a rather young company (founded in 2012 according to their website). I think they have more experience in making good turntables.

However: the AT-LP120 has been recommended here several times as a decent entry turntable, and I recommend it over the AT-LP40 due its direct drive - you well never need to change a belt.

 

[Member 90125]

I appreciate all the insights- thank you. I prefer the aesthetics of the LP40- and am OK with having to change a belt or 2 down the road. I will get to know the AT-VM95E over time- and look forward to potential upgrades down the road. As I mentioned, vinyl won't be my primary source- but I'm very excited to listen to some LP's again. I think you all helped me come to a better decision- and I appreciate it!

 

[DSJR]

P.S. The decks with AT3600L pickup can be stylus upgraded with either the 3600LE stylus tracking at 3.5g, or the Rega Carbon Pro elliptical which looks similar but tracks at 2g here. Sound of the latter is well integrated bottom to top and just a touch fuller in perceived tone compared to well mastered CDs of the same material. My AT95E isn't quite as seamless I find (make of that what you like).

 

[raindance]

Make sure that the arm is capable of supporting a better stylus in the future (boils down to quality of bearings and adjustability).

Personally I found the 95E to be lively and it has a "toe tapping" quality. It is a little brighter than the conical 3600 or the Rega equivalent.

Note: Ignore the naysayers at certain other forums who all boast about how light their arm can track with a particular cartridge and track the ATs (and the Ortofons for that matter) at the recommended tracking force to avoid mistracking, thin sound and record wear. You can tweak the sound a little with resistive and capacitive loading. What preamp will you use?

It also helps to print out a set of alignment protractors (to scale) and you can experiment with different alignments to see what gives you the best results on the last couple of tracks of each record without compromising the first track.

 

[Member 90125]

Certainly appreciate all the wisdom thrown my way- thanks. For starters I’ll be using the Wiim Ultra phono stage- and I’m sure I’ll check out the onboard AT unit to compare. I’m wary of draining all my audio funds too quickly- so I probably will hold off on any stylus or external phono preamps early on. Even if/when I do- I’m sure I’ll be looking for a budget minded options down the road.

I will be curious to see if the potential stylus or phono stage upgrades will make a marked difference to the system. It’s clearly a starter system and I’m not going to get too crazy with it- understanding the limitations of the budget gear I’ll have & how often I’ll be enjoying the vinyl experience.

It’s been fun to start assembling a little collection of LP’s I know I’m excited to listen to again and again. It’s so easy to add Tidal albums- with no additional financial investment- but a much more cerebral exercise to choose albums I want to hear from front to back!

 

[Member 90125]

I did end up ordering the Audio-Technica AT-LPW40WN...looking forward to getting it up and running next week!

 

[zonk]

The mentioned Audio Technica cartridge AT95E is an old model, the actual model is the AT-VM95E

 

[lini]

(...) Audio-Technica has never stopped making turntables (...)

Uhm - sorry, but that would seem a bit of an odd statement to me, 'cause I'm not aware of any AT turntables, before the AT-PL50 and AT-PL120 were introduced in 2002 and 2003, except for their SoundBurger and MisterDisc thingies from the early 1980s. And both the -PL50 and -PL120 were pretty oridnary Hanpins.

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini

 

[LTig]

Uhm - sorry, but that would seem a bit of an odd statement to me, 'cause I'm not aware of any AT turntables, before the AT-PL50 and AT-PL120 were introduced in 2002 and 2003, except for their SoundBurger and MisterDisc thingies from the early 1980s. And both the -PL50 and -PL120 were pretty oridnary Hanpins.

Oops - thanks for the correction.

A bit OT: Which company has never stopped making turntables and has not replaced the whole R&D team? Linn for sure. Dual and Thorens probably not, AFAIK their brand names were bought by other companies.

 

[Balle Clorin]

Michell Engineering/Michell Audio makes the same turntables since the 80s , evolution to better part etc.Used to be very reasonable priced, but last 5 yeas prices has more than doubled due to vinyl resurgence and possibly the realised the were too cheap compared to others, or new finenanciers

 

[lini]

A bit OT: Which company has never stopped making turntables and has not replaced the whole R&D team? (...)

I'd assume, that Gandy/Rega and Weisfeld/VPI would qualify - and quite possibly also Räke/Transrotor.

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini

P.S.: Reply given under the assumption, that your question would refer to companies, that would already offer turntables back in the 80s or even earlier.