The $190 Grado Labs Prestige Red3 might be the affordable cartridge upgrade your turntable needs.

Based on the reaction to my CAF 2023 editorial, many of you agree that high-end audio manufacturers and some show organisers have lost the plot. Our issue is not the availability of expensive high-end products because there will be always be a niche market for systems over $50,000 — but the lack of focus on the entry level and mid-tier products that can sustain this industry for the long-term.

Demonstrating $50,000 turntables is fine, but understand that 99.9% of the music listening audience is never buying one.

The same applies to manufacturers trying to convince vinyl listeners that it makes sense to spend $3,000 to $,5000 on a phono cartridge.

Newsflash — it does not.

Grado Labs offers a few phono cartridges that are even more expensive but 95% of their range is affordable.

It has always been my advice to invest a majority of your budget in a better turntable and only upgrade the phono cartridge after you have had some time to figure out the table and its base sonic signature; only then should one invest more in an overachieving cartridge like the Goldring E4, Grado Timbre Opus3, Denon DL-103, Nagaoka MP-110, Sumiko Blue Point No. 3 or Ortofon 2M Blue.

Can an inexpensive phono cartridge elevate the sound quality of your turntable?

Even on a table as affordable as the Andover Audio SpinDeck Max, the $190 USD Grado Labs Prestige Red3 proved to be a genuine surprise.

This article originally appeared at ecoustics.com and an intro been published here with permission.

Read the full article: https://www.ecoustics.com/reviews/grado-labs-prestige-red3/