Feature

Nine Affordable Phono Cartridges to Upgrade Your Sound

Written By:

Ian White

February 22, 2022

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Get the best sound from your turntable by upgrading its phono cartridge.

Vinyl finds itself at an unexpected crossroads in 2022; a new generation of listeners has turned the format into a billion dollar industry again and there are not enough phono cartridges in stock to satisfy global demand. Streaming might be 85% of the market but phono cartridges are one of the hottest categories right now and that caught some with their pants down. Our picks for best affordable phono cartridges are all proven winners and compatible with a wide range of tonearms.

Americans bought a lot of new records in 2021. 41.7 million LPs according to the folks at MRC Data. That’s an increase of 51.4% year over year and the first time vinyl records have outsold CDs since 1991. Phono cartridge manufacturers are struggling to keep up with demand.

If you are in the market for an affordable audiophile turntable, or replacement cartridge, it’s easy to get lost looking through the hundreds of affordable phono cartridges that are available. Deciding if you want a moving coil or moving magnet (or moving iron if select one from Grado Labs) cartridge is just one part of the decision making process.

Compatibility with the tonearm is also something that you need to pay attention to; just because you want to mount a specific cartridge on your turntable doesn’t mean that you should without checking with the manufacturer or dealer for advice.

Many entry-level turntables come with a pre-installed cartridge from Audio-Technica, Grado Labs, Sumiko, or Ortofon. Aside from confirming the tracking weight and that the anti-skate is properly set, you’re usually only a few minutes from listening to records in this scenario.

But if you’re looking to upgrade what you already own or don’t love the sound from the pre-installed cartridge on your new table, these are very worthy alternatives and excellent value for the money.

But if you want to elevate the level of playback quality from your records, there are a number of options below $750 that extract a lot more information from the grooves and help shape the tonal presentation of the music.

Your choice of phono pre-amplifier will also impact the overall sound quality in a significant way.

Do not spend more on the cartridge than the table. A better turntable with the right arm will maximize sound quality with even an inexpensive moving magnet cartridge like a Nagaoka MP-110 – versus a $750 Dynavector on an entry-level turntable.

Proper set-up of your cartridge is more important than what you spend. Clean your records and your stylus. Nothing ruins a stylus faster than dirty records.