"Uptown Audio" wrote in message
...
Most people find that there is no noise until the very end of the
record at a reasonably high volume without using Mu-metal. Maybe you
don't have the Mu-metal configured for best performance, but it sounds
like you may have done the best that you can with it. I suppose
everyones idea of what is objectionably noisey varies and using very
high efficiency speakers will certainly make any slight noise much
more prominent. Other designs may be more quiet in terms of shielding
from magnetic fields but they may also suffer in other areas
sonically. The Kontrapunkt series from Ortofon are quite nice but
don't have user replacable stylus. The best sounding cartridges IMHO
are low output moving coil cartridges and they don't have user
replacable stylus. I would not limit my choices to those having that
as a feature if you are critical about sound quality. I have had MC
cartridges last ten years so it is not a bad value in my opinion. I am
using a Dynavector LOMC cartridge now.
-Bill
www.uptownaudio.com
Roanoke VA
(540) 343-1250


They can last longer than that...I have an Accuphase AC-2 that has been in
continual use since the early eighties. However, one should take into
account that my phono use has been at most "moderate" since the early '90's
when I finally achieved decent CD sound.