Best Phono Cartridges, Tonearms and Headshells

Welcome to the Best Phono Cartridges, Tonearms and Headshells section from the Part-Time Audiophile Buyers Guide for Summer 2024

We’re not saying that these are the best phono cartridges, tonearms and headshells or that these choices somehow overrule anyone else’s favorites. We’re saying that these are the products we’ve reviewed, owned, or have had extended experience when it comes to performance and sound quality. This is the gear that we, the staff of Part-Time Audiophile, recommend.

Ortofon 2M Red ($99 USD)

Some of us believe that the moving-magnet 2M Red is one of the best phono cartridges for $100, while a few others believe it’s the only one worth considering at the price. There is some grain at the top, and a slightly thin balance, but the tonality is exceptional in its class. Added bonus: the upgrade path through the 2M line, a mere swapping of the stylus, is as simple as it gets.

Ortofon 2M Blue ($189 USD)

For many years, the high-output MM Ortofon 2M Blue phono cartridges have been the safe choice to recommend to your friends with simple analog rigs such as the lesser Regas, Pro-Jects and Fluances. The Blue might not be the last word in detail, and there is a bit of grain in the upper registers, but that’s only in comparison to cartridges that cost a lot more. It’s still one of the best phono cartridges in its price range due to its amazing performance with the Music Hall Stealth turntable.

Sumiko Amethyst MM ($599 USD)

It’s rare when a high-output MM cartridge crosses the PTA threshold, but we’re always interested in a over-achieving MM that can emulate the sound of a moving coil. We found the Amethyst to be punchy and rhythmic, prompting us to bring out our classic rock albums from the ’60s and ’70s. “If you’re still loyal to MM, the Sumiko Amethyst has to be one of the most musical and balanced choices you can make.”

Zu Audio DL-103 Mk. II ($599-$1,319 USD, depending upon grade)

The Zu Audio version of the legendary Denon DL-103 phono cartridges still retains the motor of the original, while substituting an Alcoa alloy body. The Mk. II version of the Zu also changes the shape of the housing for more strength, and adds a new epoxy that reduces noise and stabilizes the stylus assembly. “The midrange is rich in a way that would never be considered neutral, but is recognizable and touches the spirit down to the roots,” our reviewer concluded.

Hana ML ($1,200 USD)

Until recently, when this Japanese cartridge manufacturer announced the new $3,950 Umami Red, the ML was the flagship in the Hana line–and it sounded like a true flagship despite its very modest price. Hana has a no-nonsense way of making phono cartridges that keeps the costs relatively low while preserving an unusually high level of performance, and we found that the ML was perfectly at home with some very expensive analog rigs. Next to the original Denon 103, this might be the biggest bargain in the best phono cartridges section.

Audio Note UK IQ III MM ($1,249 USD)

One of 2024’s best phono cartridges is a moving-magnet design, which surprised the reviewer to no end. When used with the Audio Note UK TT-Two Deluxe turntable with the Arm Three tonearm, as well as Audio Note UK’s R-Zero II MM phono stage, we heard an MM sound incredibly close to MC cartridges at this price point. It features a Pocon body with integral mounting threads for easy installation, and these materials bring the IQ III in at a relatively light 6.3 grams. “There’s a liveliness and vigor about the AN sound that is really different than most of the high-end audio gear out there.” A Reviewers Choice winner.

Luxman LMC-5 ($2,695 USD)

Luxman’s first MC design in 40 years is one of 2024’s best phono cartridges. Its unique aluminum body offers multiple advantages when it comes to controlling resonance, proper cueing and even protecting the stylus. With its diamond Shibata-profile stylus and stunning looks, the LMC-5 offers the same elusive mystique of the great Japanese cartridges of the past for a very reasonable price. “You hear a tonality that draws you in and makes you wonder if this is merely different, or specifically right and you’re hearing it for the first time,” we decided, handing the Luxman a well-deserved Reviewers Choice Award.

Sumiko Celebration 40 ($2,799 USD)

This version of the venerable wooden-bodied Celebration cartridge honors Sumiko’s 40th anniversary by adding the micro-ridge stylus from the Palo Santos, and using “plumwood” as opposed to the traditional pearwood for the body. We found the 40 to be “the ultimate chill-out cartridge with its huge sense of space and three-dimensionality.”

Vertere Acoustics Mystic ($3,599 USD)

This British cartridge from the mind of Touraj Moghaddam measures razor flat, and offers a completely balanced sound which includes “an articulate and detailed top end, with mids that were clear and rich without conspicuous coloration and bass that was tight and linear without feeling dry or overdamped.”

Hana Umami Red ($3,950 USD)

If Hana can make $1,200 phono cartridges that sound like $4,000 cartridges, what happens when they actually make a $4,000 cartridge? The answer is the Umami Red, which is unusually transparent while also being a “Bali Hai” cartridge–warm and breezy and huge in sound. We found it to be a stunning match with the Technics SL-1200G and 1210-GAE turntables. A Reviewer’s Choice winner.

Charisma Audio Signature One ($3,990 USD)

Bernard Li of Toronto-based Charisma Audio has come up with a winner for his flagship Signature One moving coil cartridge. The Ebony bodied Signature One features a Ruby cantilever with a super fine line contact stylus that produces a richly detailed, dynamic, and vividly holographic soundscape. The medium-low 0.4 mV output means you won’t need crazy amounts of gain from your phono stage to make those shiny black discs come alive.

Allnic Audio Amber MC ($5,100 USD)

This Korean-made low-output MC immediately distinguished itself by its ability to provide a flabbergasting amount of inner detail without once sounding bright or harsh. Allnic moves the coils closer to the stylus, away from the pivot, which results in this greater detail, and the “cutter head” type of design employs a new rubber damper along with copper clad aluminum (CCA) coils. A Reviewer’s Choice winner.

Van den Hul Crimson XGW Stradivarius ($5,495 USD)

Crimson means it’s the second line from the top. XGW means it has cross coils that are gold, along with a wooden koa body. And Stradivarius means the body has been coated with the same 400-year-old recipe used for the famous violins–what a recipe for one of the best phono cartridges we’ve tested. The Crimson was exceptionally detailed and neutral, with “the same sweet, extended highs that first reeled me in when I fell for hi-rez digital streaming.” A Reviewers Choice award winner.

Soundsmith Hyperion II ($7,999.95 USD)

Peter Ledermann explained it best when he said this about the Hyperion’s cactus-needle cantilever, which offer exception stiffness and damping: “Humans have been designing cantilevers for LPs for 70 years, but nature has been making perfect ones for millions of years.” The sound of the Hyperion is so incisive and yet so listenable—it’s one of the best phono cartridges out there because it seems impervious to any kind of tension or stress.

Acoustical Systems Palladian ($11,995 USD)

We used the Palladium with the stunning Acoustic Signature Typhoon NEO and T-5000 tonearm and found that grooves and textures leapt out of the speakers. “It blossomed into a full, warm-yet-ultra-detailed thing of beauty,” we proclaimed. A Reviewer’s Choice award winner.

Lyra Atlas λ Lambda SL ($14,295 USD)

The speed and the accuracy of the original Atlas is intact, but with the new Lambda SL the music is imbued with more passion. The SL now carries some of those qualities we love in wood phono cartridges, an almost a tube-like quality has been added when compared to the original Atlas. Dynamic and super accurate, the Lambda SL now brings about more soul—it’s also one of the best phono cartridges ever to ride the grooves in Mohammed Samji’s home.

Tonearms

AnalogMagik Fidelity Research FR-64S to FR-66S Conversion ($1,200 USD)

This conversion kit from our own Richard H. Mak requires that you already own a Fidelity Research FR-64S, which will cost you $1,500 to $2,500 USD on the used market. But here’s the catch: this $1,200 kit turns the 10″ FR-64 into a 12″ FR-66, and the ’66s usually fetch around $10K. You’re basically getting a new, longer arm tube and two counterweights, but the result will be a classic tonearm that many enjoy far more than modern designs.

Sorane TA-1L ($1,900 USD)

From the Japanese company formerly known as Abis, this elegant and simple 12.7″ tonearm was well-made, easy to set up and a pleasure to pair with the Gem Dandy PolyTable Signature. Add the ZYX Ultimate Airy cartridge and you have a modestly-priced analog rig that makes a compelling argument for the most performance for under $10K complete. Winner of a Reviewer’s Choice award.

Pear Audio Blue Cornet 2 ($2,495 USD)

The Cornet 2 is a unipivot design that is unusual in regards to maintaining azimuth and avoiding silicone with a “special material, developed with viscosity properties that do not flow and do not require settling time.” The carbon fiber arm tube arranges the fibers lengthwise for greater resonance control and rigidity. A Reviewers Choice award winner, and one of our go-to arms for 2024’s best phono cartridges.

The Wand Master Series (starting at $2,500 USD)

The flagship Master Series of unipivot tonearms from New Zealand’s The Wand features an unusually thick carbon-fiber arm tube that is much more rigid than normal tubes, and enough accessories to mount it on many, many different ‘tables. (It comes in 9.5”, 10.3” and 12” lengths.) Competitive with much more expensive arms, The Wand will convince you that a properly designed tonearm can have a huge impact on the sound of your analog rig.

Vertere Acoustics SG-1 Mk. II (from $2,995 USD)

The SG-1 proves that designer Touraj Moghaddam has thought more about counterweight design, and how it contributes to the entire performance of the tonearm, than almost anyone else. A lower center of gravity from this arrangement, combined with a tri-point articulated bearing that acts like a unipivot but isn’t, makes the modestly-priced SG-1 a winner: “With its dead quiet rendering of vinyl, it brought a great certainty and ease to anything played.”

Audio Origami PU-7 ($4,395 USD)

We reviewed the Audio Origami tonearm from Scotland with the now-defunct Palmer 2.5i turntable–it’s a synergistic match that sells extremely well out there in the audiophile world. But the PU-7 excels because it is so unfussy about set-up. It moves with precision and deliberation, and avoids all possible quirks (except for a headshell that’s a little too big if you’re using a record clamp or weight). Also ideal for Linn LP-12s.

Brinkmann 12.1 ($6,890 USD)

The Brinkmann 12.1 tonearm–yes, the model number refers to its length–is an endlessly fascinating piece of gear that is based on the remarkable Breuer arms, regarded by some of us as the finest tonearm ever built. Tight tolerances in the bearings are one of the keys to its excellence. Together with the Brinkmann Taurus turntable, the 12.1 received a Reviewers Choice award.

Acoustic Signature TA-5000 ($7,895 USD)

This German tonearm features a triple-layer carbon armtube, high-purity silver wiring and SKF hybrid bearings for “super-clean” analog playback that bordered on “digital clarity.” Our reviewer “heard a whole lot more of what I love about playing records when we played them on the Acoustic Signature TA-5000 setup.” A Reviewer’s Choice winner.

J. Sikora KV12 ($8,995 USD)

With its Kevlar arm tube (available in black, natural yellow and optional colors) and its steady unipivot design, the 12″ KV12 is an exceptional performer when used with the Initial Max turntable. Price, when included with a J. Sikora turntable, is $8,095. Review forthcoming, but initial tests already make this an absolute gem in the world of the best phono cartridges and tonearms.

Thales Simplicity II ($9,450 USD)

The Simplicity II is a pivoted tangential arm which moves like a normal pivoted arm, but it has the ability to move its headshell so that it tracks like a linear tracking arm. It’s an ingenious design which combines the strength of both a pivoted tonearm and a linear tracker, without sharing much of their weaknesses. This is an elegant design with ultra-precise machining quality, and a match for some of the world’s best phono cartridges.

Glanz MH-124S Premium ($26,500 USD)

Sure, that’s a lot of money for just a tonearm. But this Japanese design answered our question about these types of lofty designs: “How can perfection be made any better?” Coated with DLC (Diamond-like Carbon), the Glanz achieves new levels of hardness, damping and efficient energy transfer. “If the price is no object, then the Glanz MH124S Premium tonearm will surely hold a permanent position in [the] arsenal of the world’s best phono cartridges and tonearms.”

Headshells (Removable)

Nasotec 202A1 “Swing” ($359.99 USD)

This unique headshell moves somewhat freely on the lateral plane, which reduces stylus wear and ensures that the best phono cartridges are equally balanced in the groove. Its inherent wiggliness makes cueing a new adventure, but the Nasotec is also effective at eliminating tracking distortion.

DS Audio HS-001 ($450 USD)

Beautiful fit and finish, robust leads and a mechanical integrity that brings out improved performance–this Japanese headshell is a superb choice for Technics SL-1200G and 1210-GAE turntables. Our reference for 2024’s best phono cartridges and tonearms.

ZYX Live18 ($700 USD)

Tooled from a single block of aluminum, the Live18 has been optimized for ZYX phono cartridges but will improve performance in your analog rig by reducing standing wave resonances. A perfect match for 2024’s best cartridges.

Acoustical Systems Arche ($795 USD)

Heavy and complex, this headshell’s major innovation is that you can make all of your adjustments while the best phono cartridges and headshells are already mounted on the tonearm. Structurally sound to the point where the Arche seems to improve the sound of every analog rig.