Goldring Elektra Moving Magnet Cartridge

I bought his after looking around a many reviews, both written and on YouTube (yes I know that YouTube sound is not the best but does give you and fairly good idea of the sound) and it came down to a choice between this one the Ortofon M2 Red and the Nagaoka MP 110. I was put off the 2M red because many said it made the records sound like a CD and did not feel like paying that much for the Nagaoka.Like all things the other two cartridges are fantastic bits of kit but it is down to you and an individual. It changed the sound of the deck making the sound more warm and certainly opening up the detail of the records, really like it and really enjoy listening to records again.This is IMO.

In its price range it's really a must buy.Deep sounding bass and crisp clear highs make this cartridge terrific value for money and on a par with much more expensive models currently available from competitors.I would have absolutely no hesitation in recommending this to the beginner or more established user. In fact, blindfold an audiophile and using the Goldring on a high quality turntable, I doubt if they could honestly tell the difference between the Elektra and a £200 or above cartridge.Try it - you won't regret the purchase....

Took some time to burn in but boy what a cartridge that's all I have to say

Now, whilst (of course) this doesn't sound like a grand's worth of moving coil, for the price, you can't go wrong here. Nicely designed, works very well indeed with a decently detailed sound. An excellent budget product and most certainly recommended.

Sounds amazing

Having read up on line about different cartridges and their merits, and compared prices, I decided to buy this to replace a Stanton 500 cartridge on my venerable old JVC LF-210 turntable. It arrived very promptly (thanks, Nottingham Hi-Fi Centre!) and I anticipated hassle-free fitting.It was at this point that the item lost a star. As suggested by the picture of the cartridge, the prongs at the back are on the short side (noticeably shorter than the Stanton). On the positive side, they are sheathed at the base with colour co-ordinated plastic indicators, to make wiring easy, but in the event they lacked the necessary grip provided by the Stanton prongs, so the cables slipped off readily and lacked grip.Cue the narrow-nosed pliers, a straightened plastic-coated heavy duty paper clip, and a bit more nervousness on my part than I was expecting. I slid the straightened paper clip into the cable connectors to give it some protection to squeeze against, and gently applied pressure, rotating each connector once through 90 degrees, in the hope that this would give it a uniform shape.Success! The connectors now gripped the prongs snugly, so I could press on with the set up.This was now easy enough. I refitted the head shell with the cartridge attached, and rebalanced the tone arm.I set the weight at 2 grammes, as recommended by Goldring, and checked the settings and alignment using the Pro-ject balancing tool.I then let my system loose on it, dusting off some of my assorted vinyl to see how the cartridge (and new stylus) compared to the old one (Damned, The The, Sisters of Mercy, Bauhaus, Bowie, Ry Cooder, Handel).My first impressions are very positive, with basslines being particularly well resolved in my opinion. In fact, the whole listening experience was heightened, and I can only imagine this improving as the cartridge beds in. Hiss and crackle was noticeably lessened.by comparison with the old cart, but I guess things have moved on.I have been toying with replacing the venerable old deck with a modern belt-driven model, but elected to go down the route of getting a new cartridge for the old deck first while researching and listening to possible replacement decks.. The Elektra has breathed new life into the old beastie for the meantime, which perhaps goes to show that getting a new cartridge can be a worthwhile upgrade. Except for the issues over fitting the cables securely, this would have been a 5 star review, as sonically this cartridge is very good at this price point; A super item!

I love the rich sound of this cartridge on my very old Rega Plana 3.There are better out there I'm sure,but this is fine on my system. I made a mistake when buying,I only really needed a stylus.

This was an expensive unit so was concerned ordering on line but it arrived safelywell packed and appears to work fine.