Best Phono Cartridges Under $200

Ortofon 2M Red MM Cartridge

First is Ortofon 2M Red, which is full of surprises because it comes within the budget range of a maximum of $100. You get a stylus brush, a tiny screwdriver tool in a small plastic packet, an instruction manual, and a 2M Red phono cartridge inside the box. It is a moving magnet and all-purpose cartridge which can easily fit with most turntables. By using Ortofon 2M Red, you will get a fantastic dynamic sound, and the cartridge comes in Elliptical diamond style.

The output voltage of the 2M Red cartridge is 5.5 mV. The 2M Red has color-coded pin terminals and a maximum frequency of 20 Hz to 20000Hz. It cares about your stylus, gives you the best performance without lagging up to 1,000 hours, and sounds great. The 2M red has a 1.8 g load resistance and can easily replace with a 2M blue Ortofon cartridge.

The 2m red cartridge sounded warmer, is very long-lasting, and seems a hi-fi cartridge with excellent performance. Without screws, the Ortofon 2M Red weight is 7.2 g, and load capacitance is 150-300pF. The Ortofon 2M Red is a budget-friendly cartridge and can be bought easily. The cartridge can easily use with ATLP 1240 tracking at recommended 1.8 grams. Overall the Ortofon 2M Red provides outstanding music and is the best phono cartridge under $200.

Read: Best Cartridge For Audio Technica AT LP120

Ortofon 2M Blue MM Cartridge

The next cartridge is Ortofon 2M Blue, which comes in nude elliptical style and has stylus replaceable features. The cartridge is easy to use, and its weight is similar to a 2M red cartridge, which is 7.2g. You will get the brush in a small packet in the box, which will use for proper cleaning of the stylus. The stylus features split pole pins, and the Ortofon 2M Blue cartridge manufacturer’s body is Hopelex.

The 2M Blue tracking force is similar to the 2m Red cartridge that is 18 mN and can easily replace with a 2m Red phono cartridge. The 2m red and blue cartridges share the same cartridge body, and it takes only a few seconds to swap the 2M Red cartridge with 2M Blue. Both 2m red and blue cartridges have the same structure. The only difference between them is the stylus, which is highly polished of Ortofon 2M Blue and gives you excellent tracking and significantly quieter reproduction. So, the 2M Blue is the best phono cartridge under $200.

Read: Best Audiophile Turntable Under $2000

Ortofon 2M Bronze MM Cartridge

Next is 2M Brozen, a moving magnet cartridge featuring nude fine line diamond and can be easily replaced with a 2M Black stylus. Let’s compare the 2M Brozen cartridge with 2M red and blue cartridges. The 2M Brozen cartridges will give you more details and resolutions than Ortofon’s previously reviewed cartridges. The 2m red will provide you more warm sound, and on the other hand, the 2m blue cartridges will offer you a neutral sound. But, you can upgrade your phono cartridge to 2m Brozen, which is so different in structure, performance, and sound compared to 2m blue and 2m red cartridges. The proper installation of a 2m Brozen cartridge is a little tricky, and unlike 2m red and blue cartridges, you have to install the entire cartridge, and for this purpose, you need a needle nose plier.

How To Install Ortofon 2M Bronze Cartridge

1. You need nose pliers, and remember that your hand will remain steady while installing.
2. Carefully Remove four-colour leads from the back of your currently installed cartridge with a nose plier.
3. Remove two screws that are keeping your cartridge connected to the tonearm.
4. In the 2m Brozen packages, you will find no screws, so you have to attach your screws while connecting the 2m Brozen cartridge to your tonearm.
5. Tight the screws, and that’s all.

Sumiko Pearl MM Cartridge

Next is the Sumiko Pearl MM Cartridge, and this elliptical phono cartridge comes with a separation channel of 30 DB and 12Hz – 30KHz frequency response. The cartridge can easily fit and works well on any standard tonearm and digital stylus. You will get a very balanced and detailed sound throughout the spectrum. The cartridge is beautifully designed by an audiophile company and gives you high performance. The cartridge perfectly fits most of the turntables, and installation is relatively easy overall. The Sumiko Pearl Cartridge will give you outstanding performance at rendering and good details from the distorted electric guitar. The Sumiko Pearl MM is an easily replaceable stylus that has a robust Elliptical shape. The Sumiko Pearl ( MM Cartridge )vocals and upper mids were more straightforward and provided rich mids and extraordinary airy highs. The cartridge creates a vast and open soundstage and does need time to set up correctly.

NAGAOKA MP-110 Cartridge

Next is the NAGAOKA MM cartridge, which is only used with MM phono inputs of your amplifier. Nagaoka cartridge output voltage is 5-megavolts and comes with the pre-installed headshell, which is made of high-quality material and has an ergonomic finger-lift, which seems beautiful for this head shall. For superior quality audio music, the NAGAOKA MM cartridge is a beast for you. If we compare NAGAOKA MM with Ortofon 2M Red cartridge, this one provides excellent quality audio and is better than that cartridge. Overall the NAGAOKA MM cartridge is the best phono cartridge under $200.

This is a wonderfully involving, sweet-sounding cartridge. If you are cartridge shopping, immediately skip past the prominent brands with models costing around $100 and get this Nagaoka for a little more; you will not be disappointed. Its performance equals one or two prominent brands I have heard costing in the $300+ range. It somewhat suppresses clicks and pops of record surface imperfections but still delivers an abundance of accurate undiminished treble responses. It tracks at 1.6 grams accurately on my turntable. It plays out solidly in the bass range and reproduces vocals superbly. It accurately replicates cymbals in jazz selections, with a subtle, breathy-sounding decay dripping with detail. It has excellent channel separation. It sounds better and better as I accumulate listening hours this week.

Shure M97xE High-Performance Cartridge

The Next is the Shure M97xE cartridge, which has an elliptical diamond-designed cartridge with a finely polished tip. The cartridge will give you accurate musical passages in the high-frequency range. The Shure M97xE phono cartridge will give attachment on the tonearm, which is full of free with any vibration and will provide you superb smooth sounding. The cantilever of the M97xE cartridge is made of aluminum alloy, and the cartridge tip style is in an Elliptical shape. It gives low record wear, sounds with very high accuracy, and comes in a very low-weighted cartridge. Unfortunately, it is expensive, and you cannot buy an M97xE cartridge for $200.

Ortofon Concorde MK2 Mix

The Ortofon CC MK2 cartridge is next, and it demands modern turntable-like DJs and can easily fit in top DJ turntables. The cartridge is an all-rounder groove and gives you excellent performance in price. The wide stylus is cut out for a better needle and incredible angle view. The Ortofon CC MK2 has the greatest spherical stylus and a substantial and stable cantilever. The Ortofon also provides some other Elliptical and Spherical DJ cartridges like Ortofon CC MK2 DJ, CC MK2 Digital, CC MK2 Club Elliptical, and CC MK2 Scratch comes in different prices and performance. I liked the sound when listening to my acetate disc, and the needle adapts well with another game I recorded as I scratched the disc. For this Concorde to have this result, you must put the ideal weight if you do not hear the sound hoarse. As for the volume, fix it on the turntable and compare it with another needle. Much easier to listen to without getting tired of the sound. They already want to move up to their 150 from the MP-110, which is a shockingly good value at the entry-level price.

Shure M44-7 Cartridge

The Next is the Shure M44-7 phono cartridge, which comes with a type-s cantilever and has low record wear, which is excellent and gives you resonant sound. The installation process of the Shure M44-7 cartridge is straightforward, and its needle can work with most turntables and is purely designed for DJ scratching. The tracking force of M44-7 is 1.5 to 3 grams, and the resource frequency range is 20 to 20,000 Hz, which is less than a 2m black stylus. The M44-7 cartridge is much more expensive, and we have just listed it p for providing you best information; if your budget is reasonable, then the cartridge is best for you, and you can easily buy the Shure M44-7 phono cartridge for any DJ Music night for good quality audio so, overall the M44-7 is the best phono cartridge under $500.

Ortofon 2M Black

The Next is a 2M black cartridge, which is an expensive cartridge on our list, and we have just listed it to provide you only information. The cartridge is slim and comes in the nude Shibata diamond style, giving you breathtaking sound quality and exceptional bass. The 2m black phono cartridge frequency is 20-31,000 Hz, and the output voltage is 5mV. The entire frequency spectrum of the 2M black cartridge is much more precise in relation to and is a high output moving coil cartridge. You will get fantastic quality sound if you have a Technics SL-1200G turntable with an installed 2m black cartridge. The 2M black cartridge provides excellent quality but is expensive in the budget, so you can buy 2M black from amazon if you have a high budget.