Are you trying to find phono cartridges among various brands on the market but aren’t sure where to begin? To assist you in finding the right one, we’ve put together a list of the 7 best to help you pick the perfect one!
We investigated and evaluated a number of the top-selling phono cartridges on the market in order to create our list of the best. Making a decision among the many options available is never simple. There are an infinite number of models available, each with a distinct price. And as you’ll find out, the best options aren’t usually the ones you imagine! This comparison is rich and relevant because of the numerous factors that were employed. You will find products featured in this ranking not only based on their pricing but also on their features and other customers reviews. To write this review, we completed 10 hours of research and did 53 phono cartridges tests. You won’t need to pick products at random any more. If you’re unsure of what to look for, browse our list and consult the buying guide!
An overview of our top picks
Table of contents
The best phono cartridges you can buy today
![Denon DL-110 High Output Moving Coil Cartridge [Electronics]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41l01oGFHHL.jpg "The 8 Best phono cartridges of %currentyear% 44")
- Plug and Play ready
- Litz Wire
- HOMC High Output Moving Coil
- Universal fit for most turntables
- Upgrade from stock cartridges
- The Ortofon 2M Red is an all-purpose cartridge that delivers open, dynamic sound with a slight touch of warmth
- The Ortofon 2M Red features an Elliptical diamond
- Can be upgraded with an Ortofon Stylus 2M Blue
- Produces crystal clear clarity over every sound frequency
- Fluidity across the frequency spectrum
- Up-to-date modern construction materials
- Full dynamic range
- DELICATE SOUND: More accurate magnetic cartridge for a cleaner sound. Playing rock, , jazz and other types of music can make the sound more delicate.
- SOUND FREQUENCY: Cartridge can better control the tone, so that the middle frequency is warm and wide, the low frequency is full and flexible, and the high frequency is bright and dry.
- COMPACT AND PORTABLE: Moving magnet cartridge is small and light, does not take up much space and will not add to the burden of the record player.
- REPLACEMENT: AT 3600L record player cartridge, as a replacement or spare tape for many famous record players.
- DESIGN: Magnetic cartridge is made of premium metal and ABS material, which is to wear and tear and extends the service life.
- Universal fit for most turntables
- Upgrade to the Ortofon 2M Red
- The Ortofon 2M Blue adds more dynamics and resolution, sounds more open and reproduces more details
- The 2M Blue features a Nude Elliptical diamond
- Stylus is replaceable
- Standard Mount Phono Cartridge
- Moving Magnet architecture compatible with nearly any phono stage
- Stylus upgreadeable to Olympia or Moonstone
- High quality, moving magnet phono cartridge
- Designed to be simple to set up
- Easy to install
- Accurately reproduces music
- Standard on the RP1 turntable
- printed mirror construction
- helps eliminate tracking errors
- works with any 1/2" mounted cartridge
- directions printed on back
- Wide Compatibility:Replacement phonograph cartridge could apply to most record players,such as Victrola, Boytone, Capehart, CROWN, EANOS, Fisher, GPO, GRACE DIGITAL AUDIO, ION, Innovative-Technology, Jensen, Leetac, MAGNAVOX, Numark, Pfanstiehl.
- Easy to use:The turntable Cartridge is designed for 33 1/3, 45, 78PRM records.Use with Gramophone and record player,work on Vinyl record Small accessory but with exquisite workmanship.
- Economic and durable: convenient installation,Wear-resisting.Easy to install. Compatible with all turntables accepting standard cartridge-mounted cartridges.
- Stronger and Better: Compared to the other piezoelectric cartridges, The track force of our Stylus is stronger, the separation and balance are better. Output: (at 1K Hz=3.54cm/sec) 200-300MV Channel distortion:≤ 3 dB Seperation: ≥ 15 dB Frequency response: 80-10000 Hz (±7dB).
- Premium Material:The output of the pickup is higher, frequency characteristics and sound quality are better ,and the stylus can be replaced at any time.Made of all environment-friendly materials, the metal coating is anti-scratch and not easy to oxidative stain and more durable.
- Moving Magnet architecture compatible with nearly any phono stage
- Songbird is part of Sumiko's prestigious Reference Series
- Open-architevture Moving Coil Cartridge
- Long 7-Micron Stylus Face
- Provides excitement to otherwise anemic classical system setups
- Please note this is the HIGH Output version of the cartridge
- The latest enhancement provide improved performance
- Low Mass Generating System - Specially Cut Diamond - 1/2" Mount
- 4 Piece OTL Cantilever
- Oxygen Free Copper WIre Coils - Patented Flux Bridger design
- 4OurEars is the exclusive Amazon retailer - Manufacturers warranty in US only
- Replacement model for the following cartridges: AT300P, AT3482, AT3482H/U, AT3482P, and AT90CD
- Fits P-mount Turntables
- Conical stylus
- Bonded round shank construction
- 0.6 mil
- Moving magnet cartridge with spherical stylus
- High output for easy matching to a phono stage
- Wide frequency response for a smooth and warm sound
- Replacement Stylus and Stylus Guard Available
- Universal fit for most turntables
- Upgrade to the Ortofon 2M Red and 2M Blue
- The Ortofon 2M Bronze adds even more resolution and details in an evenhanded way
- The 2M Bronze features a Nude Fine Line diamond
- Can be upgraded with an Ortofon Stylus 2M Black
- Features a specialized body and internal wiring dedicated to monaural sound reproduction
- Dual magnets internally connected to reduce record noise and obtain a highly focused “center” sound image that stereo cartridges can’t provide
- Paratoroidal coils improve generating efficiency
- Mono body terminating left and right channels reduces surface noise
- Features a durable low-resonance polymer housing and an aluminum cantilever
- Dual Moving Coil design, featuring independent coils for both left and right channels, provides outstanding channel separation
- The coils are aligned in a reverse V-shaped formation, which exerts less pressure on the stylus, thereby minimizing distortion
- The cartridge body is pre-threaded, enabling it to be mounted onto the headshell or integral tonearm with just two screws – no nuts required
- Features nude Special Line Contact stylus and boron cantilever with accurate tracking ability and high transient response
- A neodymium magnet and permendur yoke provide dramatically increased magnetic energy
- Aluminum body minimizes unwanted vibration for reduced resonance and superior audio reproduction
- Pure Copper by Ohno Continuous Casting process (PCOCC) is used for the coils to achieve pure signal transfer
- Carbon fiber technology for higher fidelity
- Multifaceted, refreshingly crystal clean
- Special elliptical diamond for excellent tracing accuracy
- Diamond tip r/R radii: 7.5 x 17.5 µm (.0003 x .0007 inch)
- Genuine, unsurpassed LP GEAR cartridge
How to choose a good phono cartridges
Does the idea of finding a fantastic phono cartridges make you anxious? When it comes to purchasing this product, specifically when deciding which model to select, has your head been spinning between options? You are not alone if that is the case. We are aware of the pressure involved in the purchasing process!
Your presence here indicates that you are interested in phono cartridges. Before choosing which product would be the best for your needs after being inundated with information, locate a reliable source with genuine selections. You can get that information from a variety of sources, including buying guides and rating websites, word-of-mouth recommendations from friends and family, online discussion forums where users can share their own experiences, product reviews that can be found all over the internet, and YouTube channels. You can only get the right product through exhaustive analysis. But you realize that’s not always simple. In order to ease your concerns, we have taken the time to develop a list of the top phono cartridges products available right now. You might be wondering how we came up with the list. How was this buying guide developed?
First, we used our algorithms to gather as much reliable data as we could about these products. To verify all the data gathered, we used both artificial intelligence and a lot of algorithms.
Then, our experts used criteria that are recognized in the business to evaluate them according to their quality to price ratio, allowing us to choose the top phono cartridges on the market right now!
The selection of the goods is not arbitrary. Before creating a list, we take into account a number of factors. Below are some of the criteria discussed:
Brand Value: What happens if you choose a dubious brand just because it appears to be a good deal? So the likelihood of receiving a product with a short shelf life increases. That is due to the fact that well-known brands have a reputation to uphold, while others do not. Top phono cartridges brands strive to provide some distinctive traits that set them apart from the competition. So, hopefully one or more of the items on our list will be perfect for you.
Features: Useful features are all you need, not tons of them. We consider the important aspects and select the top phono cartridges based on those.
Specifications: Numbers always help you measure the quality of a product in a quantitative way. We try to find products with higher specifications, but with the right balance.
Quality: A product’s quality may always be quantified with the aid of numbers. We look for goods with better standards that strike the proper balance. The best quality product that gets highly appreciated and recommended by experienced users.
Customer ratings: Would it be accurate to suggest that the phono cartridges were used by hundreds of customers before you? Superior ratings indicate that many customers had better service.
Customer Reviews: Like ratings, provide you with accurate and reliable information about the product from genuine customers. Customer ratings are very important to all of us because they contain accurate and reliable information about the customer service we received from several hundred customers.
Seller Rank: This is very intriguing! Not only do you need a good phono cartridges, you also need a product with rising sales that is trendy. It accomplishes two goals. First, the expanding user base proves the quality of the product. Second, given that number, producers must be able to offer greater quality and after-sales support.
Value: You get what you pay for, they say, so consider the value. Cheap isn’t always good and expensive isn’t always bad. However, that does not imply that spending a lot of money on a product that is flashy but underwhelming is a good idea. Before adding them to the list, we make an effort to evaluate how much value you can get for your money from your phono cartridges.
Durability: Durability and reliability are closely related concepts. You will benefit from a strong and long-lasting phono cartridges for months and years to come.
Product availability: Products come and go, and new ones replace the old ones. Most likely, a few new features and required changes were made. What use is it to use a supposedly good product if the maker no longer supports it? We make an effort to highlight products that are current and offered by one or more trustworthy sellers, if not more.
Negative Reviews: Yes, we do take that into account as well! The goods with the majority of bad reviews are filtered out and disregarded when we choose the best-rated one on the market.
These are the standards by which we selected our phono cartridges. Do we end our process there? Hell no. The most crucial fact about us that you should be aware of is that we regularly update our website with current and pertinent information. We have one more layer of filtration since we place the greatest importance on reader satisfaction. Please let us know if any product included here is incorrect, irrelevant, subpar, or simply out of date. We always value your opinions, and we’ll work hard to make any necessary corrections to our list in response to them.
Why should you believe us?
There are now thousands of possibilities for these products on Amazon, but choosing the best one can be difficult and time-consuming. And what phono cartridges should you purchase in 2022?
This guide is the result of more than 10 years of experience in researching, testing and writing about many topics. Each member of our team is an authority in their area. We read every article we could find online and every consumer review on every retail website for seven hours. Additionally, we discovered a ton of websites that offered helpful resources, including buying tips and thorough information on phono cartridges.
