Who it comes up against
12 lost · Anchored, Artisan, BBC Sound, Cavity-Native, Characterful, Intimate, PRaT, Reference, Twin Arms
Against the Anchored brief, the van den Hul The Frog keeps the slot decisively.
With the Rega Aria Mk3 MM/MC, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.
With the Technics S-shape magnesium tonearm (SL-1200G), the pairing gains most on bass control.
On its own merits the London Decca Maroon Type II is the stronger cartridge — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the Rega Aria Mk3 MM/MC gives up quietness at rest under the Anchored weighting.
tracking performance fair but acceptable, microphonicStereophile (Dudley) 2015
6 lost · BBC Sound, Characterful, Intimate
Against the Characterful brief, the van den Hul The Crimson keeps the slot decisively.
With the Musical Fidelity M8x Vinyl, the pairing gives up most on low-level clarity.
With the Vertere Groove Runner X, the pairing gains most on bass control.
On its own merits the London Decca Maroon Type II is the stronger cartridge — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the Musical Fidelity M8x Vinyl gives up low-level clarity under the Characterful weighting.
4 lost · Anchored, Characterful, Intimate, Romantic
Against the Anchored brief, the Hana EL MC keeps the slot decisively.
With the Rega Aria Mk3 MM/MC, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.
With the ProJect Tonearm 8.6 Carbon (Debut PRO), the pairing gives up most on bass control.
On its own merits the London Decca Maroon Type II is the stronger cartridge — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the Rega Aria Mk3 MM/MC gives up quietness at rest under the Anchored weighting.
tracking performance fair but acceptable, microphonicStereophile (Dudley) 2015
4 lost · Artisan, Cavity-Native, PRaT, Reference
Against the Artisan brief, the Sumiko Blue Point No.3 Low MC keeps the slot decisively.
With the Rega Aria Mk3 MM/MC, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.
With the ProJect Tonearm 8.6 Carbon (Debut PRO), the pairing gives up most on bass control.
On its own merits the London Decca Maroon Type II is the stronger cartridge — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the Rega Aria Mk3 MM/MC gives up quietness at rest under the Artisan weighting.
tracking performance fair but acceptable, microphonicStereophile (Dudley) 2015
2 lost · Vocals-First
Against the Vocals-First brief, the Etsuro Urushi Gold MC keeps the slot decisively.
With the Tom Evans Groove+ SRX MkII, the pairing gives up most on midrange truth.
On its own merits the London Decca Maroon Type II is the weaker cartridge for that brief.
It sits well below the share of the budget this brief aims at the cartridge position.
timbres truer, air more plentiful, dynamics lifelikePositive Feedback (Weaver) 2019
2 lost · Vocals-First
Against the Vocals-First brief, the Etsuro Urushi Cobalt Blue MC keeps the slot clearly.
With the Cyrus Classic PHONO, the pairing gives up most on midrange truth.
On its own merits the London Decca Maroon Type II is the weaker cartridge for that brief.
It sits well below the share of the budget this brief aims at the cartridge position.
super rich and spaciousStereophile (Reichert) 2026
1 lost · Twin Arms
Against the Twin Arms brief, the Linn Kendo MC keeps the slot decisively.
On its own merits the London Decca Maroon Type II is the stronger cartridge — but it loses here on fit: the way it sits with the rest of this system under the Twin Arms weighting.
1 lost · Silent Path
Against the Silent Path brief, the Goldring Eroica HX MC keeps the slot decisively.
With the Michell Apollo + Muse PSU, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.
On its own merits the London Decca Maroon Type II is the stronger cartridge — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the Michell Apollo + Muse PSU gives up quietness at rest under the Silent Path weighting.
It sits well above the share of the budget this brief aims at the cartridge position.
tracking performance fair but acceptable, microphonicStereophile (Dudley) 2015
1 lost · Romantic
Against the Romantic brief, the van den Hul MC One Special keeps the slot decisively.
With the Rega Aria Mk3 MM/MC, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.
With the Technics S-shape magnesium tonearm (SL-1200G), the pairing gains most on bass control.
On its own merits the London Decca Maroon Type II is the stronger cartridge — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the Rega Aria Mk3 MM/MC gives up quietness at rest under the Romantic weighting.
tracking performance fair but acceptable, microphonicStereophile (Dudley) 2015
1 lost · Twin Arms
Against the Twin Arms brief, the Goldring Eroica LX MC keeps the slot decisively.
On its own merits the London Decca Maroon Type II is the stronger cartridge — but it loses here on fit: the way it sits with the rest of this system under the Twin Arms weighting.
It sits well above the share of the budget this brief aims at the cartridge position.
1 lost · Twin Arms
Against the Twin Arms brief, the Goldring 1042 MM keeps the slot by a whisker.
On its own merits the London Decca Maroon Type II is the stronger cartridge — but it loses here on fit: the way it sits with the rest of this system under the Twin Arms weighting.
It sits well above the share of the budget this brief aims at the cartridge position.
1 lost · Vocals-First
Against the Vocals-First brief, the Ortofon MC Quintet Black S keeps the slot clearly.
With the Cyrus Classic PHONO, the pairing gives up most on midrange truth.
On its own merits the London Decca Maroon Type II is the weaker cartridge for that brief.
never sounds harsh or aggressive, yet beautifully detailedAudiophilia review (Sep 2025)
1 lost · Silent Path
Against the Silent Path brief, the Rega Nd3 MM keeps the slot decisively.
With the Rega Aria Mk3 MM/MC, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.
On its own merits the London Decca Maroon Type II is the weaker cartridge for that brief.
It sits well above the share of the budget this brief aims at the cartridge position.
tracking performance fair but acceptable, microphonicStereophile (Dudley) 2015
1 lost · BBC Sound
Against the BBC Sound brief, the Linn Koil MC keeps the slot decisively.
With the Rega Aria Mk3 MM/MC, the pairing gives up most on low-level clarity.
With the ProJect Tonearm 8.6 Carbon (Debut PRO), the pairing gives up most on bass control.
On its own merits the London Decca Maroon Type II is the stronger cartridge — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the Rega Aria Mk3 MM/MC gives up low-level clarity under the BBC Sound weighting.
rounded bassPROXY: AT-OC9 platform