Pfanstiehl/Sanyo MG-09E Elliptical Cartridge Review

Multiplex

Appease my earhole.
The MG-09E cartridge gets brought up from time to time in budget cartridge threads, but no one really seems to really know or comment much about it. What are it’s tip dimensions? How does it sound? How does it track? What is it’s recommended VTF, even? I haven’t found very much at all, besides a few offhand mentions of it being bright or harsh. So, curiosity finally got the better of me. Bought one so we can finally have a (super long-winded) review. Just in case you don’t want to read all about the gory details, here are some quick MG-09E highlights:

Optimal VTF: 2.3g to 2.5g (I had great results at 2.3g) Definitely low compliance.

Tracking ability: moderate to good, far better than it's price point would let on

Sound out of the box: Very bright, fairly thin, but tight bass. Good detail and separation. Great if you like lots of treble, otherwise it pretty much needs parallel resistance loading to sound right.

Optimal resistance loading: IMO 22k ohm to 24k ohm

Sound after loading: strikingly detailed, wide sound stage, excellent channel separation. Nice bass, but scooped low-mids from about 300Hz to about 900Hz. Not a very flat response, not very organic sounding. Still great for it’s price, overall.

Street price: $26-$30

In the box: No specs or instructions included. Crappy hardware included. Short screws will only work with a thin headshell. Stylus protector included.

To the full review:

What is the MG-09? It is... or was the lowest cost MM cartridge out there, at least before the Chinese-made carbon-cantilever Audio Technicas came along. The “E” elliptical variant that I am reviewing today, is probably still the cheapest of it’s kind. According to the seller I bought it from, the MG-09E is made in Japan by Chuo Denshi, and is distributed by Pfanstiehl. It appears to be a close relative of the discontinued MG-29, known ‘round here as the “Red Ed.” The conical version of the MG-09 cartridge is also rebadged as Sanyo, Ion, Gemini, or most commonly, the Numark Groove Tool. The elliptical version is a little harder to find, but can be had for about $26 to $30 from various online retailers. I bought mine from TVOM for $25 and change.

Mine arrived in a small acrylic case packed between a couple foam peanuts with it’s stylus protector mounted. The elliptical stylus has a white dot at the front, as opposed to the plain red conical. Made in Japan is printed on top. Hardware is included, but the small screws were not long enough to fit through my headshell. I had to dig though the junk box for better hardware to get it mounted.

VTF specs are pretty much all over the map for these online, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. There are no specs or manual in the packaging. I started with a junk record at 1.5g just to see how it would do, and I could tell right away that it wasn’t even close. Okay... up to 2g. Much better, but still no cigar. I kept slowly increasing the VTF until I got it to about 2.3g. I became pretty impressed with it at this setting. It was cleanly tracking some pretty tough stuff. 2.3g is a bit on the heavy side for hi-fi, but not drastically more than many other modern cartridge designs. (The Ortofon 2M series, AT VM series, and Sumiko Oyster series are a few of the current MMs that track in the 2 gram range.) It’s a great match for most mid to higher mass S arms, like that of the Technics SL-1800 I was testing it on. Low mass arms are not gonna like it!

Well... how does it sound? My first impression was, as expected, it’s hot and very bright! But decent bass, and not really what I would consider harsh. In fact, I could hear things about it that I quite liked. There was surprising detail, and wide channel separation, just waaaay too much treble. So, not super fabulous out of the box, but the story doesn’t have to end there.

Audiophiles have long added resistance loading to match cartridges to their systems. You’ll frequently see posts about parallel loading being added to more expensive carts like AT440mla’s, Shures with Jico SAS’s, Grados with MCZ styli, and every kind of LOMC you can imagine. If it can be done with an expensive cart, why not a cheap one? So I popped in some 47.5k ohm resistor plugs, which when in parallel with my phono pre’s 47k ohm internal resistance, deliver a total load of 23.6k ohm. That’s when the magic started to happen...

With the top end tamed, the cartridge can sing. And sing it does! It has incredible detail and channel separation for the price. Actually, I’m pretty sure this kind of channel separation rates highly at ANY price! The highs can still be a touch brittle and uncontrolled, but the MG-09E conveys more of a sense of space and air than it ever should. The soundstage is wide, and the placement of the instrumentation in the mix is quite apparent. Transient response seems impossibly quick for the large cantilever, which looks fairly cumbersome. It is possible to pick apart separate background vocals or horn parts, rather than them just being homogenized into mush, as many “budget” cartridges or aftermarket styli can tend to do. A little congestion can occur during very complex passages, but that is to be expected for it’s cost. Bass is nice and warm, quite deep when it needs to be, but not overbearing.

The MG-09E is certainly not perfect, though. Even with loading, the sound has a bit of “smiley” equalization, due to a low-midrange scoop in what I would estimate to be about the 300-800Hz range. This voicing could actually enhance a bloated sounding system, but will sound a bit thin in a leaner environment. It most certainly lacks the warm midrange that users of Grado, Shure, and Nagaoka will be accustomed to. I’m sure the MG-09’s scooped voicing is desirable for the cheap fake wood grain table-top players and bookshelf systems that it’s commonly found in, perhaps for the purpose of creating a more “hi-fi-like” sound from cheap speakers. It’s not like it’s the worst sin a cartridge can commit, but I sometimes feel like there is something missing, especially with harmonic-rich acoustic instruments like guitar and piano that can reside in that frequency range. I would label it as being less natural, or organic than what I’m used to. Of course, I’m comparing it to far pricier cartridges...

Though loading tends to tame the “hot” sound of the MG-09E a little, it’s still a bit bouncier than it is laid back. It somewhat lacks the silky smooth nature that makes acoustic music, jazz and classical shine, but rock, pop, and electronic music with punchy dynamics can sound spectacular through it. Given that I tend to prefer a more laid back kind of sound, I still don’t find it as fatiguing as I’d expect. And, during it’s few short hours of service, it has started breaking in a little and becoming slightly more relaxed. I’m sure it will only improve from here.

Tracking is good. Perhaps not quite Shure M97xE good, but better than some more expensive cartridges I’ve had. Inner groove performance also gets the nod. IGD is only of minor concern on a handful of my usual “problem” records. I’ve had pricier carts that I’ve wished I could get to perform as well. Surface noise is also surprisingly minimal.

Overall, I would say it’s an absolute steal for the price, BUT it does NEED parallel loading. I can almost guarantee you won’t be happy without it. How much loading might depend on your ear and system. Around 30k ohms will just knock a little off the top, and the cartridge will retain most of it’s colorful character. Around 20k ohms will really knock down the top end and mellow it out overall. Any lower, and it will kinda start to turn to mud. I find around 22k-24k ohms to be to my liking.

So, if you are all about razor-flat accuracy, look elsewhere. But this cartridge still has undeniable mojo. Assuming you aren’t too proud to twiddle tone knobs or press the Loudness button from time to time, this might just be the ticket. As far as a cartridge for TT flippers would go, I would say this is decent, but probably not the best choice. Most newb customers probably wouldn’t know how to go about loading the cartridge. The $12 Chinese AT has better balance right out of the box. Rather, this would be a great second system cartridge for us turntable geeks that don’t mind burning our hands with a soldering iron now and then. It’s a perfect cartridge to use for a party or hazardous environment where it might have an altercation with kids or dog tails. It would also make a great thrift store beater record cartridge. It’s certainly cheap enough. But I will say, I left mine in my main system longer than I would like to admit, and wasn’t particularly eager to remove it when I finally did. Probably, the worst thing about it is that it looks kind of cheap and cheesy on a nicer TT. I can certainly get over that.

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@SSaxdude
I suppose that could work too, although it depends on what you want to use your vinyl rig for. If your plan is to digitize your vinyl, then treble changes will not show up in your record output. Even if you are just listening, there is still the issue of having to drop the treble every time you switch from other sources. That can be inconvenient, particularly if you have a newer AVR that requires that you enter a menu system every time you want to make an adjustment. Quite a few upper-end components (as well as some cheaper Chi-fi stuff) don’t even offer tone controls. Assuming your system does, not all treble controls are created equal. Slopes and roll-over points might not quite be where you’d prefer them to be. Loading just gets it closer to where it needs to be, right at the source.
 
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The MG-09 is probably the third most common OEM phono cartridge of the past 35 years, after the Chuo Denshi CZ-800 (and its Chinese clones) and the AT3600L. Mostly integrated into the tonearm of low-end turntables from brands like ION, but also in a standard 1/2"-mount version that was marketed as an entry-level DJ cartridge (the Numark Groove Tool).

It has good tracking, but is exceedingly bright. According to a frequency response graph I've seen (but can't find right now), with standard 47 kΩ loading it's about +5 dB at 10 kHz, and begins to roll off sharply above 12 kHz. Upgrading it with the elliptical stylus may make it even brighter than that.

In comparison, the AT3600L droops in its upper midrange (about -3 dB at 8 kHz), but has overall much better tonal balance, and upgrading it with an elliptical stylus helps flatten out its response.
 
I seem to remember it being a British entry level cartridge for a marketer I can not be sure of.

A google search turned up the Goldring Electra.

I always assumed that the original marketer skimmed off the cream and let pfanstiel unload the chaff.
 
I figure that with a product as mass-produced as the conical MG-09, the QC is probably pretty consistent. I’d bet that OEM built-ins are exactly the same quality as the name brands. The Pfanstiehl generics are also likely to be identical, as long as they are legit Chuo Denshi products, not Chinese knock-offs. The more identical units a company like this produces, the cheaper they can produce them.

The Rega Carbon is good example of this. They have a Rega logo, (as well as a $70 price tag,) but in reality, there is no difference between them and the $11 Chinese AT 3600. Same with the old $9 Red Eds. I believe they were rebadged as a Goldring, priced at about $60. No difference, besides the logo.

I kind of find the elliptical variants of these cartridges to be interesting, though. They are still super cheap, but are a legitimate attempt at improved quality. Really, there are not many elliptical cartridges left under $50, so these are pretty cool in that way. They perform really well for what they are.
 
The MG-09 is probably the third most common OEM phono cartridge of the past 35 years, after the Chuo Denshi CZ-800 (and its Chinese clones) and the AT3600L. Mostly integrated into the tonearm of low-end turntables from brands like ION, but also in a standard 1/2"-mount version that was marketed as an entry-level DJ cartridge (the Numark Groove Tool).

It has good tracking, but is exceedingly bright. According to a frequency response graph I've seen (but can't find right now), with standard 47 kΩ loading it's about +5 dB at 10 kHz, and begins to roll off sharply above 12 kHz. Upgrading it with the elliptical stylus may make it even brighter than that.

In comparison, the AT3600L droops in its upper midrange (about -3 dB at 8 kHz), but has overall much better tonal balance, and upgrading it with an elliptical stylus helps flatten out its response.
I haven’t yet tried to measure the frequency response, but I’d say that the elliptical version of the MG-09 probably has similar character to the conical. I wouldn’t doubt that it has better high frequency extension, but still sounds fairly “peaky” around 11-12kHz. This is why loading much below about 20k ohms is no bueno... Sure, it helps to tame those peaky frequencies, but the 6-9kHz range can become somewhat muddy, and 13kHz and above pretty much dies out completely.
 
Well, I believe the $12.00 Grado that lit up so many underground rag's best value lists back in the early 80's was simply the non spec units culled from regular production. The diamonds under the micro scope were atrocious being typically out of alighnment in all axes. The diamonds were so far off I would not subject my treasured test records to them but I assume the channel balance and such would be out of expected reasonable specs also.

The few Phanstiel I examined via a local record shop had similar issues.......a Wild M5 microscope does show all. I never had a Goldring under the scope to my memory.
 
The Goldring Elektra mentioned herein was MG29. Comparing the body of the Goldring to the Red Ed, it's clear to me that the Goldring was built to a higher standard: smoother surfaces, cleaner edges and no visible sprues. I haven't compared the needles, but the Red Ed elliptical was not well polished, and sounded it. I expect the Elektra had the better needle, as well.
 
These Chuo Denshi carts are so cheap, I can't imagine them being tested individually for the purpose for selling higher performing models to different buyers. It seems like that would cost them more than they could possibly make. But who knows. They sure might. They might even produce special orders with differing stylus profiles or different body windings... Wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility.

Regarding Grado... They have long made claims about individually testing their Prestige Series styli... Green being the upper 15% of Blacks tested, Red being the upper 10% of the Blues tested, and Gold being the upper 5% of the Silvers tested... And the Signature Series were each auditioned and signed off by Joe Grado himself!

However, I don't know how stringent some of Grado's tests were/are. I got a new Red1 stylus once that was horrible! It didn't deserve a blue dot, either. In fact, it never should've made it to distribution. Talk about off on all axis! The lowly, worn Black1 I was intending it to replace was far better. If that Red was in the top 10%, that would've had to have been a piss poor production run! But enough on that little tangent...
 
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