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New here, and a question about a Yamaha MC-1s cartridge.

K

kennith

New Member
Hello, It's nice to find a spot where others enjoy quality sound. I hope I'm not going to be a burden on you.

I was recently given a turntable (a Revolver, to be specific, with a Linn Basik LVX tonearm), and it came with this cartridge.

The cartridge is in great shape, it just doesn't appear to have a stylus on it. IT's still in the lexan and aluminum case it came in. I was wondering if anyone here had experience with this cartridge, and if so, knows where I can get a stylus.

Cheers,

Kennith
 
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Welcome to AK.:thmbsp: We'll spread your burden around. Think there are about 15K of us. :D

Being an MC (moving coil) cartridge, you can't really 'get a stylus' for it. You have to have it retipped. Several of us here have cartridges at Soundsmith (google it) for a retip at the moment. They have a good rep, but thus far we only have one positive report from an AK member. Should know more in a few weeks. The MC-1s, IIRC, was Yamaha's top MC cartridge. May wll be worth whatever it costs to have it redone.
 
Slight correction, both Audio Technica and Pioneer made (make) MC cartridges with removeable stylii, and very good ones at that.
 
Sorry it took so long for me to get back here. I've been up to my ears in things.

This cartridge is in perfect shape besides the retipping issue. Does anyone know what it would sell for? I'm trying to decide what the turntable and this might be worth. There is absolutely no information out there that I can find.

I've got a Denon DP 15F Quartz turntable with a higher end Audio Technica cartridge on it that I'm using now. It's not the best, but with my nerve damage, I'm wondering if I should really be messing with a manual tonearm anymore. I know it's better, I'm just trying to see if it's worth retipping and fixing the revolver or if I should just enjoy the Denon.

The Revolver is fine, I just can't figure out if it's set up for our electricity or not. The plinth says 240, but the motor says 120. The motor is made in swizerland or sweeden if I recall. It looks original. Either there is some circuitry in there to change it, or someone has got a us revolver motor and installed it in there.

Cheers,

Kennith
 
Am not familiar with the 'Revolver' name or TTs. My guess is that Yamaha did not make the cartridge, but it is a good one, being the best the sold. Since your original post I've received my Soundsmith retipped Denon DL-303 and am very pleased with the sound. IMHO, the Yamaha is definitely worth the cost to retip. But, perhaps only for the Yamaha collector (like me). For the cost of the retip ($150-350, depending on which cantilever and stylus you want) you could purchase a new HOMC like a Denon DL-160 at the low end or the range, or better. Believe the MC-1s is a LOMC. Do you have the phono stage to handle a LOMC? If not, you'll need a HOMC or MM cartridge.
 
I just looked up the specs of the Yamaha MC-1S and MC-1x:

CARTRIDGE: Yamaha MC-1s & MC-1x
Type: Moving Coil
Output voltage: 0.2mV (1kHz, 5cm/sec, peak 45)
Frequency range 10Hz - 20kHz (signal up to ~60 kHz)
Recommended load impedance 30 Ohms +/- 20%
Channel balance @ 1 kHz 1.0dB or less
Channel separation: ?
Stylus shape: 8 x 40 mikron Ellipse
Stylus construction: ?
Cantilever: Beryllium pipe
Coils & construction: Sillicon baseplate, IC Aluminiumfilm-coil
Magnet: Samarium-Kobolt
Hausing: Pressure molted Aliminium monoblock
Dynamic compliance: 11 x 10-6cm/dyne (MC-1x, 30 x 10-6cm/dyne)
Static compliance: ? x 10-6cm/dyne
Recommended tracking force: 1.8g +/- 0,1g
Vertical Tracking angle: 20 degrees
Dimensions: ?
Color: silver & Black
Weight 7,8g +/- 0,1g (MC-1x, 18,5g +/- 0,1g)

MSRP: ? any have bluebook info??
 
I am going to contact soundsmith tomorrow if I can. I'd like to know how much this thing is worth to an interested party. I don't want to take a hit if I sell it out of ignorance of it's value. They will probably know more about it, being in the business, and can tell me more about retipping as well.

Cheers,

Kennith
 
The Yamaha MC 1s is a very fine cartridge, but perhaps because its from a large manufacturer, it doesn't have the cachet that many of its peers have. So its probably not worth as much as you might hope. If you have the money, its probably very well worth retipping but it won't be cheap. I have one that I wore out and miss it, but I can't afford to have it done.
 
B-2 Sorry, no I don't. But it would not give that much info about the state the cart is in anyway, that as you know is all about houres and how it was treated. About the MC-1s and x, they where on sale for about 5 years (1979-83) and the replaced by the MC-1000 that ran for 9 years (1984-92).

merrylander I also have heard this, only it was Yamaha ingeneers designing the carts and then letting AT build them.
 
Thanks for the info:
the-real-mandak said:
B-2 Sorry, no I don't. But it would not give that much info about the state the cart is in anyway, that as you know is all about houres and how it was treated. About the MC-1s and x, they where on sale for about 5 years (1979-83) and the replaced by the MC-1000 that ran for 9 years (1984-92).

merrylander I also have heard this, only it was Yamaha ingeneers designing the carts and then letting AT build them.
Click to expand...
Am wondering why Yamaha engineers would do any designing? AT are the folks with the many years (even back then) of design of cartridges under their collective belts. Guess I'll be seeing (hearing, actually) just what AT knows these days. Am expecting delivery of their newest TOTL MC cartridge, the AT33R w/headshell, next week. Another 'only sold in Japan' model.
 
yamaha mc cartridges were not made by audio technica for sure i sold allot mc 9 ,mc 11 in job there are for sure made by yamaha ! they even build mc systems with pure berylium needle (with diamont tip )
 
merrylander said:
Slight correction, both Audio Technica and Pioneer made (make) MC cartridges with removeable stylii, and very good ones at that.
Click to expand...
Also, Technics offered at least one. As with the Yamaha cartridges, I wonder if Pioneer and Technics made theirs in-house? From what I understand, Sony did, but their operations were quite a bit larger than either Pioneer or Yamaha. But, being part of Matsushita (?), Technics is part of the largerst of the Karetsu's (conglomeration of companies) in Japan, so they could have easily have made theirs in-house. Also, I've put in a query to the 'old guy' at Yamaha USA, who might know. Haven't communicated with him in a couple of years, so wonder if he is still there.
 
Where else could this knowledge be found? Great job guy's, Great read.
Jim
 
My Yamaha friend suspects that Yamaha built a lot of these cartridges in-house because of the Beryllium cantilevers seeing as how they had such a thing for Beryllium back then.
 
Now I have a question; my CR-2040 has a load impedance of 50 ohms for the MC head amp and my choice of 33k, 47k, 68k and 100k on the MM head amp. It would appear that Yamaha favoured Audio Technica MC cartridges because they seem to be the only ones that will tolerate such a low impedance. This indicates that if I want a LOMC I probably should go fo the OC9 ML II - (I really don't want to take out a mortgage.)

The Benz Micro MC Gold is reasonable but it likes a load in the 300 or 400 ohm range. The Denon 103R is the same. I could go with the Denon 160 but I read that LOMC are better becasue of lower mass in the coils.

I imagine that my AT31e is only now getting broken in as I rarely used it until the PX-2 and it is happy with low impedance;

Freq resp: 15 - 50,000 Hz
Output vilts: 0.4mV (1kHz 5cm/sec)
Channel Sep: Mim 30dB (1kHz)
Channel Bal: within 1 dB
Tracking: 1.2 - 1.8g (Optimum 1,5g)
Coil Impedance: 10 ohm (1 kHz)
Coil Ind; 30 micro Heneries
Dynamic Compl: 8.5 x 10-6m/dyne (100 Hz)
Static Compl: 32 x 10-6 cm/dyne
Load res: >10 ohms
Load Cap: 100 - 200pf
Stylus; 0.15 m/m Nude square 0.2 x 0.7 mil elliptical diamond
VTA: 20 degrees.

I am beginning to wonder if I really need a new cartridge.
 
merrylander said:
I imagine that my AT31e is only now getting broken in as I rarely used it until the PX-2 and it is happy with low impedance. I am beginning to wonder if I really need a new cartridge.
Click to expand...
Here are the spec's on AT's new AT33R LOMC. May be the 'new' AT31e.

Audio-Technica presents AT33R Limited Edition. Ultra high quality Audio-Technica 40th anniversary limited edition MC type (dual moving coil) stereo cartridge.

This is Audio-Technica AT33R MC TYPE Stereo Cartridge.
Coil stabalizing (high intensity titanic acid kalium mixed resin) VC mold which actualizes treble sound quality
Gold evaporated short circuit conversion to reconstruct sound in its originality
Vibrating damping design reduces the faintest unnecessary vibration
High quality micro linear needle with low distortion factor allowing as much as approximately 1,000 hours of high stability playback
Improved damper tuning vibrating system a damper systems of high quality AT33 series tradition
PCOCC6N coil with 6N-OFC sub lead wire and PCOCC terminal pin
6N-OFC shell lead wire
Audio-Technica cable design to optimize sound quality
Neodymium magnet strengthens and improves magnetic force
Unnecessary resonance is controlled and reduced by the titanium combination housing
Internal housing anti-vibration damping material further reduces unwanted vibration
Head shell specific design and tuning anti-vibration head shell
Lightweight cylinder attachment increases the degree of arm correspondence
Brass installation screw used to preserve high quality sound


Specification
Type: MC type
Playback frequency range: 15 - 50,000Hz
Output voltage: 0.5mV (1kHz and 5cm/sec.
Channel separation: 30dB (1kHz)
Output balance: 0.5dB (1kHz)
Stylus pressure: 1.6 - 2.0g (1.8g standard)
Coil impedance: 17 ohms (1kHz)
Direct current resistance: 17 ohms
Load resistance: 20 ohms or more
Coil inductance: 70 mu H (1kHz)
Static compliance: 40×±0 - 6 cm/dyne
Dynamic compliance : 10×±0 - 6 cm/dyne (100Hz)
Needle tip form: Micro linear (ML)
Vertical tracking angle: 23?
External size: H16 × W16.6 × L26.5 mm
Mass (cartridge): 7g
Head shell attaching mass (with brass screw installation):
27g (heavy weight cylinder) / 23g (lightweight cylinder)

Color
Titanium

Overall, most LOMCs are not very finicky when it comes to loading. That said, is nice to have a phono-stage that provides the flexibility to change the loading as one 'hears' fit.

BTW - The Needle Doctor has the OC9 on sale for $349. Think I read a response not long ago that someone has them for as low as $300.
 
here a scan of the yamaha mc i dealt with. i had on my tt mc 11, mc9 .mc 3
the cheaper mm were made by audiotechnica but these mc for sure not !
 

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