Or more specifically, mass. Apparently the tonearm on my Russco table (Micro-Trak 303 - sorry, I don't yet have any pictures of it) is 'high mass.' I read somewhere that this means I can use a 'low mass' cartridge. Low mass compared to what? What is the the dividing line between high and low mass? And should I care? The tonearm has an adjustable counterweight, as well as optional weights to be used with the headshell - so is a low(er) mass cartridge gonna make much difference in performance, regardless of tonearm mass?
Cartridges - does size matter?
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gusten
Addicted Member
There are a lot of information on this subject, if You search for "effective mass" there ought to be a lot coming up.
But shortly, if You have a tone-arm with a certain mass, including the mass of the cartridge, then the cartridge used, should have a certain specified tracking force, to be able to act at it´s best. A high mass tone-arm, will not like a cartridge with a specified low tracking force, and a very low mass tone-arm, is not suited for a cartrige that needs high tracking force.
/gusten
But shortly, if You have a tone-arm with a certain mass, including the mass of the cartridge, then the cartridge used, should have a certain specified tracking force, to be able to act at it´s best. A high mass tone-arm, will not like a cartridge with a specified low tracking force, and a very low mass tone-arm, is not suited for a cartrige that needs high tracking force.
/gusten
if you have a high mass tonearm, you should look for a cartridge with a low compliance...
that's what I read I think
Look for one with low compliance... yes, I'll get right on that.
iLUVanalog
Addicted Member
if you have a high mass tonearm, you should look for a cartridge with a low compliance...
that's what I read I think
correct
ozmoid
Lunatic Member
The physics of your tonearm will work best within a certain TOTAL weight range - that includes cart, stylus assembly, headshell, mounting screws... check out cartridgedb.com for a calculator to help you along, and help you understand what all this is about. :thmbsp:
Low compliance - think of uncooked spaghetti.
High compliance - think of cooked spaghetti.
The high compliance cartridge has a cantilever that has more movement to it with less force required to create movement. The low compliance cartridge is stiffer, less prone to movement without more force.
Therefore, with a high mass arm, you want a cartridge that is a bit stiffer, that can bear up under the weight of the higher mass tone arm.
Note that neither low compliance or high compliance necessarily mean "better". Compliance is an aspect of design. There are wonderful examples of each type of cartridge: high and low compliance. My higher compliance Shure V15 IV gives me wonderful results. However, some examples of moving coil, price is no object cartridges are lower compliance.
Howard suggested the AT95SA, which is a cartridge that is sold exclusively by LPGear.com, and is on my short list. Its under $100, and is reputed to have excellent performance for the price. It is a higher compliance cartridge and a moving magnet design, so it should be a nice match for your table.
High compliance - think of cooked spaghetti.
The high compliance cartridge has a cantilever that has more movement to it with less force required to create movement. The low compliance cartridge is stiffer, less prone to movement without more force.
Therefore, with a high mass arm, you want a cartridge that is a bit stiffer, that can bear up under the weight of the higher mass tone arm.
Note that neither low compliance or high compliance necessarily mean "better". Compliance is an aspect of design. There are wonderful examples of each type of cartridge: high and low compliance. My higher compliance Shure V15 IV gives me wonderful results. However, some examples of moving coil, price is no object cartridges are lower compliance.
Howard suggested the AT95SA, which is a cartridge that is sold exclusively by LPGear.com, and is on my short list. Its under $100, and is reputed to have excellent performance for the price. It is a higher compliance cartridge and a moving magnet design, so it should be a nice match for your table.
hakaplan
Needs professional help
Thanks all for your help. Very cool. I've been doing some reading and here is a link to info about this Micro-Trak tonearm...
http://home.earthlink.net/~russcoinfo/MicroTr.html
According to the manufacturer, this is a low mass arm. In reference to this arm, I've seen a Denon DL-103 suggested as a good choice, as well as a Stanton and a Shure (depending on my price point, I suppose.)
Your advice makes me realize something else... under my headshell are a series of removable lil' brass plates. At first I thought they were for spacing between the headshell and cart, but now I'm wondering if they might be to help match different cartridges, compliance-wise, to the arm.
Thanks again. I want to get my table (Russco Studio Pro B) working just so. No doubt I'll have many more stupid questions in the near future.
http://home.earthlink.net/~russcoinfo/MicroTr.html
According to the manufacturer, this is a low mass arm. In reference to this arm, I've seen a Denon DL-103 suggested as a good choice, as well as a Stanton and a Shure (depending on my price point, I suppose.)
Your advice makes me realize something else... under my headshell are a series of removable lil' brass plates. At first I thought they were for spacing between the headshell and cart, but now I'm wondering if they might be to help match different cartridges, compliance-wise, to the arm.
Thanks again. I want to get my table (Russco Studio Pro B) working just so. No doubt I'll have many more stupid questions in the near future.
Mr. Lin
Lunatic Member
Don't be concerned if this information seems somewhat bewildering at first, eventually it becomes second nature, and it's very important to know, so it's good you're asking.
As for the brass plate, I'll share a recent experience I've had with a headshell weight as an illustration. One of my Benz cartridges came with a lead headshell weight that I never used until recently. I have a Dynavector 10X5, which is a low-compliance cartridge, meaning it works best on high-mass tonearms. Just for fun I tried using the headshell weight with the Dynavector, and the improvement in the cartridges performance was pretty big.
So yes, you can use the weight to tweak the weight of your tonearm so it will work better with specific types of cartridges.
As for the brass plate, I'll share a recent experience I've had with a headshell weight as an illustration. One of my Benz cartridges came with a lead headshell weight that I never used until recently. I have a Dynavector 10X5, which is a low-compliance cartridge, meaning it works best on high-mass tonearms. Just for fun I tried using the headshell weight with the Dynavector, and the improvement in the cartridges performance was pretty big.
So yes, you can use the weight to tweak the weight of your tonearm so it will work better with specific types of cartridges.
You meant a lower compliance cart, right?
Yeah. All that talk about spaghetti made me hungry in the middle of typing the post! :withstpd:
Mr. Lin
Lunatic Member
At least you weren't eating spaghetti while typing the post.
Using a Grado Prestige Blue, I just tried taking the weights from the headshell. Both the low end (more punch) and high end (cymbals opened up) seem a bit more precise. Guess I'll have to record some different combinations of headshell weight/counterweight position to really hear a difference - though messing about with this arm is a bit of a pain.