Question: Audiophile rules of thumb for choosing a Cartridge

T

Twinhit

Active Member
What is he best way to choose the right cartridge
to get the most out of a combination of:
Musical Genre
Vinyl record weight
Stereo or Mono
Turntable types (direct drive, belt drive)
Turntable platter (aluminum platter, brass platter, glass or granite platter)
Tone Arm types (straight arm, S arm, radial tracking, linear tracking)
Preamp (solid state vs tube)
Amplifier (solid state vs tube)

Are there certain cartridges that suit classical music far better than
a cartridge used for hip hop or rock?

Are there certain cartridges that suit 120 gram vinyl vs 180 or 200 gram vinyl.

In the quest of getting the best bang for the buck for those on a budget,
are these the kind of considerations a serious audiophile would/should make?

My personal musical tastes are pretty broad - we'll say all genres from classical and
opera to country, to big band jazz, blues, 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s rock and roll as well
as some metal, along with traditonal pop, hip-hop, with a majority of favorites being
country, folk, classical, rockabilly and rock. In short a broad spectrum of musical styles.

I am looking to find out what the rule of thumb is for choosing the best all around
cartridge for both MC and MM.
I would love to make a table if I knew the answer.
Very much in the same vein as a guitar player might choose his guitar pickups, amp
and speaker to get his tone for the best "sound".

example:
50s pop: MM cartridge, MM compatible tube preamp, tube amp, alnico 5 magnet speakers.
80s pop: MC cartridge, MC Solid State preamp, solid state amp, Ceramic magnet speakers

Just curious if there is an article or table or combination of the two that covers this kind
of question. if so a link would be great.
thank you.
 
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Cartridges play all types of music, so no worries there.

Basically if a cartridge were suited to one type of music only it should be avoided.

There are no hard and fast rules because the hobby is highly subjective, and what works for one person doesn't for someone else.
 
avole said:
Cartridges play all types of music, so no worries there.

Basically if a cartridge were suited to one type of music only it should be avoided.

There are no hard and fast rules because the hobby is highly subjective, and what works for one person doesn't for someone else.
Click to expand...

Thanks avole, I was of the impression that one cartridge would deliver better sound than the next. Especially when the prices start go up above $200.
As if a certain cartridge would be optimum for some genres while others may be optimum for other genres.

Imagine my shock when I saw $13,000 dollar cartridges and $100,000.00 turntables.

I don't have that kind of money but I thought perhaps there MUST be something to the hype.

Also, I play guitar and I have found that guitars all have a unique sound all their own and can be tweaked by using different strings (for accoustics and electrics) and pickups and amps and speakers (for electrified guitars).
The same is true for microphones. One microphone can be very versatile while others are "specialty" oriented.


That's the thinking I have behind my question.


I am of the assumption that needle/cartridges are not necessarily that much different, but I am willing to
learn where and how I might be in error of that assumption.
 
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Cartridges certainly have a sonic signature, but its just one piece of the puzzle. You have to factor the whole chain from stylus right out to the speakers to get the whole combination, and changing any one part can alter the "character" of what you hear. The only hard and fast rule is find something that *you* like. There are some formulas regarding tonearm mass and cartridge compliance that will tell you what combinations should be avoided, but even that isn't set in stone.

As for different carts and needles sounding mostly the same, definitely not. I have 4 different carts at home, and I've run them all on the same table at various points just to try to listen to just the cartridge as much as practical. I've got two Stanton 680s, a Pickering V15, and a Shure M93E that I've run using the same turntable, receiver, and speakers. They're all different. I've actually got 3 different styluses for the Pickering V15, and they each sound noticeably different. This stuff isn't particularly high end, and I do not have golden ears but if you listen to an album side with one setup, change it around, then listen to it again, its definitely not the same. Some differences are more obvious than others, like between 3 different styluses on the same cartridge, but if I go from say the Pickering V15 to the Shure M93E, its very obviously different.

To put this to a more practical answer, whats your current setup, or what are you considering buying, and whats your budget?
 
Cartridges like speakers are transducers - they are the most imperfect components in your system - as a result they have a "distinctive" sound - the individual sound of their individual imperfections!

Most of the time when someone likes cartridge X better than cartridge Y - it amounts to preferring distortion x over distortion y...

As cartridges get better and better - the very best cartridges sound more alike than the bottom of the line one - but they still sound distinctively different - which is either a sign that the perfect cartridge has not been made, or that the designers are intentionally choosing design features that involve specific euphonic distortions/colourations.

In choosing a cartridge, in my opinion the most important thing is to match it well to your tonearm.

The cartridge cantilevers "spinginess" needs to be balanced by the arms mass, and the cartridge suspensions damping needs to control resonances (unless your arm has fluid, servo or magnetic damping - in which case the arm can do the damping).

You won't get the best from your setup unless the arm/cartridge match well.

Simple rule of thumb for choosing cartridges:

Low mass arm (usually straight, or special designs, less than 8g effective mass) - select a cartridge with nominal VTF of under 1.5g

Mid Mass arm (most S-arms, more solid straight arms - in fact most of the arms out there! - between 12g and 23g effective mass) - choose a cartridge with VTF between 1.7 and 2.3g

High mass arm (mostly vintage arms! - or arms with optional heavy counterweights and headshells fitted ) - VTF=3g+



There is a much more complicated answer, which involves measuring both your arms effective mass (inertia at the needle) and its damping - followed by measuring the cartridges compliance and damping ... damping specs are not provided so you have to get hold of an example to measure it, etc...

But if you go through all the complicated stuff, you will in most cases end up with the same result as the above rule of thumb!!

If possible choose an arm/turntable with low frequency arm damping. (the Shure cartridges with a brush on the front do the same function.... brilliant engineering, still don't know why no one else ever picked up that feature now that the patents expired so long ago...)

bye for now

David
 
It's not a 'serious audiophile issue' but I think utility is under appreciated in selecting components. A piece of gear that you interact with daily that is awkward, fragile or fussy will become irritating over time no matter if it has 8% better frequency response than another. Like any tool, it has to fit your habits or it'll get on your nerves.
So consider how important durability and ease of use are to you as well as sound and system synergy.
 
Take a look at many audiophile turntables and you'll see that they have mounting space for two, three, or even four tone arms. I'm pretty confident this is to provide listeners with this kind of money to easily select the optimum mix of tone arm and cartridge for their tastes.

I firmly believe that the tansducers in your system (where mechanical energy is converted to electrical energy, in the case of your cartridge, or where electrcal energy is converted to mechanical, in the case of your speakers) have the most significant impact on its overall sound than any other component between them.

Whether those changes make a certain tone arm / cartridge combo better for one genre than another is a question for your ears to decide.
 
I'd argue that there's far less difference between cartridges than speakers, and that what changes most is the level of detail and that's primarily a function of the stylus.

It is true that a cartridge the wrong compliance can introduce unwanted resonances which effect the sound, but often, for reason to do with damping, arm design etc. they may not.

There's no hard and fast rule here. As the above responses indicate, there are some who swap cartridges regularly and deliberately to change the sound. There are others who don't bother. Personally I'd prefer there were only a handful of cartridges which were transparent than the vast array now available. I'd rather be able to hear that you'd swapped to a Yamaha guitar, for example, than put on a cartridge that made every guitar sound like a Yamaha.

To me the goal is to have one cartridge, and that's it. Currently I think the AT95E and the EPS 310MC come close. However, as has been alluded to, the turntable and arm combination can also affect the sound, so I wouldn't say my Thorens sounds the same as my SL-10, for example. There's not a world of difference, except for the level of detail which is noticeably better because of the EPS cartridge.
 
It's gonna be said sooner or later so I might as well throw it out there: the Shure M97xE is the go-to pickup for a lot of people. I have one and it has performed the same on three very different 'tables with a variety of records. It's rugged, versatile, has apleasant tonality with no sonic flaws and replacement styli are likely to be available for a long time. It's not my current fave in terms of sound but if it was the only cart I had I wouldn't be running around trying to replace it. Sort of the black Oxford shoe of phono pickups: not fancy but works with just about anything. And if you have records that are warpy and difficult to track this has to be at the top of your list. Due to the excellent damper brush its tracking performance beats just about anything.
Note that if you buy this you should get it from a reputable dealer and be prepared to inspect it closely for manufacturing defects. Mine was perfect but there seem to be a lot of cases of people getting badly made ones and having to return them.
 
The Shure has dropped in price here, but I'm still not tempted. I'm happy with the AT95E, although (and denying everything I said in a previous post) I might go for the HE. Actually wanted a Benz as the one cartridge, but just can't get my head around spending that much. That, and the need for a new kitchen.

Don't you hate it when reality bites?
 
I found the M97xE to be kind of flat and dull sounding. Its not quite as bad as my M93E in that same setup, but I didn't much care for it. Other people love them. Its all subjective. I won't say its a bad cart, but I will say I prefer others. Thus far I've preferred the Stanton sound to the Shure sound.

Back to that M93E. It sounds lousy in my bedroom rig. Its flat, dull, and utterly uninteresting to listen to. Out in the workshop with a completely different setup, using a preamp with 56k loading instead of 47k, it sounds fine. Is it possible the M97xE would have been similarly better? Very much so, but its gone now so I don't know. I make mention of this only to make the point that what works in one setup may not work so well in another.
 
Catman is the local proponent of the M97xE as an audiophile cart. He loads it at 68K and says this corrects the recessed top end. I haven't tried it because my RIAA amp with easily increased resistors is out on loan.
If this is true and the treble opens up with a lighter load, The M97's superior tracking and versatility would make it a killer $70 cartridge.
This is the cart I tell non audiophiles to buy. It's pretty difficult to do anything wrong with it. I used to recommend Grados because even their lowest end carts sound good. But Grados have relatively high compliance and low damping. This makes mechanical setup and matching much more critical. And there's the famous hum issue.
 
avole said:
The Shure has dropped in price here, but I'm still not tempted. I'm happy with the AT95E, although (and denying everything I said in a previous post) I might go for the HE. Actually wanted a Benz as the one cartridge, but just can't get my head around spending that much. That, and the need for a new kitchen.

Don't you hate it when reality bites?
Click to expand...

Go with Formica counter tops and get the Benz. :D:D:D
 
I've had two Benz carts. One was some kind of MC with a ruby cantilever. Can't remember the model. Maybe 'Ruby'. The other was the Glider, which I bought as soon as it came out. That's the only cart I've accidentally ruined. The cantilever bent from a light bump. I couldn't believe it was so fragile. And I'm very careful with my turntable. Before I bought another Benz I'd have a hard look at their durability.
 
Twinhit said:
What is he best way to choose the right cartridge
to get the most out of a combination of:
Musical Genre
Vinyl record weight
Stereo or Mono
Turntable types (direct drive, belt drive)
Turntable platter (aluminum platter, brass platter, glass or granite platter)
Tone Arm types (straight arm, S arm, radial tracking, linear tracking)
Preamp (solid state vs tube)
Amplifier (solid state vs tube)

Are there certain cartridges that suit classical music far better than
a cartridge used for hip hop or rock?

Are there certain cartridges that suit 120 gram vinyl vs 180 or 200 gram vinyl.

In the quest of getting the best bang for the buck for those on a budget,
are these the kind of considerations a serious audiophile would/should make?

My personal musical tastes are pretty broad - we'll say all genres from classical and
opera to country, to big band jazz, blues, 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s rock and roll as well
as some metal, along with traditonal pop, hip-hop, with a majority of favorites being
country, folk, classical, rockabilly and rock. In short a broad spectrum of musical styles.

I am looking to find out what the rule of thumb is for choosing the best all around
cartridge for both MC and MM.
I would love to make a table if I knew the answer.
Very much in the same vein as a guitar player might choose his guitar pickups, amp
and speaker to get his tone for the best "sound".

example:
50s pop: MM cartridge, MM compatible tube preamp, tube amp, alnico 5 magnet speakers.
80s pop: MC cartridge, MC Solid State preamp, solid state amp, Ceramic magnet speakers

Just curious if there is an article or table or combination of the two that covers this kind
of question. if so a link would be great.
thank you.
Click to expand...

Most important consideration is proper match of tonearm and cartridge. A mismatch of stylus compliance & tonearm mass will compromise performance.

Drive type? It should not make any difference, although there are some cheaply made belt drives with unshielded motors that will cause hum in certain cartridges, such as Grado.

Another big consideration is what you'll be playing, mono and/or stereo microgroove, 78s (older acoustics, vertical-cut discs, etc....).

Classical music? I prefer cartridges with lower than average groove noise, so I use my Grado Platinum for stereo and Grado ME+ for mono Classical discs.

It's tough to make any particular recommendation. I own and use over fifteen different cartridges to play my records, which range from 110 year old shellac to modern stereo LPs.
 
Most important consideration is proper match of tonearm and cartridge. A mismatch of stylus compliance & tonearm mass will compromise performance.

This is true but the parameters are pretty broad. It's most important to avoid gross mismatches. Like putting a high compliance Stanton in a vintage changer that wants to track at 4G. Or a Denon DL-103 with low compliance in a superlight arm. But the common consumer cartridges and turntables are designed for wide compatibility and many combinations will work fine. Like putting tires on a car. There are some combos you just shouldn't do but the majority of matchups won't cause problems. In most cases with mass/compliance combinations you're not looking to hit one magic number but to land in a broad range.
 
Bauhausler said:
Most important consideration is proper match of tonearm and cartridge. A mismatch of stylus compliance & tonearm mass will compromise performance.

This is true but the parameters are pretty broad. It's most important to avoid gross mismatches. Like putting a high compliance Stanton in a vintage changer that wants to track at 4G. Or a Denon DL-103 with low compliance in a superlight arm. But the common consumer cartridges and turntables are designed for wide compatibility and many combinations will work fine. Like putting tires on a car. There are some combos you just shouldn't do but the majority of matchups won't cause problems. In most cases with mass/compliance combinations you're not looking to hit one magic number but to land in a broad range.
Click to expand...

Agree, not that particularly important really, and with some damping it broadens even more. I would say that where the resonance is between 6-14Hz is no big deal.
gusten
 
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Thanks everyone for your replies.

I will digest them as best I can.

I have a Technics SL-1200 MK2 which I am very pleased with, and it is currently using a Ortofon OM Pro which is a MM type with spherical stylus.
This cartridge came with my table which was a back-up table for a DJ but was used just once or twice if at all as my table is in mint condition.
The OM Pro doesn't all that bad, to be quite honest.

I am curious what may some good cartridge alternatives to the OM Pro in the sub-$300 range, for this table which has it's original S shaped tone arm.

I want to emphasis that I want to find an excellent bang for buck for
a stereo cartridge that can bring out all that delicate detail found in Classical Music, yet have the gonads for the Hip Hop bass beat. I "think" the OM Pro meets that range criteria, but on the other hand, Classical is far more refined with all the instruments typical in Orchestral productions.
At present, my sound system is dominated by an economy pre-amp from BBE which I don't think is MC compatible, a pro audio mixer and head phones.
(I am building a home-made Altec VOTT or Model 19 type system for speakers and currently collecting parts.)

I am open to both MM and MC Spherical and Elliptical designs.

Hope that helps.
Thanks again for your replies.
 
I'd probably recommend spending that $300 on a Nagaoka MP-200. I'm still waiting for someone to be disappointed with a Nagaoka.
 
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