pure sound
Trade: manufacturer/distributor
How different are cartridges? Following on from the tonearm comparison last week, I’ve been recording the output from various cartridges playing 4 different tracks of music. The cartridges cover a wide range of prices from a fairly rudimentary moving magnet design that was about £50 up to a cartridge costing in the region of £4000. Amongst these are well known ‘classic’ designs that people sometimes speak of with reverence (often rightly so). All were fitted to ADC LMG headshells and used in the Jelco 750L arm that the majority of people preferred in the comparison last week. The turntable is a Technics SP10 Mk2 in a substantial slate plinth. Where necessary the cartridges were loaded by the best & most appropriate step up transformers I had to hand. Output levels from the phono stage were matched as well as possible on the Tascam CD Recorder’s meters.
I will be adding further needledrops this evening/tomorrow morning as they upload and 3 or 4 more cartridge’s recordings next week but there’s plenty here to download & have a listen to. I’d perhaps suggest that you don’t try to compare all of them on one track at once. It will become confusing. It may be better to take 2 or 3 together & work out a preference if there is one before moving on to another group. Then compare the group ‘winners’ maybe? I’ll leave the strategy to you.
The cartridges (including the ones next week) in no particular order are
Denon 103 (MC)
AKG P4 (MM)
Technics EPS310MC
Shure M3D (MM)
Koetsu Black (newly refurbished) (MC)
Goldring 1042 (MM)
Audio Note (UK) Io Gold (MC)
Ortofon SPU-GT (MC)
Ortofon SL15 (MC)
Linn Troika (MC)
Ortofon Kontrapunkt B (MC) possibly
A few ‘characterful’ ones amongst those you would’ve thought.
Each cartridge is given a Letter from A-K
Anyway hopefully some amusement to while away the time. It also leaves me the option of adding further cartridges as & when the opportunity presents itself.
The music
You can’t please everyone but the 4 excerpts loosely cover classical, Jazz, electronic and rock/blues so something for most people.
They are…
The beautiful Sull’aria from Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro (well known to fans of the Shawshank redemption) Listen for how easily the two singers can be told apart, where they are and of course the quality of their singing.
NEEDLEDROP LINKS REMOVED
As with the arm comparison, this isn’t about the absolute quality of the needledrops. It’s about listening to what each cartridge makes of what it’s asked to play on what I’d hope is a fairly neutral platform.
I don't want to put up a Poll. Not yet anyhow. I think they can be influenced by what appears to be popular or unpopular. Just comment if there are any that are good or that stink or that are just Meh!
I will be adding further needledrops this evening/tomorrow morning as they upload and 3 or 4 more cartridge’s recordings next week but there’s plenty here to download & have a listen to. I’d perhaps suggest that you don’t try to compare all of them on one track at once. It will become confusing. It may be better to take 2 or 3 together & work out a preference if there is one before moving on to another group. Then compare the group ‘winners’ maybe? I’ll leave the strategy to you.
The cartridges (including the ones next week) in no particular order are
Denon 103 (MC)
AKG P4 (MM)
Technics EPS310MC
Shure M3D (MM)
Koetsu Black (newly refurbished) (MC)
Goldring 1042 (MM)
Audio Note (UK) Io Gold (MC)
Ortofon SPU-GT (MC)
Ortofon SL15 (MC)
Linn Troika (MC)
Ortofon Kontrapunkt B (MC) possibly
A few ‘characterful’ ones amongst those you would’ve thought.
Each cartridge is given a Letter from A-K
Anyway hopefully some amusement to while away the time. It also leaves me the option of adding further cartridges as & when the opportunity presents itself.
The music
You can’t please everyone but the 4 excerpts loosely cover classical, Jazz, electronic and rock/blues so something for most people.
They are…
The beautiful Sull’aria from Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro (well known to fans of the Shawshank redemption) Listen for how easily the two singers can be told apart, where they are and of course the quality of their singing.
NEEDLEDROP LINKS REMOVED
As with the arm comparison, this isn’t about the absolute quality of the needledrops. It’s about listening to what each cartridge makes of what it’s asked to play on what I’d hope is a fairly neutral platform.
I don't want to put up a Poll. Not yet anyhow. I think they can be influenced by what appears to be popular or unpopular. Just comment if there are any that are good or that stink or that are just Meh!