Philips GP390 Ceramic cartridge NOS 1970s

[Audioflyer]

Listening to quite a few LPs last night.
Sounded very fine indeed. It just plays the music in a musical and involving way.

I suppose I could buy a special import Mashimoto Ongonoto mk3 moving coil cartridge with special hyperparabolic stylus profile and molybdenum carbonate cantilever for £2.3k* - but to be honest the Philips ceramic at £40 odd is just fine thanks.

* Yeah, I just made that up.

Sharif is very kindly sending me his bass boost thingy, so that will be interesting.
And there is still some 50Hz hum which I am having to filter out.
And I am sure it is still running in.

But it does the job nicely, thanks, not really missing my MC cart at all.

Little bass boost thingy is in the post.

The 50Hz hum problem I've just been having over the last week with the Thorens TD160 Super was down to a missing earth wire.

Sharif.

[Audioflyer]

Inside the EQ box.



This little box was built after listening and measuring the frequency response of the GP390.
Other cartridges were used for reference to confirm the GP390 response.

The box is set for 1dB correction as I found 1.5dB could make some warm and cuddly bass heavy recordings sound bloated.



The GP390 has a small roll-off starting at 500Hz and is 1.5 dB down at 50Hz.

I've used it from my phonostage output to a aux input on my preamp, it should also work if inserted into a tape monitor loop.

Sharif.

[jandl100]

Many thanks , Sharif. I shall report back on it once it has arrived.

Yes, the 50Hz hum is a puzzler. My setup is hum-free with the other cartridges I have used.
It will be interesting to hear how Ali gets on with his.

Luckily, I am no purist, and I often have my LP system feed through my Behringer DEQ2496 to sort out balance, stereo width and tonal issues associated with some LPs - wot a nawty boy I am.
-- so inserting a notch-like filter at 50Hz is very easy and works fine.
Would be nice to sort it properly, though.

[jandl100]

Just arrived.
The little filter box courtesy of Sharif.
I'll try it out later today.

[Audioflyer]

Comparison of a Thorens TD160 Super & Phonosophie No3 turntable with a Philips GP390 ceramic cartridge.

I initially set up my Thorens TD160 super turntable and Rega RB300 with a Ortofon 2M blue cartridge.

Finally I managed to sit down and have a good listen to the sound of Ortofon 2M blue cartridge, my first impressions of the set-up what was very good. I quickly had a good listen through a good selection of music it wasn't for me the ultimate in sound reproduction. After listening for about 5 to 6 hours I felt the Ortofon 2M blue was a bit lacking in refinement and tend to make everything sound very compressed, I also felt it didn't produce a very wide soundstage. It reminded me of listening to it very cheap CD player I found the bass to be congested and the treble to be bright with very little dynamics. It gave the impression on first listening that it was very detailed this wasn't to be the case. I think if you were new to or hadn't listen to vinyl for a long time you would have been quite impressed.

Thorens TD 160 super turntable fitted with my second Philips GP390 cartridge.
Prior to me listening to the second cartridge I ran it in for about 20 hours and it seems to settle down quicker than my first GP390 treble was not as bright.

After listening to the Ortofon 2M blue this old cartridge was a revelation I didn't expect it to sound as good as it did, on a whole the sound was more refined and better balanced I found that drums and bass guitar were clearly separated with a nice dynamic detailed sound. I found as a whole instrument tones and timbers were better preserved with a great insight to the music, vocals had superb realism to the sound, there was a sense of easy even when the music became very fast flowing this setup didn't become congested like when it was set up with the Ortofon 2M blue cartridge.
As I used to use a Thorens TD 160 Super many years ago it was interesting to see how it sounded today I found ultimately it was lacking in macro dynamics, detail and stereo image.

After listening to the Philips GP390 cartridge on the Thorens TD 160 Super I felt the cartridge was screaming out or a better turntable.

So this now brings me onto my normal turntable which is a Phonosophie No.3 with Thorens TP90 tonearm.

Up to the about four months ago I was using a Linn Arkiv B moving coil cartridge which I felt to be very good.

When I first got the Philips GP390 cartridge I fitted it to the Phonosophie my first word was bloody hell it's good very good.
I couldn't believe I was listening to a £37.50 cartridge that blow the Arkiv B out the water it was like a veil had been removed off the music the whole system just come alive it's like you could walk into the room and pick the instruments off the players. I have never before heard any cartridge with the life like qualities this cartridge delivers everything fell into place.

Compared to the Thorens TD160 Super the whole sound just opened up it was quite haunted there was a sense of realism to the whole sound everything just sounded right. This £37.50 ceramic cartridge will reveal everything that's going on within the record it doesn't emphasize anything it just plays everything as it should be. For something with a conical stylus detailed and dynamic are superb on music transients and decays, dynamic timber and tone they are all so naturally portrayed, none of my other cartridges I've owned come close.

There are a few things with the GP390 it needs about 30 hours to settle down (think what it would be like if you hadn't moved since 1968!).The only other issue with the GP390 is the bass needs a slight correction below 500 Hz other than that I cannot fault it.

If I had heard a cartridge for £2,000 -£3000 with the same qualities I would have been bowled but for something that's £37.50 is unbelievable.

This is really is the finest cartridge I ever heard.

Sorry for going on I hope it doesn't sound like I'm blowing my own trumpet but this is a really good cartridge.

Sharif.

[Audioflyer]

Just arrived.
The little filter box courtesy of Sharif.
I'll try it out later today.

Can't wait to see how you get on with it.
You need to fit it between you phono stage and your amp, It should also work in a tape monitor loop.

Sharif.

[struth]

Good stuff ..... Sounds like your on to a winner then... Not heard a ceramic cart for eons.... Wasnt overly impressed then but perhaps your understandi!g and compensations have brought the best out of it

[Audioflyer]

Good stuff ..... Sounds like your on to a winner then... Not heard a ceramic cart for eons.... Wasnt overly impressed then but perhaps your understandi!g and compensations have brought the best out of it

Hi Grant thank you it a shame you are so far away you would be welcomed to come and have a listen.

Sharif.

[jmrecchia]

Hello Sharif.

How are you? I hope fine!

Very interesting this review about Philips GP390 cartridge! Yesterday I installed a NOS Philips GP380, that has that same specifications of GP390 but built on P-mount body.
I’m very impressed about the GP380, it’s very, very detailed even installed on a simple and automatic table like my Philips GA160. I think that this fun table but I know that it has many mechanical limitations but, I don’t know the magic that the GP380 does, it sounds very very good!
The only issue is the Bass is a little lean. I read your post about the EQ Box Bass Boost and I’m very interested on this box.
I do not have much skill with electronics, but I will try to build one, if you can help me with a doubt, I will be very grateful.
To have a good result as you mentioned, which brand of components should I buy to try build the circuit?
Many thanks per your attention.

20160901_185530.jpg

Best regards from Brazil.

Flavio.

Inside the EQ box.



This little box was built after listening and measuring the frequency response of the GP390.
Other cartridges were used for reference to confirm the GP390 response.

The box is set for 1dB correction as I found 1.5dB could make some warm and cuddly bass heavy recordings sound bloated.



The GP390 has a small roll-off starting at 500Hz and is 1.5 dB down at 50Hz.

I've used it from my phonostage output to a aux input on my preamp, it should also work if inserted into a tape monitor loop.

Sharif.

[spendorman]

From memory,a ceramic cartridge, input on an amplifier needs to have a very high impedance, otherwise bass is curtailed.

Just had a quick search found this:

http://www.keith-snook.info/wireless...ualisation.pdf