Arm and cartridge matching - idiots guide!

[julesd68]

Guys I really need your help in choosing my first MC cart!
I've been looking at lots of carts without really knowing what I'm doing.

I can't afford to make a mistake with this so can you tell me how to match arm and cart. All I know is that my Kuzma Stogi is a "very rigid medium mass tonearm". How does cartridge output / compliance / weight all come into the equation?? Please keep it simple for my simple non-technical mind :doh:

cheers!

[YNWaN]

Well, unfortunately, it isn't a very simple subject.

If you look on the forum Vinyl Engine, they have a calculator that does the work for you. However, in your case, most MC cartridges should work with your arm.

[Reffc]

The aim Julian is to get your arm and cartridge matched so that the natural (or resonant) frequency of the combination falls outside of the frequencies which can excite the arm/cart and cause resonance and mistracking. The "ideal" range is between 7Hz and 12 Hz.

The effective mass of the tonearm and the cartridge added together and their relationship with the dynamic compliance of the cartridge(cantilever) is what determines the resonant frequency.

A good explanation and a graph (courtesy of Ortofon) can be found here to make the calculation simple:

http://www.gcaudio.com/resources/howtos/tonearmcartridge.html

[Johnnie7]

hi jules

what sort of price point are you thinking for the mc cart?
and does the wonderful puresound amp have a MC input as well as MM ?

[hifi_dave]

The " wonderful Puresound " P10 is a MM only phono stage. Therefore,a step-up transformer, such as the Puresound T10, or other MC step-up is required. Either that or a different phono stage.

The majority of MC cartridges will work with the Stogi.

[DSJR]

I know there's shedloads of others out there, but if £330 or so isn't beyond the pale, I have friends who worship at the shrine of the Dynavector 10XV. I object to the price increases over the years, where the once identically priced (but not as good) Denon DL110 has "only" doubled in the same period, but the 10XV has many, many fans for it's stability on the groove, treble that NEVER spits and spats and a sense of involvement in the music that is genuinely there, together with a really lovely distributer (oh, and my mate DOESN'T stock it, ok?). In your arm, it should be well at home!

[Johnnie7]

I know there's shedloads of others out there, but if £330 or so isn't beyond the pale, I have friends who worship at the shrine of the Dynavector 10XV. I object to the price increases over the years, where the once identically priced (but not as good) Denon DL110 has "only" doubled in the same period, but the 10XV has many, many fans for it's stability on the groove, treble that NEVER spits and spats and a sense of involvement in the music that is genuinely there, together with a really lovely distributer (oh, and my mate DOESN'T stock it, ok?). In your arm, it should be well at home!

good post m8

i agree with you there big time...and the cart is high output mc so should not need a phono stage !!!

[Ammonite Audio]

If there's a bit more money in the pot, I do recommend taking a look at Benz cartridges, starting with the Ace (see http://www.analogueseduction.net/benz-cartridges/benz-micro-ace-sl-low-output-mc-cartridge-04mv.html ). Benz carts are usually available in low, medium and high output versions, The only disadvantage of Benz designs is the exposed cantilever (I did manage to rip the cantilever off a sublime Glider SL, so now have a slightly more protected Wood SL). I can't comment on Dave's recommendation of the Dynavector 10XV, but I do advocate steering clear of the Dynavector DV-20 X2, which I found to be musically sullen and overall as dull as ditchwater.

[julesd68]

Thanks to all for your thoughts :)

I should have said, I've already invested in a Puresound T10 SUT to go with the P10.

My budget is £350-400 at an absolute push; now that the ZYX is out of my range, I'm going to look at some used low-hours carts aswell ...

[lewis]

I may be speaking out of turn here, and i know it's none of my business, and you may have personal financial reasons, but.....

Why settle for second best? Why not have what you really want (ZYX R50 BLOOM), even if it means waiting and saving for another six months. The Zyx r50 bloom would also be my choice if i were to upgrade my Dynavector dv20.;)

[julesd68]

In normal times Andrew, I would completely agree with you, but circumstances dictate that I tighten my financial belt right now, so I'm happy to get a taste of MC with something more modest before getting the ZYX ...

[julesd68]

The aim Julian is to get your arm and cartridge matched so that the natural (or resonant) frequency of the combination falls outside of the frequencies which can excite the arm/cart and cause resonance and mistracking. The "ideal" range is between 7Hz and 12 Hz.

The effective mass of the tonearm and the cartridge added together and their relationship with the dynamic compliance of the cartridge(cantilever) is what determines the resonant frequency.

A good explanation and a graph (courtesy of Ortofon) can be found here to make the calculation simple:

http://www.gcaudio.com/resources/howtos/tonearmcartridge.html

Thanks Paul, found that article very useful indeed and managed to do the equation much to my surprise - maths was never my strong suit!

[MartinT]

What presentation are you after, Julian?

AT33 series (PTG or EV) will give you a well-balanced but very slightly bright presentation, just a touch light in the bass. Sparkling and detailed.

Dynavector DV-20X2L will give you a darker presentation with very strong bass.

Denon DL-103 is a good all-rounder but the spherical stylus is ultimately limited in the high treble.

Shelter 501 Mk.II is big and bouncy and highly musical, if not the last word in detail.

At that price point, they all have some limitations so you pick the sound you need depending on your system. They will all work with your arm.

[julesd68]

Thanks Martin ...

My ideal presentation would be just on the warm side of neutral.

Am now looking at an Ortofon MC-25 FL as an introduction to the MC world till I can stretch to something more exotic like your Shelter 5000.

[YNWaN]

There's no need to do any equations if you use the comparative tables provided by Vinyl Engine.

[julesd68]

Yes the Vinyl Engine table works really well, though I quite enjoyed doing it the manual way aswell!