Introducing the Phono Cartridge Measurement Library

[Thomas_A]

Interesting, I would have thought the resonant frequency would be higher, as Jico’s suspension is supposed to be less compliant than Shure’s.
Also interesting that the FR is quite flat with that much capacitance. They were spec’d for 200–300pF. With the boron cantilver’s resonance being lower than Shure’s berryllium, I would have expected it to perform at its best at under 200pF. Go figure..

The latest JICO SAS/B seems to get a mechanical resonance around 18-22 kHz. Which means that it easier to adapt loading. A higher capacitance makes the electrical to roll off earlier but the mechanical resonance keeps the total response linear. That is my intepretation. But stylii seems to vary as well so there is a need for individual adjustments.

 

[ElectricWarrior]

Right, that does make sense..

 

[narud]

MP-500 630 hour stylus

@ray_parkhurst sent me over luca's 630 hour stylus that he imaged a while back because i was curious to test it compared to mine. the wear flat definitely looks longer on the front shot.

heres each channel compared. i dont know whats up with the right channel. maybe tightening up azimuth would pull the channels a little closer, but i havent seen channels deviate that far before with less than perfect azimuth.

edit- i shimmed one side with a washer to bring the left side down.

 

[ray_parkhurst]

@ray_parkhurst sent me over luca's 630 hour stylus that he imaged a while back because i was curious to test it compared to mine. the wear flat definitely looks longer on the front shot.

After equalizing the image scaling based on the stylus outline, it looks to me like the "150hr" stylus has longer contacts (minor direction), but also larger tip span, versus the "630hr". It may be the two are not the same shape:

 

[narud]

After equalizing the image scaling based on the stylus outline, it looks to me like the "150hr" stylus has longer contacts (minor direction), but also larger tip span, versus the "630hr". It may be the two are not the same shape:

View attachment 494732

these also arent the greatest pics. theres so much flare using the iphone camera that they look different on every shot. the flare is making it look longer than it did looking through the eye piece.

 

[USER]

I rotated the image for a clearer vantage. Is the cantilever really that crooked or is it the angle? My Spidey senses are always on when it comes to things like this as I purchased a lot of used cartridges for this project.

 

[narud]

I rotated the image for a clearer vantage. Is the cantilever really that crooked or is it the angle? My Spidey senses are always on when it comes to things like this as I purchased a lot of used cartridges for this project.

View attachment 494750

its just parrallax

 

[Thomas_A]

The HF drop difference can partly be azimuth/crosstalk effects. Old stylii has their specific wear pattern from the previous arm/TT alignment. Other than that the C is a bit high.

 

[JP]

My Spidey senses are always on when it comes to things like this as I purchased a lot of used cartridges for this project.

Yahoo trama.

these also arent the greatest pics. theres so much flare using the iphone camera that they look different on every shot. the flare is making it look longer than it did looking through the eye piece.

If you can fixture the phone you may have better luck using video and rolling focus if the phone's autofocus will cooperate, or even stay on the right lens/sensor. For quick and dirty shots I use a cheap USB "microscope" with a collar I turned on the lathe over the ocular of a SEK-2. That setup works better for me than the purpose-built AmScope camera I have.

 

[narud]

The HF drop difference can partly be azimuth/crosstalk effects. Old stylii has their specific wear pattern from the previous arm/TT alignment. Other than that the C is a bit high.

i used the capacitance setting for the newer stylus i have. i preferred it there since it filled in the early sag in the highs. i’ll probably try it lower and see what happens with this stylus.

 

[Thomas_A]

i used the capacitance setting for the newer stylus i have. i preferred it there since it filled in the early sag in the highs. i’ll probably try it lower and see what happens with this stylus.

The sag is typical for STR100; not there for the CA-TRS1007.

 

[narud]

The sag is typical for STR100; not there for the CA-TRS1007.

that may be the case, but when i make needle drops of tracks and compare to cds with the same master, flat on the str matches the cd. carts that measure a db or more droop in the presence region show the same droop compared when to the cd. whatever flaws the str100 has, it still seems to get me close to my goal.

 

[Thomas_A]

that may be the case, but when i make needle drops of tracks and compare to cds with the same master, flat on the str matches the cd. carts that measure a db or more droop in the presence region show the same droop compared when to the cd. whatever flaws the str100 has, it still seems to get me close to my goal.

It may be a bit less yes, but it may also be caused by wear or dirt that reduce HF of the LP vs CD. You could also try 100-180 pF/60k to get a bit of lift. I also prefer a bit lift of 2 dB @ 20 kHz.

Phono Cartridge Response Measurement Script

Sure. Lemme think through how to confirm it. I think it'd also require some extra filtering as 2x bass boost can easily push LF junk up beyond the fundamental.

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[narud]

It may be a bit less yes, but it may also be caused by wear or dirt that reduce HF of the LP vs CD. You could also try 100-180 pF/60k to get a bit of lift. I also prefer a bit lift of 2 dB @ 20 kHz.

Phono Cartridge Response Measurement Script

Sure. Lemme think through how to confirm it. I think it'd also require some extra filtering as 2x bass boost can easily push LF junk up beyond the fundamental.

www.audiosciencereview.com

i’ve got 5 tables set up right now and one of them is sporting a cart combo with that late lift in the highs. another has that droop like a v15vxmr (m97lt). most of the listening gets done on the v15vmr and at ml170 though.

 

[mglobe]

that may be the case, but when i make needle drops of tracks and compare to cds with the same master, flat on the str matches the cd. carts that measure a db or more droop in the presence region show the same droop compared when to the cd. whatever flaws the str100 has, it still seems to get me close to my goal.

Can you share those comparisons? It would be interesting to see.

 

[narud]

Can you share those comparisons? It would be interesting to see.

heres blackened from first pressing lp and cd of metallicas and justice for all. im using a vn5mr that has probably a few hundred hours on it. the small .5 db saddle between 5 and 10k is there in the track comparison. if this measured with a 1db dip in the highs on the str100 in order to match the clearaudio record, the lp would be even more off from the cd. im just assuming these have the same master since they are so close and were released on their respective formats at the same time. megadeth's rust in peace is another lp/cd combo that will match.

 

[mglobe]

heres blackened from first pressing lp and cd of metallicas and justice for all. im using a vn5mr that has probably a few hundred hours on it. the small .5 db saddle between 5 and 10k is there in the track comparison. if this measured with a 1db dip in the highs on the str100 in order to match the clearaudio record, the lp would be even more off from the cd. im just assuming these have the same master since they are so close and were released on their respective formats at the same time. megadeth's rust in peace is another lp/cd combo that will match.
View attachment 494957View attachment 494958

Thank you. That’s a pretty remarkable match and a real testament to the V15.

 

[dlaloum]

Signet TK10ML
View attachment 492703
this came on a table i just bought. diamond looks like it only has very light use. ridge is still curved and contacts are short. unfortunately too much anti skate was used with the little use it did get. the curve looks the same as the one i measured last year. I sold that one, but am debating keeping this one around to use.

Excellent cartridge, but replacement styli are unobtainium now...

(you could always have it retipped.... as long as the retipper really does do retipping and doesn't cut that excellent cantilever, and splice on an entire cantilever... which is how many are "retipping" nowadays, as they purchase the cantilever and needle together, already mounted...)

 

[dlaloum]

Shure V15 IV with Jico VN45HE SAS B Stylus
View attachment 494152

In my experience, it looks fantastic and sounds amazing. The resonant frequency is a bit low at 5-6 Hz, but otherwise I'm very satisfied.

Depending on how cheaply you can get a V15 Type IV, this is probably the best price/performance ratio for linear and distortion-free vinyl playback.

I'd appreciate your opinions on whether there's anything that could be improved.

Cheers

I always thought based on my measurements, that the SAS would work best with the V15IV .... seems to be the right inductance for that cantilever design...

 

[ElectricWarrior]

That's better. still have to take care of the azimuth..