Introducing the Phono Cartridge Measurement Library

[DSJR]

I remember reviewer Martin Colloms being torn over the EPC205III. It was a good as MM pickups could get back then and he admired its basically honest reproduction qualities, yet his heart (and the audiophile readers basically helping to pay his wages then) preferring the coloured-as-heck Koetsu Red of the period..

If I knew then what I know now - at the time and shortly before CD was launched, I disliked the 205III and V15 III as they were shrill sounding. It wasn't the cartridge at all, but the darned harsh amps and squeaky speakers we'd conditioned ourselves to like at the time (early 80s). Interesting how so many of us found 'CD' exactly the same, but blamed the format instead of our compromised systems...

 

[Thomas_A]

Technics EPC-205CMK3 + JICO EPS-205EX SAS/B

This JICO SAS/B stylus is made for the older EPC-205C-II series, but it will fit.

After playing with some resistive loading, I was able to get it very flat at 15.3k ohms:

View attachment 521552
View attachment 521551

Here it is at 20k ohms:

View attachment 521554
And at 50k ohms:

View attachment 521555
While it seems that traditional thought aims for the flattest response closest to the outer groove, I wonder if the type of response shown at 20k ohms may actually be more ideal to obtain a more balanced frequency response across the whole record and limit roll-off at the inner groove.

What is the approximate VTA of the JICO stylus in this body?

 

[Balle Clorin]

While it seems that traditional thought aims for the flattest response closest to the outer groove, I wonder if the type of response shown at 20k ohms may actually be more ideal to obtain a more balanced frequency response across the whole record and limit roll-off at the inner groove

Good point. One reason to avoid a 20kz peak is that it is close to the resonance of many aluminium tweeter domes.. Apart from that I have read that most record cutters cut he top frequency at about 15k…
I cannot hear much above 10k anyway..

 

[mackat]

What is the approximate VTA of the JICO stylus in this body?

I am not sure. Happy to try to figure it out, though.

 

[Thomas_A]

I am not sure. Happy to try to figure it out, though.

Just wondered if the SAS/B stylii have the same steep VTA as on the Shure bodies. If they are worth shimming.

 

[mackat]

Audio-Technica AT15Ea

I got this cartridge in a lot from Japan a number of years ago. It was inspected by a retipper and doesn't have much wear.

The issue was that there was quite a high frequency roll-off as well as a channel imbalance (the former not helped by the low capacitance of this measurement, but it was still bad):

I picked up a tube of that Liqui Moly Power Steering Oil Leak Stop and applied what ended up being an excessive amount to the suspension.

After cleaning it up a bit, I left it to sit for about 24 hours. I did a little more cleanup, and took a measurement. Much better frequency response, but the channel imbalance was still there. So, I rotated the magnet assembly slightly, and got this:

Much better!

 

[USER]

Audio-Technica AT15Ea

I got this cartridge in a lot from Japan a number of years ago. It was inspected by a retipper and doesn't have much wear.

The issue was that there was quite a high frequency roll-off as well as a channel imbalance (the former not helped by the low capacitance of this measurement, but it was still bad):

View attachment 523065
I picked up a tube of that Liqui Moly Power Steering Oil Leak Stop and applied what ended up being an excessive amount to the suspension.

After cleaning it up a bit, I left it to sit for about 24 hours. I did a little more cleanup, and took a measurement. Much better frequency response, but the channel imbalance was still there. So, I rotated the magnet assembly slightly, and got this:

View attachment 523067
Much better!

Impressive!! Seems like a better job I did with one of its brothers a few years ago. I used GummiPfleger but Liqui Moly seems like it works great. Wonder how mine has held up.

Just wanted to let everyone know that I know the index needs an update. I'll get to it soon. The end of the semester is fast approaching and is always a busy time. I'm missing out on all the exciting stuff happening in the realm of turntable measurements too.

 

[Laush]

Pickering TL-3 + LPGear DTL-3 Vivid Line


- w/o brush 1.4g

- with brush 1.5g

+/- 100hrs stylus

 

[Laush]

RXP3 (Shure) + Jico N110E Nude

+/- 20hrs on stylus

 

[mackat]

Sony XL-44

Purchased from Japan recently. Here is the description from the auction:

"Condition: Purchased new. Total usage time is approximately 10 hours. Although it is an older item, there are no signs of significant deterioration."

Well, when the cartridge is level, it's about .5 mm from bottoming out, so I'm not so sure about that.

The suspension seems fine otherwise, so perhaps it's the tension wire?

I was pretty nervous during this measurement:

Very nicely controlled frequency response. I regret not buying the XL-44L that was listed on USAM last year.

This cartridge is set to the Sony overhang spec of 49mm, so it's not aligned quite right for this tonearm.

An interesting anecdote from the manual:

3 mm certainly seems like a lot to me

 

[USER]

Sony XL-44

Purchased from Japan recently. Here is the description from the auction:

"Condition: Purchased new. Total usage time is approximately 10 hours. Although it is an older item, there are no signs of significant deterioration."

Well, when the cartridge is level, it's about .5 mm from bottoming out, so I'm not so sure about that.

The suspension seems fine otherwise, so perhaps it's the tension wire?

View attachment 523568
I was pretty nervous during this measurement:

View attachment 523569
Very nicely controlled frequency response. I regret not buying the XL-44L that was listed on USAM last year.

This cartridge is set to the Sony overhang spec of 49mm, so it's not aligned quite right for this tonearm.

An interesting anecdote from the manual:

View attachment 523570
3 mm certainly seems like a lot to me

Gorgeous FR.


This is the result of an overhang test I conducted a while back.

 

[ElectricWarrior]

3 mm certainly seems like a lot to me

It's totally unlike the geometry one was trying to set. Maybe I should adjust the scale on this... https://alignmentprotractor.com/ali...00&velocity=100&inr=65.998&onr=120.891#result

 

[mackat]

Fidelity Research FR-1 MK2

This is a pretty cool looking cartridge, IMO.

Purchased recently from Japan. This is a very low output MC of only 0.1 mV with a 0.2 x 0.8 mil elliptical diamond.

From what I can find, it was originally released in November of 1967!

(I cut off part of the right channel too early, will post an updated measurement later)

Not bad at all for such an early design. It does have about a 1 dB channel imbalance, which is exactly its spec.

It sounded quite nice in the short time I listened to it.

 

[mackat]

Ortofon 530 MKII

As far as I can tell, this is essentially an OM 30 or Super OM 30 in a different style body.

Here are the measurements:

This is a good example of how crosstalk can differ significantly across test records!

 

[Thomas_A]

Ortofon 530 MKII

As far as I can tell, this is essentially an OM 30 or Super OM 30 in a different style body.

View attachment 524338
View attachment 524339
View attachment 524340

Here are the measurements:

View attachment 524341View attachment 524342
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This is a good example of how crosstalk can differ significantly across test records!

Yep it is. But it lacks the OM body resonances.

 

[Danish ear]

Yep it is. But it lacks the OM body resonances.

Comparing internal inductance and resistance of the OM and 500 series, they doesn't seem to use the same "motor".

 

[Thomas_A]

Comparing internal inductance and resistance of the OM and 500 series, they doesn't seem to use the same "motor".

I think the OMs have had som variations as well, I do not remember actually. But you are probably correct that it is not exactly the same.

 

[lini]

As far as I can tell, this is essentially an OM 30 or Super OM 30 in a different style body.

The latter - i.e., the 5x0(P/II)s & VMs have the same generator data and slit coil cores/pole pins as the SuperOMs (while the 3xxs have the same generator data and solid coil cores/pole pins as the regular OMs). Needle/body interface of the 5x0(P/II)s & VMs and 3xxs is quite a bit tighter compared to the OMs and SuperOMs, though - actually so much so, that swapping the needle isn't really easy and requires a pretty good grip.

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini

 

[Thomas_A]

The latter - i.e., the 5x0(P/II)s & VMs have the same generator data and slit coil cores/pole pins as the SuperOMs (while the 3xxs have the same generator data and solid coil cores/pole pins as the regular OMs). Needle/body interface of the 5x0(P/II)s & VMs and 3xxs is quite a bit tighter compared to the OMs and SuperOMs, though - actually so much so, that swapping the needle isn't really easy and requires a pretty good grip.

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini

Yes, they share quite much, I've a VMS30 mk2 stylus lying around, but somehow I lost the body.

 

[mackat]

Technics EPC205L after the above treatment. Tracks 90um on Ortofon test record.


View attachment 520916

• Yamaha GT750
• TF 1.35 G
• Kenwood basic C2
  • 20pF, 48K
• Cable 120pF
• ADC Zoom TAC2R
• Record CA TRS 1007, Track 1&2

Here is my Technics EPC-205C-IIL after the same treatment. I wasn't able to remove all of it as the suspension is hard to access, so it may have marinated a bit too long.

Still, a nice improvement, IMO, though distortion is higher.

Before: