Introducing the Phono Cartridge Measurement Library

[mackat]

Nagaoka MP-200

I was hoping that this one would be as flat as the MP-500, but alas, it isn't so. I'll have to do a test with lower capacitance, but I doubt it will affect much.

Still a nice sounding cartridge

EDIT: It does look like it prefers less capacitance!

 

[Balle Clorin]

Where du you get that low capacitance?

 

[morillon]

Where du you get that low capacitance?

just the cable ? ;-)

 

[Thomas_A]

Nagaoka MP-200

I was hoping that this one would be as flat as the MP-500, but alas, it isn't so. I'll have to do a test with lower capacitance, but I doubt it will affect much.

Still a nice sounding cartridge

View attachment 362439

EDIT: It does look like it prefers less capacitance!

View attachment 362562

Try reduce the 47l to 35-40k if you have the possibility.

 

[mackat]

Where du you get that low capacitance?

Blue Jeans LC-1 interconnect and Sutherland phono stage that doesn’t have added capacitance

 

[morillon]

Blue Jeans LC-1 interconnect and Sutherland phono stage that doesn’t have added capacitance

12.2 pF/ft

 

[dlaloum]

Blue Jeans LC-1 interconnect and Sutherland phono stage that doesn’t have added capacitance

I use the LC1 too (and cut it short, to get the C even lower)... I'm down at 60pf (but that requires the phono stage be placed right next to the TT...)

 

[Balle Clorin]

But the phonostage must have som pF, it cannot be zero, my meter fluctuates strangely when I try to measure input C, and the arm cable in my SME adds15pF too..

 

[dlaloum]

But the phonostage must have som pF, it cannot be zero, my meter fluctuates strangely when I try to measure input C, and the arm cable in my SME adds15pF too..

On my setup, the C measurement (60pf) includes the arm cabling.

BUT - I simply have no idea how I could go about measuring the C of the phono stage - yes it has no "additional" C loading (unless I add it via plugs) - but how to measure the base preamp capacitance?

 

[Balle Clorin]

Hard do do correctly, we probably have to trust whatever the manufacturer state. Why it is difficult I do not understand

 

[mackat]

Here is the MP-200 at 34k Ω. I'm guessing somewhere around 40k would be optimal.

Normalized version of the graph:

MP-500 at the same loading (not sure what's up with the LCH 2H distortion. It seems to randomly go pretty high on some tests with this cartridge)

 

[Balle Clorin]

How do they sound?
Any photos of the stylus on record for SRA check

 

[mackat]

How do they sound?
Any photos of the stylus on record for SRA check

The MP-200 sounds good at both loadings. I didn't listen to the MP-500 at 34k due to the obvious downward slope in the response.

I'll have to work on the SRA stuff. The MP-200 was very slightly tail down, while the MP-500 was slightly tail up, possibly due to small manufacturing variations in the arm wands.

I try to level the arm wands themselves, which can be a bit tricky as they are tapered.

 

[mackat]

Dynavector DV-50A

This is an NOS cartridge that I acquired a couple weeks back.

It's a good thing it has a strong stylus protector, as one of the mounting screws had come slightly loose in shipping and it was rattling around when I opened the box

Not bad at all! It sounds quite nice.

 

[Balle Clorin]

The top end distortion looks a bit high to be NOS..?Maybe running in will help

 

[mackat]

The top end distortion looks a bit high to be NOS..?Maybe running in will help

I’m not sure that you can really predict wear based on distortion by comparing cartridges by different manufacturers.

Certain MC’s just seem to have higher distortion in general.

 

[USER]

I've seen that distortion trend a lot in 1970s-early 1980s cartridges.

Great measurement and wonderful, rare cartridge @mackat.

 

[mackat]

Thank you @USER!

I’d love to measure a Karat, but they’re so pricey

 

[Thomas_A]

Have not done it systematically but checking the level at 5 kHz, low distortion (< -30 dB) seems to correlate to:

- fine-line or micro-ridge stylii
- new stylii

 

[aaaakkkk]

Have not done it systematically but checking the level at 5 kHz, low distortion (< -30 dB) seems to correlate to:

- fine-line or micro-ridge stylii
- new stylii

In my (retyped Rega Ania) I replaced (cantilever + Shibata stylus from Sony XL-45) with (Boron+SAS) and the distortion became less. I also tried installing a stylus from Nagaoka MP-100 into Empire 1000 and I didn’t like the distortion graph, it looked worse than in measurements from Mackat MP-500.