Introducing the Phono Cartridge Measurement Library

[JP]

In some of the versjons of these annual reports it is mentioned a 3db drop..without any more specifics

have you ever measured the difference in inner/outer with a v15vmr?

Depends on the stylus minor radius fitting in the groove, so it's not only frequency dependent, but also amplitude dependent.

 

[Mikig]

I found an Ortofon 2M Black online for a price that seems fair to me, 275 euros. On my 1210 I have a 2M Bronze. I had thought of replacing only the stylus but for that price I would have a used one that they assure is in good condition. In your opinion is it worth it: the cartridge or the Black stylus compared to the Bromze? Do you have comparable measurements between the two? Thanks!

 

[aaaakkkk]

I found an Ortofon 2M Black online for a price that seems fair to me, 275 euros. On my 1210 I have a 2M Bronze. I had thought of replacing only the stylus but for that price I would have a used one that they assure is in good condition. In your opinion is it worth it: the cartridge or the Black stylus compared to the Bromze? Do you have comparable measurements between the two? Thanks!

If you have no way to know the wear of the stylus, never buy a used cartridge, many sellers lie about the hours. Sometimes it turns out that the seller has 50 hours, but he doesn't know how many hours there were before)

 

[Mikig]

If you have no way to know the wear of the stylus, never buy a used cartridge, many sellers lie about the hours. Sometimes it turns out that the seller has 50 hours, but he doesn't know how many hours there were before)

I totally agree, but in this case I have the option to return it if it is not as described.

 

[Balle Clorin]

Do you have the tools to judge the condition of it?

 

[Mikig]

Do you have the tools to judge the condition of it?

if you mean microscope or similar, no. But I can try to get the stylus as close as possible.

 

[Balle Clorin]

Hard to jugde Even with a USB microscope or other microscope … no chance to see anything without.
A sweep by the script here may give some indication if the distortion is very high , without a comparison with a new one you may not hear anything even if it is worn out..

 

[Quando]

Good program!
The boost in high tones may be due to the fact that instead of the original Fine Line cut bracket, a Shibata cut bracket was installed.
I like that, I don't have to boost the high tones in the amplifier, it works nicely with the 0 setting.
Test of the original Ortofon Valencia, in some time

 

[JP]

The boost in high tones may be due to the fact that instead of the original Fine Line cut bracket, a Shibata cut bracket was installed.

No, the stylus profile itself isn't going to cause that. How are you adjusting for RIAA?

 

[Quando]

No, the stylus profile itself isn't going to cause that. How are you adjusting for RIAA?

Original Technics 1200GR2 RCA Cable > Ortofon T-30 (12 Ohm) > RCA Cable 30cm > Nad 1155 Phono Imput MM 100pf > Nad 1155 Audio Out > Focusritte Clarett 2Pre >

Script Setup:

 

[Quando]

Instead of the NAD 1155 preamplifier I used the Pioneer A-400. The measurement result is the same (similar)

 

[Balle Clorin]

A cartrige for older audiophiles…

 

[Quando]

No Ortofon T-30

 

[Balle Clorin]

Can you try without SUT or other SUT settings. Very early peak … None of mine SUT peaks in audible range like that

But some Ortofon cartridges show similar behaviour..

 

[Quando]

From what I can see in these graphs, 3 measurements of the same cartridge, but with different preamplifiers, the influence of the phono preamplifiers on the cartridge frequency response is rather small, the differences are really negligible........

 

[morillon]

try a another cartdrige ..

 

[Quando]

Can you try without SUT or other SUT settings. Very early peak … None of mine SUT peaks in audible range like that

But some Ortofon cartridges show similar behaviour..

This does not bring any changes.

Here, in place of the original needle, a needle with a different support, a different diamond, a different cut of the needle tip was installed.

The cartridge was previously used, maybe the high-frequency damper no longer works as it should.

It does not bother me particularly, but the fact is that it plays brightly.

 

[USER]

Edited to have this be more of a guide for anyone that gets results like Quando's.

Something is off with Quando's measurements as you will not see others that show a dip below 1kHz. The issue is glaring and related to RIAA. As is well known, the response below 1kHz is generally the same for most cartridges (barring tonearm compatibility issues below 20Hz of course). More, that peaking, though par for the course for Ortofon, does seem a few dBs too high and the slope rises way too early. But, overall, I do think the results reflect the general performance if you imagine the entire FR tilting down by about 2 dBs. First you want to play with the script parameters such as "riaamode" a bit. Of course, the dip in the bass and extra peaking can always be related to the SUT, phono stage, or DAC. Nonetheless it is always a good idea to play around with the parameters to make confirm everything is OK in terms of the script the first time you use it as we require due diligence. Finally, make sure to confirm that you are truly recording at either 44.1 or 96. Those are the only options that the script can run reverse RIAA on.

More with those examples, re-tipping can affect channel balance negatively when improperly done so it is worth a check. If you want to see the channel balance set "file0norm" to 1.

 

[USER]

I should be finishing up some grading but I think I'll try this out now. Hopefully I'll have some preliminary measurements for you all today.

Holy moly is it flimsy.

 

[Quando]

Absolutely fantastic measurement script
Everything is clearly visible.
It took me 10 months to get it up and running, but better late than never.