Introducing the Phono Cartridge Measurement Library

[JP]

"Strident Sibilants and Fricatives". Two tracks at different radii, so you can audibly compare performance at the inner groove.

 

[DSJR]

Please do it. The SME III is a masterpiece of an arm for higher compliance cartridges. It always has been downgraded and overlooked because it is not "sexy", but from a technical point of view is the best arm ever for "soft" suspension cartridges like many, should I say a lot more than ever, now on the market.

For some reason (plastics used extensively?), the SME III always 'understated' the music a bit, which was no good for a then rock/prog and some punk loving hairy like I was... I discovered the 'wand' with OM pickup moulded on sounded very good indeed and SME later tweaked the basic version to have a deeper headshell for the more delicate half-inch mount cartridges too, some of which getting livelier in balance (some ATs to start with). I'd suggest not ladling the too-thick damping fluid in the well either and many here used baby oil instead... I used to shave the smallest paddle down, but baby oil is less destructive to an appreciating classic

I've become very fond of my newly acquired used Super OM30. Some say it's not dramatic enough, but it's fine for me on decent vinyl cuts if not perhaps as 'sharply defined' as a half decent MC (not compared it with one of the better OC9s though). 1970s classic such as my low hours Stanton 681EEE, ADC ZLM, B&O MMC20CL and others are gentler up top which is fine when one doesn't have the CD to compare the vinyl to. The B&O is surprisingly good despite temperature sensitivity (can't use it now as winter fast approaches) and the often criticised half-inch adaptor (mine's the superior black one). Anyway, it'll save excess use on the V15 III I have (I terminally damaged the cantilever on my V15 VMR which I loved to bits in my Dual 701).

 

[narud]

vm95en stylus- at95 vs vm95 body

at95-

vm95-

these were cheap so thought id try them. i dont think id ever buy these at full price. i bought a few and tested two. the other one i tested is a db brighter at the peak, but the overall shape of the response looks the same. the two vm95ml styli i have do really well on the at95 body. the extension is much better and no where near as much of a fall off. i was expecting something similar but was pretty disappointed.

 

[Aero]

vm95en stylus- at95 vs vm95 body

at95-
View attachment 407456
vm95-
View attachment 407457


these were cheap so thought id try them. i dont think id ever buy these at full price. i bought a few and tested two. the other one i tested is a db brighter at the peak, but the overall shape of the response looks the same. the two vm95ml styli i have do really well on the at95 body. the extension is much better and no where near as much of a fall off. i was expecting something similar but was pretty disappointed.

Your measurement graphs are wrong. I think he's angry

 

[Aero]

1989 Article

Cartridge prices from 1989. American market
Shure V-15 Type V-MR - $297

(Signet (Audio technica) OC9 - $395)

 

[Aero]

reproducing sibiliants tszz shhj etc

What do you know about sibilants

In Polish it looks like this:

"W Szczebrzeszynie chrząszcz brzmi w trzcinie
I Szczebrzeszyn z tego słynie.
Wół go pyta: „Panie chrząszczu,
Po co pan tak brzęczy w gąszczu?"

"In Szczebrzeszyn a beetle sounds in the reeds
And Szczebrzeszyn is famous for it.

The ox asks him: "Mister beetle,
Why are you buzzing in the thicket?"

 

[Balle Clorin]

Cartridge prices from 1989. American market
Shure V-15 Type V-MR - $297

(Signet (Audio technica) OC9 - $395)View attachment 407642

At that time that was 30-40% of my monthly income after tax. No wonder I was still using AT95E. Totally about if reach … now the same cart is less than 10% of monthly income after tax, still enough to make me question the sanity of this hobby. Glad I still have 930 and 492 and 950 hrs left on my Microlines.

 

[Aero]

make me question the sanity of this hobby.

This hobby is pointless, but it's hard to break free from this addiction

A few years later, 1993. At that time, vinyl records and turntables were thrown in the trash. Everyone bought CDs.

Shure V-15 Type V MR, it was cheaper then, almost 50% ($175)
Ortofon MC 5000 cost $2000 (4x Technics 1200MK2!!!)
AT95E was a cartridge of the AT71E class that cost $45
Technics 1200MK2 turntable cost........ $499

Frequency Response
Shure V15 Type V MR +- 0.75
Ortofon MC 5000 + 2.5 - 0

Ortofon still produces cartridges, Shure hasn't produced cartridges for about 20 years.
Ortofon had a much better business idea

 

[Wiredforsound]

It's amazing what a guy can find.

 

[Wiredforsound]

This hobby is pointless, but it's hard to break free from this addiction

A few years later, 1993. At that time, vinyl records and turntables were thrown in the trash. Everyone bought CDs.

Shure V-15 Type V MR, it was cheaper then, almost 50% ($175)
Ortofon MC 5000 cost $2000 (4x Technics 1200MK2!!!)
AT95E was a cartridge of the AT71E class that cost $45
Technics 1200MK2 turntable cost........ $499

Frequency Response
Shure V15 Type V MR +- 0.75
Ortofon MC 5000 + 2.5 - 0

Ortofon still produces cartridges, Shure hasn't produced cartridges for about 20 years.
Ortofon had a much better business idea

View attachment 407661

View attachment 407662

Ortofon chart not visible

 

[narud]

Your measurement graphs are wrong. I think he's angry

?

 

[Thomas_A]

Your measurement graphs are wrong. I think he's angry

This is not possible to understand.

 

[Balle Clorin]

"Strident Sibilants and Fricatives". Two tracks at different radii, so you can audibly compare performance at the inner groove.

Spoiler: off topic

Thanks, finally something can hear but do not measure clearly( some higher level at 20khz- where I do nor hear, but the TZZZR is very obvious by ear),, Yes even my ATOC9MLii do not reproduce the inner Tacet track, as good as the outer!
Strangely the error is much easier to hear in stereo ,than on a single channel.

But what is the pressing/cutting error and what is my cartidge???

(disregard the blue line)

Her is the sizzle- So I guess 10k+matter at my age after all

 

[Thomas_A]

IMO The Tacet inner groove tests are just example of what can be cut but impossble for any stylus to trace. Music records do not contain these levels at 10 kHz in inner grooves. Perhaps with exception of a few; e.g. the intense 8 kHz peak of ABBAs ”The King has lost his Crown”. It works with the best stylli but is on the border.

Bring back those hollow Beryllium cantilevers with vdH type I…we need the best tracing

 

[USER]

Thanks, finally something can hear but do not measure clearly( some higher level at 20khz- where I do nor hear, but the TZZZR is very obvious by ear),, Yes even my ATOC9MLii do not reproduce the inner Tacet track, as good as the outer!
Strangely the error is much easier to hear in stereo ,than on a single channel.

But what is the pressing/cutting error and what is my cartidge???
View attachment 407746
(disregard the blue line)

Her is the sizzle- So I guess 10k+matter at my age after all
View attachment 407755

It was super interesting comparing the different cartridges JP posted a while ago (on Audiokarma?) in various ways. I do some restoration of incredibly rare rips for some communities and it is useful to have an idea as to how cartridges fail. Here is a broad view of how his AT 150MLX and 95E compare. Sure this close to worst case scenario, but imagine what is left when you try to de-ess, de-click, or de-noise that AT95E! Just say no to ellipticals!

 

[Aero]

?

This VM 95EN cartridge has a 0 dB HF peak?
This measurement is strange.

 

[narud]

This VM 95EN cartridge has a 0 dB HF peak?
This measurement is strange.

as i stated, the other stylus i tested had a 1db higher peak. theres variation from stylus to stylus. heres the graph from the other stylus i tested on the at95 body. the info line is wrong as i hadnt changed it yet. i wasnt intending on posting this.

 

[JP]

IMO The Tacet inner groove tests are just example of what can be cut but impossble for any stylus to trace. Music records do not contain these levels at 10 kHz in inner grooves. Perhaps with exception of a few; e.g. the intense 8 kHz peak of ABBAs ”The King has lost his Crown”. It works with the best stylli but is on the border.

Bring back those hollow Beryllium cantilevers with vdH type I…we need the best tracing

I think of it as more of a "destructive" test, in that to ascertain how well a stylus does, nothing can play it perfectly or there'd be no way to gauge by how much ones that "pass the test" pass. If you will.

 

[narud]

Signet TK10ML

-Signet TK10ML with supposedly three months of use. A little more worn than what i was hoping for with that description, but not too bad.
-Technics 1700mk2 with damper.
-art dj pre on 100pf setting

i also tried this through my emotiva xps-1 with a 220pf input cap (300pf total). not wildly different.

its the highest compliance cart ive come across with the resonant frequency at 6hz. my 33ptg2 is 7hz, 540ml at 9hz and v15vmr at 10hz. ill probably swap the ptg back in on the 1700mk2 as it doesnt have quite so big of a dip in the mids.

on a functional note, dealing with removing the stylus was a harrowing experience. make sure you havent had too much coffee. i had to pull it out to get the front diamond pic. super fiddly and i had to use tweezers to get it on the stage as my fat fingers would have tweaked the magnets.

 

[jfiveeight]

Please humor this not at all veiled attempt at asking purchasing advice, but I would rather inquire here and then provide useful data.

Carts in consideration:
ART9XA
AT33SA
VM760SLC
Hana SL mk1 or mk2

Open to other ideas in this price range that measurements are needed for from designs/companies that have a good track record. Two notes are I am looking to achieve near flat FR, and this will be going through a CA duo and then most likely a Darlington Labs MP7b. Of course, I'll get CBR measurements from both if it is worth it. I don't have any actual testing equipment.