Introducing the Phono Cartridge Measurement Library

[nathan]

Posting in the proper place now

Goldring 1042

I've been curious about this cartridge for a while, but hadn't been able to find any measurements online.

This is a truly low compliance MM cartridge (16 mm/N vertical) fitted with an advanced stylus cut, something fairly rare these days. It uses a Gyger S, at approximately 5/120 µm.

Contrary to some dubious internet rumors, it is not manufactured in China; "Made in England" is still very prominently stamped on the top of the cartridge body.

I fitted it to a Technics EPA-A501L tonearm wand, at 18g effective mass.

View attachment 416673

And now, for the measurements:

At 1.8g

View attachment 416674
Not bad at all, and certainly better than I expected for this cartridge with a relatively high tip mass of 0.45 mg!

2.0g

View attachment 416675
Now let's add 200 more pF of capacitance via a loading plug...

View attachment 416676
Look at that peak and roll-off! This cartridge is definitely capacitance-sensitive.

Now for the bad: at 2.0g, this cartridge only makes it through the 50 and 60 µm bands of the Ortofon test record. At 2.5g (well outside the recommended range of 1.5-2.0g), it just barely makes it through the 70 µm band. Interestingly enough, the Audio Note IQ-III, a rebadged/upgraded variant, extends that range to 2.5g.

Overall, a mixed bag, though I am impressed with its relative flatness compared to much of what we see today. Channel matching and distortion are also good.

IMO, very overpriced at the US MSRP of $699, but it can be gotten from Europe for a bit over $300.

I think it’s a good choice if you are partial to low-compliance cartridges and high mass tonearms.

Sorry for the tangent, but I'll be setting up one of these on a Music Hall MMF 5.1 with the stock tone arm, and am not conversant enough in understanding these measurements to know what, if any, setup modifications/approaches I should take, based on how this cartridge measures. (Happy to be directed to a different thread, if that makes more sense than asking here.)

 

[watchnerd]

Sorry for the tangent, but I'll be setting up one of these on a Music Hall MMF 5.1 with the stock tone arm, and am not conversant enough in understanding these measurements to know what, if any, setup modifications/approaches I should take, based on how this cartridge measures. (Happy to be directed to a different thread, if that makes more sense than asking here.)

What arm does the MMF 5.1 come with?

Last I knew, Music Hall used various ProJect tonearms (many of which are not high mass).

 

[acd]

Audio Technica Art 9 from 2017. Not used much, i.e. assumed less than average for an MC at this age. Tracks 70mu on the old Ortofon test record. Subsonic filter ON.

 

[Thomas_A]

So who will be the first to measure this:

JV15TYPEⅢ COMING SOON – JICO

www.jico-stylus.com

 

[watchnerd]

Audio Technica Art 9 from 2017. Not used much, i.e. assumed less than average for an MC at this age. Tracks 70mu on the old Ortofon test record. Subsonic filter ON.

View attachment 456911

Do you know if it's any different from the current ART9XI?

(I have the XA)

 

[acd]

Do you know if it's any different from the current ART9XI?

(I have the XA)

The cantilever is tapered on Art 9. I don't know whether internals are changed.

 

[watchnerd]

The cantilever is tapered on Art 9. I don't know whether internals are changed.

Thanks, looks the the compliance is slightly lower in the XI.

 

[nathan]

What arm does the MMF 5.1 come with?

Last I knew, Music Hall used various ProJect tonearms (many of which are not high mass).

Yes, it is labeled ProJect but I'm not sure how to further identify it.

 

[Thomas_A]

Shure V15V with JICO SAS/B

Track 9 & 10

With 240 pF 36k loading

Notes

• Stylus is completely new
• VTA adjusted with shims
• Used standard loading 240 pF/47 kOhm
• Slight rise but no extensive peaking 10-20 kHz, recommended loading 200-300 pF, 30-36 kOhm. Middle test track looks more linear with 240 pF/47 kOhm
• Dips a bit below 50 Hz, cause unknown. Might be the arm resonance at 62 Hz, or that the stylus suspension needs some workout. Will check again after 20 h use.
• Lower distortion vs. the original HE stylus
• Needed quite some adjustments of azimuth, set by Ortofon test record.
• Ortofon test record 1 kHz gave around -35 dB crosstalk, but only around -21 dB on CA-TRS1007. The AP test record gave about -24 dB. One of the unsolved mysteries. I've had stylii where the Ortofon test record gives suprisingly low values while others give average values for the SAS/B microridge. Sometimes it is the other way around; Ortofon gives average values but other give very low crosstalk. What is it with the Ortofon vs. Neuman cutter and different stylii of the same kind? Yosh say something about it but cannot grasp that. Below from http://www7a.biglobe.ne.jp/~yosh/vta.htm

 

[Balle Clorin]

If you correct VTA by 8 degree the SRA maybe suffers? And make the crosstalk suffer?

 

[Thomas_A]

If you correct VTA by 8 degree the SRA maybe suffers? And make the crosstalk suffer?

Have not seen that before and same result without shim. I will check with the AP record what I get as well.

 

[Thomas_A]

Been listening quite a bit and I think it is a bit step up from the Shure V15Vx with JICO SAS/B. Perhaps because it is more linear.

 

[dlaloum]

Been listening quite a bit and I think it is a bit step up from the Shure V15Vx with JICO SAS/B. Perhaps because it is more linear.

The V15V SAS/B?

 

[Thomas_A]

The V15V SAS/B?

Yes

 

[dlaloum]

Yes

Interesting - I always felt, based on my measurements, that the higher inductance bodies (eg: V15IV) would suit the SAS better than the low inductance ones (V15V) - you are showing me the opposite.... perhaps Jico have improved the SAS styli (particularly the cantilever) since I purchased my SAS/B for V15V....

 

[Thomas_A]

Interesting - I always felt, based on my measurements, that the higher inductance bodies (eg: V15IV) would suit the SAS better than the low inductance ones (V15V) - you are showing me the opposite.... perhaps Jico have improved the SAS styli (particularly the cantilever) since I purchased my SAS/B for V15V....

It might be a change on the JICO side. The latest measurement of @wpbilderback also showed that. It is quite easy to get it linear by just reducing R to 30-36k. The drop below 50 Hz is partly due to my RIAA (which drops slightly below 50 Hz; -0.4 dB at 20 Hz).

 

[dlaloum]

It might be a change on the JICO side. The latest measurement of @wpbilderback also showed that. It is quite easy to get it linear by just reducing R to 30-36k. The drop below 50 Hz is partly due to my RIAA (which drops slightly below 50 Hz; -0.4 dB at 20 Hz).
View attachment 457773

Have you (has anyone) taken some close up images of the SAS cantilever structure recently? - curious to see whether (how?) it has changed!

 

[acd]

Nagaoka MP500 brand new (May 2025). About 10 hours. Tracks 80mu on the old Ortofon test record. Subsonic filter ON in Lupe. Now, I post 200pF & 100pF. Will add other pFs when I get around to do the measurements.

 

[acd]

Hana Umami Red from December 2024. Used about 30 hours. Very difficult to get it right - I have done more adjustments on this cart setup than any other cart I have access to. Tracks 50mu (not very impressive) on the old Ortofon test record. Notice the "sparks" above 5k in the FR which add a certain "audiophile" freshness, see also the associated cross-talks.

 

[wpbilderback]

Have you (has anyone) taken some close up images of the SAS cantilever structure recently? - curious to see whether (how?) it has changed!

Here is a photo of mine. I have no idea how it might compare to an older variant.