Introducing the Phono Cartridge Measurement Library

[Balle Clorin]

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.

View attachment 457934

I cartrdge that onllytracks 50um has a defect I suspect- I heard one that barely tracked 60um once and it distorted and mistracked on regular music, Anything that is not broken will track 60um on the ortofon record

 

[Thomas_A]

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

I have not seen any obvious difference. Not sure if the suspension is different or if the tension wire can be set differently. My first thought would be that this change compliance and not HF response.

 

[mackat]

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.

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Very interesting - as far as I remember, this is the first recent measurement of an MP-500 which shows a high-frequency roll-off.

I would love to know what would explain this.

 

[dlaloum]

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

View attachment 457948

I was wondering about the suspension mount - the barrel and its mounting, out of which the cantilever then extends...

That image looks identical to my 10+ year old SAS exemplars

Sadly, tip mass was much higher than is desirable! - I wonder whether that is due to the quite substantial dab of glue holding the needle in place?

 

[acd]

Very interesting - as far as I remember, this is the first recent measurement of an MP-500 which shows a high-frequency roll-off.

I would love to know what would explain this.

Yes, I have noticed that recent measurements don't equal mine. The cartridge is bought new in May from a store in Norway and is not "new old stock". I have made more measurements than those posted with different loads&capacitance and none does have the standard recent "non-roll-off".

 

[acd]

I cartrdge that onllytracks 50um has a defect I suspect- I heard one that barely tracked 60um once and it distorted and mistracked on regular music, Anything that is not broken will track 60um on the ortofon record

It tracks 70mu in a Korf "J-arm", however at the moment I have the standard technics arm installed on the deck. The measurements reflected my impression of the cartridge performance when I used it with the Korf arm. I should have been more precise in the post.View attachment 458102

 

[Thomas_A]

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.

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A bit odd distortion figures L/R. I guess you’ve checked all setups, LTA, antiskate etc. Otherwise I would guess a rather poor stylus/suspension symmetry.

 

[acd]

A bit odd distortion figures L/R. I guess you’ve checked all setups, LTA, antiskate etc. Otherwise I would guess a rather poor stylus/suspension symmetry.

Sorry, what is LTA? May be you mean VTA?

I will measure it again after about 30hours usage, my guess would be that the suspension may benefit from more usage.

 

[Thomas_A]

Sorry, what is LTA? May be you mean VTA?

I will measure it again after about 30hours usage, my guess would be that the suspension may benefit from more usage.

LTA Lateral tracking angle.

 

[acd]

LTA Lateral tracking angle.

Thanks. Ok, zenith as some call it. No, I forgot to check this parameter. Now, all I know is that the cantilever is parallel to the protractor lines. I will microscope the stylus to see whether I need to rotate the cart in the headshell.

 

[narud]

Audio Technica vm540 body with vm45xml stylus

I decided to pick up a 45xml stylus after seeing jp's measurements of this stylus on a 740 body and what looked like its neutrality. however, this particular sample mated to my 540ml body ended up pretty much the same as the full 745xml cart i measured and returned. there have been reports of poorer tracking so i checked it out with the hifinews record. this sample performs as well as the 40ml stylus. i didnt check the last sample i had but i think this one is a little higher compliance than the first one i had. this one has the resonant peak at 9hz and the full 745xml cart was at 10hz. i dont know what effect the heavier body of the 745xml has on the resonant peak though.

unlike last time, i actually listened to music. i might stick with this combo for a while as it is a little less splashy sounding than the 540ml. even though this combo has a larger high end peak than the 40ml stylus, the 40ml is hotter in the 7-9k range and is more apparently bright than the 2db or so lift at 15k of the 45xml.

 

[Balle Clorin]

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.

View attachment 457932

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If you have A Parks Audio Waxwing/Puffin the AIR eq will make this cartridge perfectly linear. A bit surprising variation on the FR on MP 500 posted here, yours actually look like an older generation.. despite purchased recently

 

[IlyaP]

Hi all,
After a long pause and trying the script, I have moved, reinstalled the system and now plan to measure the cartridges I have.
I'll start with the AT-95ML cartridge, it's new , hours 20.
Measured it - 540ohm and 570mH.
I used CA TRS1007.
The mechanical resonance of the cartridge-tonearm is 7Hz.

The question comes up. With the resonance at 8-9 kHz. Why it's there?
In other graphs for this head from this thread, the resonance is around 10-11kHz. Changing the load changes the Q factor. But changing the total capacitance does not shift the resonance. It is already shifted by something.
If you calculate the electrical resonance for this head at 145pF, it should be at 17.5kHz. And for 195pF at - 15kHz.
But according to the graphs of this script it is not where it should be.
Therefore, something is shifting it. So this is a mechanical resonance of the moving cantilever-damper-magnet system? What else could it be?

 

[Thomas_A]

Stylii seem to vary, reason unkown. Damping is one factor though. More should give a lower amplitude at higher f, if I understand it correctly.

 

[IlyaP]

Stylii seem to vary, reason unkown. Damping is one factor though. More should give a lower amplitude at higher f, if I understand it correctly.

Damping does not affect the frequency, only the Q. Frequency is the interaction of the inductance of the cartridge coils and the total capacitance of the cable and phono stage. On the eletric side. If I understand correctly.
So cartridge design is a mixture of addressing the issue of electrical resonance and damping it. To ensure an even response of the frequency response. And mechanical resonance, which depends on the design of the moving oscillator system. It is not for nothing that Shur were so concerned and proud of their moving system. It allows you to get the mechanical resonance away from 20kHz... so that there's an even line within audible range.
If I understand correctly, of course, this hump on the MM cards...

There were measurements on the Nagaoka MP-500, almost in line. That raises even more questions. How can it be measured like that with its 840mH inductance.
I have the MP-500, 560 ohm DCR and 800mH. I'll be measuring it next.

 

[Thomas_A]

Damping does not affect the frequency, only the Q. Frequency is the interaction of the inductance of the cartridge coils and the total capacitance of the cable and phono stage. On the eletric side. If I understand correctly.
So cartridge design is a mixture of addressing the issue of electrical resonance and damping it. To ensure an even response of the frequency response. And mechanical resonance, which depends on the design of the moving oscillator system. It is not for nothing that Shur were so concerned and proud of their moving system. It allows you to get the mechanical resonance away from 20kHz... so that there's an even line within audible range.
If I understand correctly, of course, this hump on the MM cards...

There were measurements on the Nagaoka MP-500, almost in line. That raises even more questions. How can it be measured like that with its 840mH inductance.
I have the MP-500, 560 ohm DCR and 800mH. I'll be measuring it next.

Ideally only the Q should be affected. Damping as seen on the low end by the shure brush however seems to shift it a bit as well

So I am not 100% convinced that you will see exactly the same peak f given different damping of the cantilever. I just can't see very different mass of the same cantilever type, only differences in suspension and damping.

 

[Thomas_A]

Damping does not affect the frequency, only the Q. Frequency is the interaction of the inductance of the cartridge coils and the total capacitance of the cable and phono stage. On the eletric side. If I understand correctly.
So cartridge design is a mixture of addressing the issue of electrical resonance and damping it. To ensure an even response of the frequency response. And mechanical resonance, which depends on the design of the moving oscillator system. It is not for nothing that Shur were so concerned and proud of their moving system. It allows you to get the mechanical resonance away from 20kHz... so that there's an even line within audible range.
If I understand correctly, of course, this hump on the MM cards...

There were measurements on the Nagaoka MP-500, almost in line. That raises even more questions. How can it be measured like that with its 840mH inductance.
I have the MP-500, 560 ohm DCR and 800mH. I'll be measuring it next.

BTW, you have a $7490 phono pre?!

 

[Palmer]

Hi all,
After a long pause and trying the script, I have moved, reinstalled the system and now plan to measure the cartridges I have.
I'll start with the AT-95ML cartridge, it's new , hours 20.
Measured it - 540ohm and 570mH.
I used CA TRS1007.
The mechanical resonance of the cartridge-tonearm is 7Hz.

View attachment 458810View attachment 458807

View attachment 458811

View attachment 458812
The question comes up. With the resonance at 8-9 kHz. Why it's there?
In other graphs for this head from this thread, the resonance is around 10-11kHz. Changing the load changes the Q factor. But changing the total capacitance does not shift the resonance. It is already shifted by something.
If you calculate the electrical resonance for this head at 145pF, it should be at 17.5kHz. And for 195pF at - 15kHz.
But according to the graphs of this script it is not where it should be.
Therefore, something is shifting it. So this is a mechanical resonance of the moving cantilever-damper-magnet system? What else could it be?

View attachment 458830

View attachment 458831

Great pictures, it does seem to be of importance that the stylus is called Micro Line, not Micro Ridge. As I understand it, the Micro Line is a close Shibata like stylus, vs the Micro Ridge, and the second picture especially seems to make the case. Here something more explanatory that I found about those two types- Shibata and Micro Ridge, hope that helps.

 

[IlyaP]

Ideally only the Q should be affected. Damping as seen on the low end by the shure brush however seems to shift it a bit as well

You are now talking about the resonance of the cartridge-tonearm system.
I was referring to the mechanical resonance of the cantilever. Depending on the weight of the moving system (diamond, stylus, magnet) and the stiffness of the elastomer in which the cantilever is fixed.
The fact that it is a mechanical resonance is proved by the fact that by changing the total capacitance, its frequency has not changed, but by changing the resistive load of the phono-corrector it is damped.

 

[JP]

Micro Line is a close Shibata like stylus, vs the Micro Ridge

They’re the same thing - Micro Line is AT’s marketing name for the Micro Ridge.