Introducing the Phono Cartridge Measurement Library

[narud]

After posting the Nagaoka MP-300 measurements, I reinstalled the Nagaoka MP-500 on the Technics 1300G and did some experiments regarding the armheight.

The armbase is situated "quite high" on Technics 1300G (but 3mm lower than 1210G). Therefore, it is difficult to set the arm/headshell parallel to the turntable platter and I had to use two spacers to obtain the "correct" parallel position. With two spacers, the arm/headshell is parallel to the turntable platter at ~0.5mm. This is the armheight I use when listening to music and for all MP-500 measurements so far.

Height ~0mm
View attachment 462945

Height ~0.25mm
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Height ~0.5mm
View attachment 462951

Height ~0.75mm
View attachment 462953

View attachment 462961

View attachment 462963

any chance of measuring the 500 stylus on the 300 body?

 

[mglobe]

since this measurement was taken, i moved the cart over to my technics 1700mk2. the measurements i took after the switch to set the azimuth showed the same level of peaking. ive listened to a handful of albums and took another measurement. im getting less peaking now. suspension breaking in and changing sra maybe?
View attachment 459037

FR looks pretty good, as does distortion, but if i'm looking at this right, channel separation is not great. Interested in comments.

 

[narud]

FR looks pretty good, as does distortion, but if i'm looking at this right, channel separation is not great. Interested in comments.

im sure itd be better using a different record. if you look back at my measurements here of the vm540ml, 150mlx, at33ptgii, signet am50 and tk10ml, shure v15vmr, none of them show separation better than 25db on the str-100. before i picked up the shure scope, i sent a couple of my v15vmr styli to joe long for inspection and one measured 35db and the other 40db iirc. i think hes using the ortofon record.

 

[JP]

Yes, STR-100 is poor for crosstalk. Last I remember Joe used the AP Ultimate test record, for which I believe the reference tracks are cut hot.

 

[mglobe]

im sure itd be better using a different record. if you look back at my measurements here of the vm540ml, 150mlx, at33ptgii, signet am50 and tk10ml, shure v15vmr, none of them show separation better than 25db on the str-100. before i picked up the shure scope, i sent a couple of my v15vmr styli to joe long for inspection and one measured 35db and the other 40db iirc. i think hes using the ortofon record.

Thanks for that clarification.

 

[Garry]

https://fromvinyltoplastic.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Clash-of-the-Cartridges.pdf

This may be of historical interest? HiFi For Pleasure May 1978.

Interesting to see the objective methodology used in the comparison of both moving magnet/iron and moving coil cartridges and the authors conclusions.

Cheers Garrt

 

[borisfom]

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

I had Hana Red that also tracked at 50um - I did manage to get it replaced by Musical Surroundings out of the kindness of their heart (Excel sent it back with 'no warranty repair' note). The replacement, which I assume they selected from many, tracks a bit below 60. So 50 um is sadly a norm with Umami Red.

 

[borisfom]

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

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

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

Yes it looks like Umami (both Red and Blue) do have lower tracking abilities than Hana states - I had one Red that tracked at 50 and also had rather imperfect L/R phasing test with X/Y on the scope (a thin ellipse, not a line) - indicating magnet assembly misalignment. It was on warranty so I tried to exchange it - the process took 6 months and Hana sent it back to the dealer (Musical Surroundings) with a short note 'no warranty repair'. Musical Surroundings did replace it for me though - very kind of them! The replacement tracks at about 59 mkm (very tiny dips on 60mkm, same as my Hana Blue). It also has perfect 45 degree straight line on X/Y scope test, which is probably more important. So it looks like Hana Red does have tracking abilities lower than advertised and high variance (poor QA?). Also the compliance is nowhere near estimated 17 cu - I measured ~9 on first and ~11 on the second. Sounds delightful though!

 

[acd]

any chance of measuring the 500 stylus on the 300 body?

If I can "reborrow" the cart I will do the measurement you ask for.

 

[USER]

Index updated. Phew.

Thanks again to everyone for making this thread happen. At this rate we are well on our way to half a million views in 2.5 years! What a nice way to lead onto page 100.

 

[DSJR]

https://fromvinyltoplastic.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Clash-of-the-Cartridges.pdf

This may be of historical interest? HiFi For Pleasure May 1978.

Interesting to see the objective methodology used in the comparison of both moving magnet/iron and moving coil cartridges and the authors conclusions.

Cheers Garrt

Response Y axis far too shallow, a 2dB change barely noticeable.

My own turntable is different to the review model, but I don't find my low hours ADC ZLM 'edgy,' but rather 'nice and musical,' the usually better XLM III rather too 'nice' for me. My V5IV apparently plays acetates perfectly truthfully/reportedly, but it underplays vinyl and doesn't have the added 'halo' that many MC types seemed to add (ringing post 20kHz?). My good Supex 900E 'sounds' spectacular, but it's not accurate if a decent digital transfer of the master is compared to it, the added 'reverb halo' to me, clearly audible, if gorgeous. I have a delightful if too worn M20E Super and a new M20FL Super stylus used in the same body. It's a bit thick and dull in my 701 and not as Martin Colloms reviewed it back then (Cap210 used as recommended). I also remember the Grado Signature 1 in a Grace 747 unipivot arm on a period Linn LP12 and this had qualities in the midrange that other pickups lacked - the track 'Watching The Aeroplanes' from the newly released Sky 2 album having a knd of 'swirling' background here and there, which the Grado reproduced very well.

Okay, the above is all subjective, but do please remember in your objectivism that ambient temperature and the turntable/tonearm used, can have an effect, especially the former with some pickups (my B&O MMC20CL is a good reported example, but maybe today, modern suspensions don't do this).

Remember, back then, the vinyl and especially the pickup, was chosen to match the speakers and vice versa...

 

[aaaakkkk]

ELP LT-1 Laser Turntable

I used the digitization services on contactless equipment ELP LT-1 Laser Turntable, the LPs are mine, the device is not mine.

1tr, 1-track = outer sweep
2tr, 2-track = inner sweep

 

[narud]

If I can "reborrow" the cart I will do the measurement you ask for.

thanks! im curious to see how the measurements compare since theres been speculation that the 300 and the 500 are the same body.

 

[JP]

ELP LT-1 Laser Turntable

I used the digitization services on contactless equipment ELP LT-1 Laser Turntable, the LPs are mine, the device is not mine.

1tr, 1-track = outer sweep
2tr, 2-track = inner sweep


View attachment 465166View attachment 465167View attachment 465168View attachment 465169

Any chance for 1, 5, 10, and 20kHz spots from a known record?

 

[Thomas_A]

ELP LT-1 Laser Turntable

I used the digitization services on contactless equipment ELP LT-1 Laser Turntable, the LPs are mine, the device is not mine.

1tr, 1-track = outer sweep
2tr, 2-track = inner sweep


View attachment 465166View attachment 465167View attachment 465168View attachment 465169

I wonder how azimuth and crosstalk works and also if the laser reads at 20 degree VTA.

 

[Thomas_A]

I wonder what the drop means.

 

[Thomas_A]

Index updated. Phew.

Thanks again to everyone for making this thread happen. At this rate we are well on our way to half a million views in 2.5 years! What a nice way to lead onto page 100.

Thanks, very good job. I hope even more vinyl users find this thread!

 

[wpbilderback]

Thanks, very good job. I hope even more vinyl users find this thread!

Indeed. With so many in the hi-fi press foregoing any kind of measurements, this thread is especially valuable. Thanks to @USER for the great work, and to all who have contributed.

 

[USER]

ELP LT-1 Laser Turntable

I used the digitization services on contactless equipment ELP LT-1 Laser Turntable, the LPs are mine, the device is not mine.

1tr, 1-track = outer sweep
2tr, 2-track = inner sweep


View attachment 465166View attachment 465167View attachment 465168View attachment 465169

Amazing! Rushing to add this to the index.

Any chance you can record the track on side A? My CA TRS-1007 side Bs tend to droop similarly.

 

[aaaakkkk]

Any chance for 1, 5, 10, and 20kHz spots from a known record?

I didn't like the result, so I don't plan to digitalize anything else on this device for now.