Out of all the audiophile channels out there, your channel is the most informative because you dig deep into the details. I salute your efforts!!!

Three years after you produced this video I can honestly say I understand why you got so many positive comments. In my travels around KZfaq there are not many other audio channels that go into the detail with great clarity that you do. I’ve never heard anyone talk about matching compliance of tonearm and cartridge before. I am also blown away by how many of the comments you respond to. That doesn’t happen very often on KZfaq either. So now that we are three years down the road I wanted to let you know that you still got it Guido.

And here I was so proud of myself after I straightened out the bent tonearm I had, taking it from an s-shape to a straight tube, and took my friend’s suggestion to tape two quarters on top of the cartridge. No more skipping! * JUST KIDDING * Still putting aside for my next upgrade: Ortofon Black - can’t wait!!

Thank you for simplifying and explaining how to get the correct combination of cartridge, arm and phono pre. This would have saved me a lot of grief and money when I was younger. Trial and error is a hard way to learn where there is a precise mathematical formula to achieve a good result. You make sense to me.

After I am done listening, I decided to donate my turntable lol.

I was in dubt with the coupling of a cartridge with my tonearm. I remember I saw your video, did my math and it's all right. Thank you so much Guido, highly appreciated.

Moving iron cartridges are great as well. often overlooked, I have a Moving Permalloy Nagaoka, sounds fantastic its has often better scanning of a record then a moving coil cartridge due to the metal being lighter they can also produce high signal voltages so they can produce the same as a MM cartridge, easier for the pre amp to pick up. Best of both worlds.

Thanks for the insights, another tip for matching Compliance with desired cartridge is that lot of headshells are available in different Weights like the audio technica at-lh Series + for fine adjustments adding shims on the headshell so you can get as near es possible to the 10 hz . Im Using the Project phonobox ds3b - its nice to set up the cartridge Specs on the front of the Preamp especially when using multiple carts for different listening needs

Thanks so much for this. I received a Pro-Ject X1 for Christmas and I'm planning on replacing the Pick It S2 MM catridge it came with. Either with a Nagaoka MP-200, a Grado Opus 3 cartridge or an Ortofon 2M Bronze. Your video will help me to choose. Thanks again.

Thanks so much for making this video!! I'm new to the hobby so this is a HUGE help. Now I have somewhat of an idea what I should look for in a cartridge/preamp to pair up with my turntable. I haven't bought anything yet but at least I can rest easy knowing I have made an informed decision, whatever combination I end up getting. :D

finally, audiphile / hifi stuff that sticks to the facts and gives actual useful info! subbed!

Probably your best upload amigo. Hope you and yours are all well.

i strongly recommend Pat & Mick's 'on the night' when it comes to matching suitable tone arm;made easy,valuable context. hope it helps viewers.

Thank you for a VERY helpful video! this is a must watch for all vinyl people.

Thank you very much for all this videos about turntables and so on. I am looking to buy my first turntable soon and this actually helps a lot and is very well explained.

I've only just tipped my toe into Turntables and have a few very nice vintage Pioneer PL series TTs. I am only starting to purchase different cartridges to try out. I don't have a pre amp as such but any of my Pioneer SX 50 or 80 series receivers have excellent phono sections. BTW, I love that you have the Queen " The Studio Collection" up there on the shelf. I have two 1st edition ones in my collection.

Very astute video. You are absolutely correct in emphasizing the importance of the phono-cartridge as one of the most important links in a vinyl record-playing system. Similar to a loudspeaker, the cartridge is an electro-mechanical transducer which changes mechanical motion into an electrical signal. A loudspeaker, of course, does the exact opposite -- changing an electrical signal into mechanical motion. As such, these two links tend to be, as you imply, the most critical or, let us say, the two links most subject to variation. As a user of the Shure V-15 Type V cartridge I was advised to add a small capacitor to the wiring leading to the cartridge as Shure had made such a recommendation. Very interesting that you raised the importance of that factor. With a CD player, one electro-mechanical transducer link is effectively eliminated. It is simply reading digital data from a disc which it converts into an analog electrical signal. Although some claim otherwise, I don't think there is much, if any, difference to be heard from one CD player to another. Being electromechanical transducers, microphones, phono cartridges and loudspeakers remain a combination of science and art.

Cartridge and speakers are the only transducers in the system. They affect sound the most and will have the most subjective affect.

You've inadvertently answered my question. I have a modded Rega arm and would like to get the Denon 103R sone have said the arm mass is a bit light. But it seems I can just get the Soundsmith headshell screw to add the needed mass. Thanks, great channel.

Great content! This is hugely valuable. Thank you

Excellent video. Very informative. Excellent communication. Perfect pace tone of voice . Easy to understand . Thank you so much!

Thank you! This will help me a lot to buy my first turntable and system!!! It was very calm and nice explained for someone who tries to get into this topic! :) (I heard some systems and found that the Nagaoka MP-200 sounds very good for me. Now I can look if the turntable (with the tonearm) would fit and also I am able to search now for a good (but not expensive preamp) a recommendation would be fine :)

I used to be into this stuff and remember something that happened when I purchased a Japanese brand in the $350.00 range. I wound up picking up a radio station with it. I called the manufacturer and they told me to buy a resistor to solder on some points and it killed that problem.

Most MM cardridges do fine on 47K ohm first resistor input phone amp Capacitance is a mostly not written on specs. They variatie from 47pF till 220pf one rule the higher the capacity the more the high tones are filtered out of the Amp. So if you have a less bass sound you can go higher in pF (Pico fahrad) MC is mostly without capacitance rather the more the resistor from 5K till 68k or sometimes higher. Most phono amp have fixed values. Go for a phono amp with dips witches inside the phono amp. So you can adjust it to your taste. My MM cardridge is a Grado reference platinum 2 wood Specs: OUTPUT: 4.8mV @ 5 CMV (45) CONTROLLED FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 10-60 KHZ CHANNEL SEPARATION: AVERAGE 40 DB - 10-30 KHZ LOAD: 47,000 OHMS INDUCTANCE: 40 mh RESISTANCE: 600 OHMS NON SENSITIVE TO CAPACITIVE LOAD CHASSIS MASS: 10 GRAMS TRACKING FORCE: 1.5 - 1.9 GRAMS So this grado isn't sensitive to capacitance load. Nice video good explanation

Very helpful. Not too technical at all.

On the Shure test records there were tracks to find the resonance frequency of the tonearm /cartridge combination.... MC don't need amplification , the energy is sufficient but needs only a conversion of current to voltage , something that's done by a quality step up transformer..........amplifying is an aberration but common commercial practice. Good transformers are pricy......... Your advice is correct ........go for a quality MM if a quality MC and step up is out of your budget.

You're doing a great job of over complicating things 👍🏾

I found in the trash a lenco p75 10’years ago it has a shure mt5 type 2 cartridge I’m waiting to find a perfect stylus for it, so what I recommend is buy and old good turntable probably comes with a killer cartridge

Just for fun i hooked my DL-130 (not my main cart) LOMC 0.3 mV up with my MM phonostage at 47k With only 50 dB gain. This only produces roughly a 100 mV signal, but nevertheless - It sounded amazing. Even though it's supposed to be hooked up with 250 ohms load..! I keep seeing people reporting this, .. - they hooked their low impedance Lomc up with 47k load and it sounds good and sometimes better than other options.. 😅 The manufacturers always list "Greater than 100 ohm load" in the specs sheets; but i guess 47k ohm falls within that specification😝 I just wanted to hear my de'Paravicini EAR Yoshino phonostage without the SUT's active, then it's running 47k.. and it sounds better.. SUT's taints the soundstage not worth it. Now I'm on the lookout for a cartridge with 0.7 - 1,2 mV 5cm/sec, Benz micro glider SM .. hmm You guys got any suggestions for a great medium output MC?

Excellent learning ! Thanks

Thank you for the education. Awesome video.

I've had my Audio Technica turntable since January. I purchased at Best Buy in Edwardsville. Toney Tillery Isaiah.

I was watching the video. I don't fully understand the language and that's why I don't fully understand it. Surely your explanation has been excellent. I have an AKAI AP-D30 turntable and an AKAI AM-U04 amplifier. Originally this turntable came with a PC90 cartridge and RS90 stylus. It had excellent sound but it deteriorated from use. Then I put in an Ortofon 2M Red but I was never 100% convinced of its sound. It's not the sound I like. I am now using a Technics 270 C-II and I am in love with its sound. I would like to know what cartridge you would recommend for my turntable, since I want to have a new one in addition to the Technics. Thank you so much. Norberto

Great video. My compliments!!

I am somewhat new to collecting vinyl, and you could consider me a beginner to everything that has to do with setting up a turntable. The Technics turntable I got had an Audio-Technica 2002 cartridge on it, but I felt I should get a new one. So, I upgraded to an AT95E. What I didn't realize is that not all cartridges just connect to the front of the arm like my last one, and the connectors in the back are too big to fit. I am not sure exactly what to do about it at this point.

Excellent episode, as usual!! Congrats!

For moving coil cartridge the phono stage is low noise. Moving coil cartridges are not weak signal but a low output signal. Because moving coil cartridges have low voltage but High current. As for cost there are great moving coil cartridges that start about five to six hundred dollars

I have an old Rega RP 1 TT . I wish to upgrade, I understood the 3 aspect to look into. The cartridge ..the preamp …the tone arm …. I am not sure about the stock components for these aspect with RP1 ….I only know that the cartridge is a carbon make … conical…. But tone arm…no idea …if my choice of cartridge would need a change in the tone arm….I am on budget … so can’t the ambitious to go for MC cartridge …. You gave nice examples of preamp and cartridges to explain the technical points that are required for choosing the item … in my scenarios, can you sum up and tell me which preamp and the applicable cartridge that I can go about to get significant Sonal performance w.r.t its own stock reference parameters …

Hello there and thanks for your information. I have a Denon DP 11-F turntable that is over 40 years old. I am still using the original Grado G1 cartridge. I am in the market to replace the cartridge. My question is two-fold: 1. Do you have a recommendation for the new cartridge 2. Will it make more sense to invest in a new turntable and cartridge?

Hello, for the compliance calculation i wrote to the manufacturer to know the tonearm weight. Do i have to add the counterweight in the calculation? Respectfully.

I also hear of a pair of fairchild's tub amps for my amplifier setup

Damn. Thanks for explaining this. I've got a 9900z Sansui receiver and Dual 622 TT and was wandering if you need a phono preamp.

Heres the info on the tone arm I see on my table. I dont see where I can find the weight of the the arm. Am I missing something? Technics 1210GR Head shell weight Approx. 7.6 g Applicable cartridge weight range (Without the auxiliary weight) 5.6 to 12.0 g 14.3 to 20.7 g (including the head shell) (With the auxiliary weight) 10.0 to 16.4 g 18.7 to 25.1 g (including the head shell)

Is it static figure that gets put in for calculation (thereby converting from dynamic, when only that’s available)? Thanks

Thanks

Just need an Excel sheet. Need a at3600l replacement. Want to get AT VM95e. Will it work!

Nice of you going in depth about the resonance frequency/cartridge compliance. I have never really understood what the value meant; so if I''m right, it's a value determining the rigidity/stiffness of the cartridge body and cantilever? The Dynavector 10x5 cartridge you showed looks very interesting, especially because of its high output and 'low' price (my 2M Black costs about the same, while being MM). I like higher output voltages because of the better signal to noise ratio. Thanks for showing me that one.

I have a Pro-Ject Tube Box-S phono pre-amp and a Shure M97XE (MM) and a Hana EL (MC) cartridge. I upgraded to the Hana around a year ago and I re-installed my old Shure and I have to say I love it so much more. The Hana really creates a harsh sound with some of my records and overall too much of a thin high pitched sound signature...for my liking. If I upgraded to a much more expensive pre-amp would that make the Hana just shine and make me forget the Shure or is it just a fact that I like MM and my Shure cartridge better? So confused.... Great video BTW...thanks. Oh, also, I have tried all possible settings for my two cartridges and the end result is the same.

Exelent episode, thanks so much, could you give a brief explanation about variable reluctance cartrige type, thanks

I'm basically starting from scratch I've owned TD 124s I've owned oracles I've owned micro seiki and a lot of other high end turntables but now I'm down to no turntables and need advice as far as best matchup for a turntable arm and cartridge setup I do have a quicksilver tube preamp with a separate phono section so would need some advice. Please if you could help me that would be great.

*DAMN ... it is not so easy TASK .... but is doable !!!!* :o)) Thank U 4 your wonderful advice. I already put this video in my FAVORITES folder !!!!

Thank you, that was a really nice roundup! I have a question regarding Ortofon cartridges, because you can only find "lateral compliance" in their spec sheets. What does that mean?

Why does the overall mass of the tone arm matter when the downward force can be adjusted? Most cartridges require about 2 gr of force. Probably not using the correct term.

This is a good video, sharing a lot of important knowledge. I must say, though, that I do disagree with the "Moving coil generally sounds better than moving magnet"... that is simply NOT true. There are many moving magnet and moving iron cartridges that blow moving coils costing MUCH more out of the water.

I like all your information

This is the sort of information that makes an all-digital system look pretty good.

Nice tutorial Sir.

the most important part of a turntable is all of it , platter(TT) , arm and cartridge if any one them are crap you get crap

Useful video! Like you, I have a Technics 1200g. I’m using a Dynavector 10x5 currently (swapped from my old Rega P5), standard head shell and firm funk Achromatic. What Cartridge are you using on your 1200g? And which headshell and mat? A subject for another video perhaps - testing upgrades on the 1200g? ;-)

I modded a nad pp2 recapped , faster opamp, and a capacitors multiplier power supply for low noise.

When it comes to the capacity for the MM system, you shouldn't forget the approx. 100 pF (Technics SL-1210 MK2) of the connection cable.

Thanks ❤

Love the videos, great help! Can you help me understand how to use the Japanese Dynamic Compliance spec (im guessing its 100hz) for a Nagaoka cart. If it lists the compliance as 8.5 x 10-6 cm/dyne, do I multiply by factor of 2? Is the compliance really then 17? Thank you!

hold on a minute, some of these calculations are exactly what im doing for my electrical qualifications lol. resonance frequency and stuff like that, q factor and bandwith etc

I was eying a few tonearm however none mentioned anything about the tonearm weight.. just the net weight about 750g. They do say cartridge + headshell weight 15-45g range tho.. so I can’t check the resonance frequency based on this I guess

Hi great video i have a technics sl1210 gr with a Denon DL 103R which i really like what do you suggest the compliance with the tonearm tracking weight and impedance should be for this cart i also have a rega fono mc thanks for any guidance you can give me

Does compliance matter so much with low mass, short linear tonearms? I use a Transfi Audio Terminator.

Wha? Certainly not Layman's terms but digestable with some focus. Thanks!

hi....you always come up with very informative videos. since you have a great deal of knowledge and experience I would like to seek your advice on, well, cleaning records. it's usually hot and humid here and since many of my records were bought second hand, they have a lot of fungus....white patches that diminish when washed (but never go away) and return when kept unplayed for some months. Besides I bought a new record a couple of months ago tha t had too much of lint and now that I have washed it, it's seems to have accumulated sediment in the groove that produces a hush hush like sound. Damage done, but is there any way out? Ive stopped washing records and my old ones have got some serious fungi infestation going on. It's really humid here in Calcutta! What to do? Please help!!!

Hi.... I just bought a new music hall mmf- 9.3 with the Goldring Eroica LX low-output moving-coil cartridge and Gyger II line contact stylus. I need your help in choosing a preamp. I was told that a Musical Fidelity M6s PRE Balanced Preamp would do the trick. any help would be much obliged, thank you.

Hi i have a 32 + years old Technics SL-BD22 which takes PMount carts only and since 3 hours ago i've replaced the Technics cart P-34 with an Audio Technica AT-85EP, and i saw some interesting sound quality difference , it sounds a little bit better overall by my opinion, and also more detail in hi frequencies especially, my 52+ years old ears can detect more high frequencies I know my tt is not something special but this cart i believe it is what best it could be for it at-least is what i believe . I don't know your opinion about this AT-85EP ? Nice and detailed video as usual :-)

How well would the VM540ML mate with the tonearm on my Yamaha PX-3 turntable or would the VM740ML be a better match? Appreciate any help its all a little confusing 😂

I’m new to Vinyl - My TT is a fully restored Thorens TD 125 MK ll with SME M2-9-R Arm and Ortofon 2M Bronze cart. The Preamp is an Audio Research PH3 SE. My front end consists of Sonic Frontiers Line 3, Power 3s and Martin Logan CLX Art speakers. The Preamp was purchased recently when I became interested in Vinyl. The previous owner was using a MC & I had to remove the load resistor to have any volume. The ARC PH3 SE input impedance is 47 ohms at 90pF unbalanced. The Ortofon 2M Bronze recommend load capacitance is 150-300pF. Currently, I don’t like the overall sound, could it be that I need to adjust the load capitalize to the recommend 150-300pF? Should I stay on the low end of the range, or does that matter?

Brilliant video and fantastic channel

Hey for audio research sp3 mc or mm which will you recommend?

This is an old video. I hope you see this question. I have a sansui 9090DB that has a Sansui 929 with a jelco 750d tone arm. The original was damaged in a moving accident. I now have an AT120E that I hate. MC is very attractive to me but all my searches found most people not using that tonearm or reciever. Please help. I'd like to put a new cartridge soon. And thank you.

I am looking to upgrade my Scott turn table with a cartridge. I have an integrated Amp and i was wondering how input sensitivity played into this equation. Mine has a sensitivity of “Phono MM: 2.5mV” is this something i need to pay attention to when buying a moving magnet cartridge and if so what do i need to look for?

I have a Thorens TD 125 Mk II w/ SME 3009 Series II (Improved) tonearm. I've narrowed down my cart options to the following: DL-301 MkII - $400 Shure V15-III - $200 Dynavector 10 x 5 High - $750 Audio-Technica AT33EV - $475 Audio-Technica VM740ML - $325 Audio-Technica VM760SLC - $650 Grado Gold 1.5mV - $600 SoundSmith Carmen - $800 SoundSmith Otello - $380 Which would you lean toward in terms of best bang per $ of for sound quality? I'm less concerned with the detail/analytical end of it and value the musicality of punchy lows and brighter highs.

I just got in the Ortofon 2mRed. $130 total. Hell that's all to me. Especially for such a small item. The sound is abit better then the stock that I had. I have a Pioneer PLX-500. And I'm pretty sure it had the same stylus and cartridge that the Audio Techinca LP60 has. The stylus was more of a dark color. Where as the Ortofon is a silver color. I'm not sure the difference there

A few questions if you don't mind. One, I just bought a Music Hall 1.5 turntable. I know they aren't the best but it works for what I need. My dad also gave me his old Technics SL-QX300 still with original box!! first, Can you recommend a good stylus and cartridge for my music hall? Also why is it better to store records on edge rather than laying flat. one would think being flat would lessen the warping. Thank You

I wonder whether I can mount Ortofon 2m (red) on my Dual 704 with original tonearm, if I use Technics SU-7300 amplifier with phono stage? The problem is that older equipment usually doesn't have much info around.

Can you please explain to me if the nominal tonearm effective mass is calculated including headshell or without? I want to install a 26gr/ 5cu compliance/ 3gr tracking force cartridge to 3012R tonearm. I imagine I have to change the headshell anyway, but without knowing this parameter can not decide which one (btw which is the weight of original headshell?). I need to reach a total 50 effective mass. Your help would be very much appreciated,

Very interesting video!

I have the same turntable! See if you can hunt down an original Sony headshell.

My cartrage Audeo tek 230 setting ballance weight , I have to give it 0.1 to reduce record wear . now the top end sounds more crisp , I think I read it wrong ,bad

Actually would be nice to show us an actual physical example of a cartridge phono setup?

Hello! I got a new Hana SL cartridge. Do you think Schiit Mani phono amp would fit? George

Not kidding but on my Crosley stack o matic I have converted to a P132 Pfanstiehl {replaces Varco Tn4ad}...what a great cartridge in the circumstances.....

I have a Linn Basik LV-X tonearm with a Linn K9 cartridge with a AT-VMN95E Stylus... playing through my Exposure x pre amp ... what do you think .. Paul

Can you just tell me...Dual ULM tonearm from a 701, with a Shure V15 Type RS matched with a NAD preamp. Am I good? How about the ULM tonearm from a Dual CS5000 with same configuration...am I good?

There is no single Mass value of a Tonearm then? Because it can change depending on headshell weight, screws used and of course what about Tonearms with several different counterweights?

What does "close" to 10Hz resonance frequency mean? i mean is 8.5 or 11.5 still ok? How far is too far away?

Does total tonearm mass include the counter weight?

Nice video! Would go for for a Ortofon MC Quintet Red (299) or Ortofon MM 2M Bronze (360) for a Pro-Ject RPM 3? And why?

Hi, I recently bought a Technics SL-Q310 turntable and the needle is totally worn out. So, I searched online for new ones and Technics doesn't make them anymore (neither the cartridge) and prices of compatible ones with my cartridge are around 25€. The other option is buy a new cartridge compatible with my turntable (uses P mount) but I don't want to spend more than 35-40€. I searched online and I found than any of they have as good frequency response as mine, which is the original one, the Technics P30, and goes from 10Hz to 35kHz. The ones I saw for that price go from 20 to 25kHz in the best cases. I'm new in the vinyl world, so I'm a bit lost. So considering ALL this facts, should I stay with my old cartridge (but better as far as I know, because I don't know what makes a cartridge better) and just replace the needle or buy a new compatible cartridge for that price. Thanks so much, I would really appreciate your Help.

I have an SME 3009 II improved arm, Audio research PH5 phono preamp. Are any of these cartridges a good, better, or best match? Benz GLider (ML), Benz L2, ADC 1, Stanton 300, Nagatron 360ce. And what would you recommend?

@starlightgrecording559 Hi Anadialog*** Gerard Stroh!! About 38 Years ago about 1985 I had A Pioneer PL-400 Quartz Lock Direct Drive Turntable made About 1979 to 1980's and That Was My First Turntable I Got With My Own Money and I had A Grado phono Cartridge My Oldest Brother Got me 1980s and the Sound Was Good But It Would Not Track and The Tonearm Would go up and Down Super Fast Bounce like crazy and and then I Tried it on A Sony Turntable and it did the same Thing and I was Learning About Turntables and I was 22 years old Back in 1983 or 1984 Long time Ago and Now I am 62 years old and will be 63 years old about A Month and I Know More About Turntables and Junk Like That Anadialog*** That's My Stories About Turntables!!!! Bye From Gerard Stroh****

Very well explained. Thank you.

Please review the Sumiko Black Bird low MC cartridge

@ANA[DIA]LOG I would state that it is the **tonearm** that is the "heart" of the turntable, and the cartridge is more of a "major organ" -- what contributes the most to the final sound-quality is the tonearm -- a "medium to high" effective mass, low bearing friction/low-play (chatter), low "initial-inertia", ultra-rigid tonearm can make or break the performance of the transducer -- in other words, no matter how high the subjective quality of the cartridge, its sonic performance is delimited by the tonearm performance. This was illustrated to me recently when I used an Audio Technica AT-33SA LOMC in a Kuzma 4-point [11] -- most would not pair a ~$750.00 USD cartridge with a $9,000.00 USD tonearm -- but **try it** if you can - you might be shocked. I am glad you find my www.resfreq.com site useful -- Wally Malewicz was a close friend and asked me "please get these formula posted and make it easy to use" -- I am re-investigating these formula, as I found the critique of Alex at Korf Audio rather compelling -- so also check out his site korfaudio.com/calculator and double check that what you will buy matches the arm's effective mass. One small aside -- you did not mention the stylus tip geometry as a selection criteria -- be very cautious when looking at conical/spherical cartridges (especially ones designed for "broadcast" use) -- broadcasters got 'records for free', and were unconcerned about the accelerated record wear that a conical/spherical tip produce. In the end, your record collection will likely dwarf your equipment in terms of investment -- so protect that investment, and opt for more modern/advanced styli geometries (with the caveat that you may need to spend a little more time and money in optimizing these newer cartridges). Thanks for posting.