Hmmm, maybe language barrier. An armature is the bit at the far end of the cantilever around which the coil is wound. It is sometimes a permeable material, sometimes not. If it doesn't move, the coil doesn't move. It contributes strongly to the inertia at the tip.
Weighing In
The low internal impedance is what makes the moving coil cartridge sound better. It's been my own experience that among high-end moving coil cartridges distortion, dynamics, and resolution are all improved with diminishing coil impedance. It's tough to beat the Airtight Supreme and PC-1, Kubotek Haniwa, and other Mysonic-sourced cartridges.
As far as the inertia of the cantilever goes, you would be hard-pressed to find anything with a lower moment of inertia (or mass for that matter) than an Audio Technica AT150MLX. That and the Microline sylus are why it tracks better than anything out there.
John
The low internal impedance is what makes the moving coil cartridge sound better. It's been my own experience that among high-end moving coil cartridges distortion, dynamics, and resolution are all improved with diminishing coil impedance. It's tough to beat the Airtight Supreme and PC-1, Kubotek Haniwa, and other Mysonic-sourced cartridges.
As far as the inertia of the cantilever goes, you would be hard-pressed to find anything with a lower moment of inertia (or mass for that matter) than an Audio Technica AT150MLX. That and the Microline sylus are why it tracks better than anything out there.
John
Last edited:
I believe more factors have impact on the good sound of a cartridge.
Inertia of cantilever ............. and how did you come to that conclusion?
I wouldn't have a hard time finding better trackers out there.
And for the compliance part of the inertia matter, they plenty both under and over the AT150MLX.
Mass is also middle of the road for that one.
Air Tight and My Sonic Lab might produce some great cartridges if you can match them with your gear.
There are other Great cartridges out there.
Also some for less money.
"dolph"
You can still pick up the AT 14 and 15 series stylii NOS. I've got a AT 14Sa that I'd put head to head with my Lyra Dorian. I just picked up a body for the 140 series (can use the 440MLa cantilever) for $25. It should be a supercart for the ~$100 its going to cost.
I'm hoping that when I finish my phonoclone that it will be a better match for the dorian, instead of my pearl which is only about 55 dB gain.
Decca is still making (overpriced) carts. I found a london gold on an old turntable and sent it in to soundsmith for a retip. Now it's just a waiting game. A shoot out will be in order!
You do a good job of avoiding criticism by speaking only in vague generalities. You should also try and learn what SY is trying to explain to you about the moment of inertia of the entire cantilever assembly by re-reading his posts. Maybe you ought to share some of your own specific experiences.
In general, the only real difference between moving coil cartridges and moving magnet cartridges is the internal impedance. The inertia of the cantilever, the mass of the cartridge, the compliance as well as any other variable in the construction of a cartridge can be made the same for an MM or an MC, but it's not possible to build a useable MM cartridge with an internal impedance of less than one ohm.
John
Last edited:
What experiences are you interested in reading about?
The main difference between MM and MC is that in MM it is the magnet moving, hence the name, and in MC it is the coil moving.
Why this turn away post?
Do some people have a hard time believing or even accepting new members on this forum?
"dolph"
The main difference between MM and MC is that in MM it is the magnet moving, hence the name, and in MC it is the coil moving.
Why this turn away post?
Do some people have a hard time believing or even accepting new members on this forum?
"dolph"
It has nothing to do with whether you are new or not, it seems you are being disagreeable without offering elaboration. It's difficult to have an intelligent discussion if you don't want to talk about points being made rather than offering up new straw men. The technical aspects of cartridge design shouldn't lead to the creation of the same kind of atmosphere present in a political discussion.
John
That's not arguable. What is arguable is the claim that MCs have lower moving mass than MMs. I don't believe that's true and have given several examples of MMs that have exceptionally low moving mass because of attention paid to the diamond, the cantilever, and the magnetic circuit. If you have some backup to your claim, other than just repeating it, I'd love to see it.
FWIW, I also don't believe jlsem's claim that MCs are intrinsically superior because of lower source impedance. Now, the higher source Z of MMs is indeed not arguable, but the correlation to quality is. After all, capacitive transducers have extremely high source impedance but (e.g., the Weathers FM cartridge) can be state of the art.
Since the discussion was about comparing MM to MC, I'll stand by what I wrote. Capacitive transducer or strain gage cartridges are an entirely different matter.
John
Last edited:
I find it a little weird that postulates are thrown around plenty but I, who state what I thought was common knowledge (and sense), have to document everything to avoid being unfaithful as the new member I am.
Get a grip.
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_cartridge
Quote: "Moving Coil (MC) cartridges
The MC design is again a tiny electromagnetic generator, but (unlike an MM design) with the magnet and coils reversed: the coils are attached to the stylus, and move within the field of a permanent magnet. The coils are tiny and made from very fine wire, so are even lighter than the small magnet used in an MM cartridge, thus improving the tracking ability of the cartridge. This can give extended frequency response as well as greater fidelity."
End of Quote.
"dolph"
Get a grip.
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_cartridge
Quote: "Moving Coil (MC) cartridges
The MC design is again a tiny electromagnetic generator, but (unlike an MM design) with the magnet and coils reversed: the coils are attached to the stylus, and move within the field of a permanent magnet. The coils are tiny and made from very fine wire, so are even lighter than the small magnet used in an MM cartridge, thus improving the tracking ability of the cartridge. This can give extended frequency response as well as greater fidelity."
End of Quote.
"dolph"
The coils might be lighter than the small magnet used in a MM cartridge,however in a MC cartridge it is not only the coils that move.
Great article even though it's 27 years old and relatively only takes the point of view from the "Cheap Market".
"dolph"
And none of the previous explains why so many of the "lighter" (and more expensive) MC's are terrible trackers...
If arm/cartridge resonance frquency is within normar figures,then the suspension might be responsible(rubbers,wire length and thickness).Usually it is the cheap MCs that suffer from bad tracking,and not always.
Last edited:
Considering that your peer reviewed source was "wikipedia", you don't really have a lot of wiggle room beyond conjecture on your own points.
To answer your question, it is direct experience with numerous MC's (from $1k-15k) that tells me this. I apologize in advance for not measuring each and every one and keeping detailed records to one day be disclosed on an internet forum dealing with said topic.
Last edited:
- Status
- Not open for further replies.