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The difference between Moving Magnet / Moving Coil / Moving Iron Cartridges


MicroMara

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Well maybe it makes sense to show my Vintage Cartridges here as well , as it fits into this thread, where I´m the author.  There´re enought vinyl starters here that haven´t any idea about vintage Pick-Ups. Moving Iron / Moving Magnet Carts got a more or less bad reputation as entry Pick-Ups in this modern Audio World where Moving Coils are allways better and leading in the market. That is an typical sole agent answer if you ask about the difference between MI / MM / MC Carts.  Nonsense imho !

 

If someone from you guys here is looking for a fair priced and really good sounding MI or MM have a look at these, before buying a new model which is more expansive , just to make the sole agent´s vallet bigger 😂

 

These are the cartridges for the through modified SME 3009 tonearm , under all headshells ( all with new OFC headshell wiring ) there are teak spacers to optimize the precision of scanning

 

From right to left : ADC XLM MKII / Goldring G 900 SE / Goldring IGC 920 / Sonus GoldBlue . All needles are absolutely as new with less than 50 hours of operation.

 

Garage1.thumb.jpg.569453e6a36c0bb3a984cffd2a961e86.jpg

 

Here are the cartridges for the modified MA 505 MK II tonearm on original Micro Seiki headshells with new OFC headshell wiring.

 

From right to left : Audio Technica AT20SLA / Grado Prestige Gold II / Osawa 301 / Nagaoka OS 300 MP , ditto here the operating hours

 

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The ADC QLM 30 MK III

 

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Grado Reference Platinium Wood

 

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Stanton 681 EEE NoS and not used up to now

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Super rare in the market

 

ADC XLM MKIV Nos and still in the box with the famouse " Pathemax Needle ( modified Shibata Grind )

 

Garage7.thumb.jpg.485e44e2074ff9591fa03738e1707277.jpg

 

 

The Audio Technica AT 7 V  and ADC XML MK III are currently in use. I'm just about to break in the new needles.

 

Garage8.thumb.jpg.299104b508e0216401038dc63bc502df.jpg

 

Garage9.thumb.jpg.8c6078c9f5fffa90373a78f27f28dfa6.jpg

 

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  • 2 months later...
2 hours ago, MicroMara said:

@Full Range   can you tell us something about the Cartridge Manufacturer Garrot Brothers from Australia ?

 

Found this one today in a sec. hand audio market . It´s a Optim FGS Moving Magnet Pick Up

 

garrott.thumb.jpg.ef604ce3dc8b42ed3c9695aee5bb54dd.jpg

 

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It’s a well respected company that was started by 2 brothers 

I have heard one in a friends system 

Fantastic cartridge, from my memory of that day,  it reproduces everything with finesse and realness 

Would I own one - yes I would if I did not have so many other carts in the collection 
 

And that cartridge sells for over $1000 retail and on special / made to order 

 

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2 hours ago, the real Duke Spinner said:

I thought my Stanton 681 ... was the king. 🙄

 

I used Stanton 681 EEEs in the turntables in my mobile DJ business in the 70s.  They were excellent cartridges that tolerated back cuing.  When I put the system together I bought pair of spare styli, which I never needed.

 

Now I use a Denon DL-110 MC cartridge to rip vinyl to digital.  

 

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6 hours ago, DizRotus said:

 

I used Stanton 681 EEEs in the turntables in my mobile DJ business in the 70s.  They were excellent cartridges that tolerated back cuing.  When I put the system together I bought pair of spare styli, which I never needed.

Yes Sir ! I used them as well in my dj area till the late 1980´s , back cuing was important for the into the beat mixing ( beats per minute ) as well as for scratching they were good . Mine ist still unused and mint in the origin Stanton woodcase. 

The rubber sleeve for the needle carrier is not hardened . I soak all rubber cuffs with fabric softener , so they remain supple , do not harden and also do not become porous

 

 

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  • 5 weeks later...

Some news about a Cartridge Break In Record , it shall reduce the break in time for new cartridges .

 

I ordered one today to find out if and how it works. As I have lot´s of Pick-Ups which aren´t used so much I thought than a good idea .

 

Here´s the explanation ........

 

Clearaudio Cartridge "Break In" Test Record

 

Pimp your turntable - with the Clearaudio Cartridge "Break In" Test Record you have for the first time the possibility to perfectly calibrate, adjust and quickly record the system of your turntable. Whether pink noise or various test signals - the calibration LP offers everything the analog heart needs for the optimal adjustment of the entire system.

 

A pickup system needs a certain play-in time to achieve the best playback characteristics. This break-in time depends on the particular cartridge design and on the sampled signals during this time. As a rule/usual, this play-in time of a cartridge with a music signal is about 40 to 100 hours. However, this break-in time can be shortened considerably by using a pink noise in an endless groove as the signal for breaking in a pickup. Now tedious recording is a thing of the past.

 

For this purpose we have provided a total of 6 endless grooves with pink noise signal on our "Cartridge Break In Record" (tracks 5,6,7,9,10 and 11). In addition, 240 seconds of pink noise signals were provided for measurements of the entire playback system (track 14).

 

A sliding (sweep) sine test signal from 20 Hz to 20 kHz is used to test the frequency response of a pickup (Track 3). The total noise of the playback system can be tested with an empty groove without signal " silence" (track 4 and 13) (duration 300 seconds).

 

Optimization of the antiskating force setting allows tracks 8 and 12. Both channels contain a 316 Hz sine signal with continuously changing phase difference from 0 to 360 degrees. In this way, the scanning diamond motion repeatedly changes from horizontal to vertical motion. The amplitude increases from -22 dB to + 8dB, corresponding to a maximum speed of 9.81 cm/s or an amplitude of 5o µm peak horizontally or vertically.

 

463144864_BreakIn.jpg.257d720bc290187825eecd6c99ba661a.jpg

 

 

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  • 3 months later...
3 hours ago, Dave1291 said:

@Full Range  ^^^^^^  1983 article.  How's it lookin today down under?

 

 


Autumn’s here and it’s a nice change 

Read that article many many years ago 

See my reply under hanks quote 🤪

 

3 hours ago, hanksjim1 said:

 

They are also very well known for their modifications to the Decca cartridges:

 

https://www.kenkessler.com/hi-fi/garrott-decca-cartridge/

 

 

KK-Londons-6-300x225.jpg


I own one of those DECCA Gold cartridges that has been modified by Garrott Brothers 

Think it’s kinda rare these days 

 

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6 hours ago, Full Range said:

I own one of those DECCA Gold cartridges that has been modified by Garrott Brothers 

Think it’s kinda rare these days 


Here it is 

 

IMG-5301.jpg

 

You can just see the Garrott sticker on the front of the cartridge from this old photo 

 

 

IMG-5306.jpg

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 1/20/2021 at 7:55 AM, MicroMara said:

Due to a current discussion about the adjustment of pickups I add this video to this thread. Possibly for one or the other of interest

 

 

 

This is a great video. It makes alot of sense. Will watch tonight. Thank you.

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