My ears have natural frequencies also which interact with the resonant frequencies of the platter, cartridge and tonearm levitating my speaker cables 3 inches off the floor. I don't even need amplifiers anymore the sound just emanates:)
The Arm/Cartridge Matching Myth
When I began my journey in high-end audio 36 years ago….no-one ever wrote about arm and cartridge matching nor tonearm resonant frequency…?
Over the last 10 years or so…this topic has become not only ubiquitous, but has mutated beyond its definition, to THE guiding principle of matching cartridge to tonearm….❓❗️😵
The Resonant Frequency can be calculated using a complex formula relating Tonearm Effective Mass to the cartridge’s Compliance….or it can be simply measured using a Test record of various frequency sweeps.
The RECOMMENDED Resonant Frequency of any tonearm/cartridge combination is between 8-12Hz.
But WHY is this the recommended frequency and WHAT does it really mean…?
The raison d’etre of this Resonant Frequency…is to avoid WARPED records inducing ‘resonance’ into the tonearm…..
Say what…❓😵
WARPED records….❓❗️
Yes…..ONLY warped records❗️😎
But doesn’t it have any meaning for NORMAL records…❓
None whatsoever…..😊👍
Let me explain….🎼
A badly warped record induces the tonearm to rise and fall rapidly on the ‘sprung’ cantilever of the cartridge.
Depending on the severity and frequency of this warping…..a subsonic frequency between 2-5Hz is induced so if your tonearm/cartridge Resonant Frequency dips into this frequency range….it will begin resonating and thus miss-track and/or induce hum through your system.🎤
Keeping the lower limits of your tonearm/cartridge Resonant Frequency to 8Hz simply insures against this possibility.🎶
So what about the 12Hz upper limit…❓
This simply insures against the possibility of any ultra low-level frequency information which MAY be on the record, also inducing this same miss-tracking or hum. For instance if your tonearm/cartridge Resonant Frequency was 18Hz and you had an organ record or one containing synthesised bass going down to 16Hz…..your tonearm may miss-track or you MAY develop a hum❓😢
So how many badly WARPED record do you possess…❓
I have three out of a thousand or so……and have NEVER experienced miss-tracking or hum even on these three…❗️😍
Yet these days….everyone (without exception it seems)…even tonearm and cartridge designers….happily follow the dictum of this Arm/Cartridge MATCH as if it affected sound quality…..❓
This Resonant Frequency has ZERO affect on the sound quality of a particular tonearm/cartridge combination and I have proved it hundreds of times with a dozen different arms and over 40 cartridges.
The best match for ANY cartridge ever made….is simply the very best tonearm you can afford…whatever its Effective Mass…😘
Over the last 10 years or so…this topic has become not only ubiquitous, but has mutated beyond its definition, to THE guiding principle of matching cartridge to tonearm….❓❗️😵
The Resonant Frequency can be calculated using a complex formula relating Tonearm Effective Mass to the cartridge’s Compliance….or it can be simply measured using a Test record of various frequency sweeps.
The RECOMMENDED Resonant Frequency of any tonearm/cartridge combination is between 8-12Hz.
But WHY is this the recommended frequency and WHAT does it really mean…?
The raison d’etre of this Resonant Frequency…is to avoid WARPED records inducing ‘resonance’ into the tonearm…..
Say what…❓😵
WARPED records….❓❗️
Yes…..ONLY warped records❗️😎
But doesn’t it have any meaning for NORMAL records…❓
None whatsoever…..😊👍
Let me explain….🎼
A badly warped record induces the tonearm to rise and fall rapidly on the ‘sprung’ cantilever of the cartridge.
Depending on the severity and frequency of this warping…..a subsonic frequency between 2-5Hz is induced so if your tonearm/cartridge Resonant Frequency dips into this frequency range….it will begin resonating and thus miss-track and/or induce hum through your system.🎤
Keeping the lower limits of your tonearm/cartridge Resonant Frequency to 8Hz simply insures against this possibility.🎶
So what about the 12Hz upper limit…❓
This simply insures against the possibility of any ultra low-level frequency information which MAY be on the record, also inducing this same miss-tracking or hum. For instance if your tonearm/cartridge Resonant Frequency was 18Hz and you had an organ record or one containing synthesised bass going down to 16Hz…..your tonearm may miss-track or you MAY develop a hum❓😢
So how many badly WARPED record do you possess…❓
I have three out of a thousand or so……and have NEVER experienced miss-tracking or hum even on these three…❗️😍
Yet these days….everyone (without exception it seems)…even tonearm and cartridge designers….happily follow the dictum of this Arm/Cartridge MATCH as if it affected sound quality…..❓
This Resonant Frequency has ZERO affect on the sound quality of a particular tonearm/cartridge combination and I have proved it hundreds of times with a dozen different arms and over 40 cartridges.
The best match for ANY cartridge ever made….is simply the very best tonearm you can afford…whatever its Effective Mass…😘
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- 164 posts total
Ahhh...how things change yet remain the same 🤣 Here's just a sample of the multitude of exchanges between the new 'best' friends on another Thread.... 01-15-2020 3:11am Dear atmasphere : You already had all the time and opportunities to show the evidence I asked about on that specific: " limit trace....". 01-15-2020 3:55am Your post is not an answer to what I asked to you:Simply put, I've answered your question directly several times in this thread alone. I've been avoiding saying this, but at this point its apparent that you don't understand the answer; you respond with literally: Bla, bla, bla, bla, bla,Again, electrical damping of an electro-mechanical transducer results in less high frequency output of that transducer. I suggest you study the topic with the same sort of energy that you've used in your attacks. Most of the real entertaining Posts from Raul have been deleted by the Moderators....😂 |
This is what a Cartridge's Frequency Response Plot looks like (for those like Atmasphere who do not know). So let's cut to the Chase.....What can we deduce from Atmasphere's contributions to this Thread?
There are several threads on how to reduce woofers from flopping about when playing LPs on this site. and with a lot of loudspeakers if you play material that is too low, the woofers will not sound right as they flop about.Note the scientific language..... Yes...."woofers will not sound right as they flop about" because the SET-UP of the particular system is poorly isolated from Structure-Bourne Feedback. Fix the problem.....don't look for an innocent victim. I'm convinced that Atmasphere and Mijostyn have both experienced this woofer-pumping and mistracking due to their poorly set-up systems....and we all know about RAUL'S DISASTROUS SET-UP 😱 Is it any wonder he prefers digital....?! 😝
You might not be able to actually HEAR all the damage, distortions mistracking and other artefacts (because we can't either).....but TRUST us.....they are there nevertheless. I'd rather trust a band of Caribbean Pirates trying to sell me a parrot 🦜 |
Regards, all: Tone arm resonance can not be eliminated. It is then best positioned where it will least likely be excited by vibrations within the mechanical system. Cantilevers and tonearms resonate at specific frequencies, damping or dumping these resonances into the system's mass are both means of addressing this phenomena but do not eliminate it in entirety. Apologies Henry; Parrots are in short supply but there is this: https://www.gcaudio.com/tips-tricks/tonearm-cartridge-compatability/ "At resonance (more on this, see Kogen et al, below), the arm/cartridge combination produces a dramatic rise in output. An increase of 3 to 6dB or more is common. This tremendous boost can cause severe problems if it occurs in the region of recorded music (above 20Hz), or in the area where record warps and rumble are problematic (below 5Hz). A cartridge/arm whose resonance occurs in the region above 20Hz can be influenced by music on the record. At this frequency a significant jump in output (resulting in a "bloated" or "tubby" sound) will be experienced. In extreme cases, the stylus may actually jump out of the groove. Similarly, a cartridge/arm combination that exhibits a resonance below the desired range will exaggerate the effects of record warps, or rumble produced by the turntable." Galen Carol cites Ortofon as a source. ================================== Kogen et al. : Trackability 1973 "Audio" magazine, Aug. 1973. pg. 16, (excerpt, pg.19): "The two major factors that affect the resonance frequency exhibied are determined primarily by the interaction are the mass of the tonearm and the dynamic compliance of the stylus and the efective compliance of the stylus. Increasing the mass of the tonearm-phono cartridge combination lowers the resonance frequency and tend to raise the amplitude near the resonance frequency, the motion of the stylus relative to the tonearm wil be many times that of the exciting signal. This will then significantly reduce the ability of the pickup to accurately track the grove modulation." "American Radio History" site. Plenty of adds for (now) vintage equipment on the way to pg.19 for those who have "been there, done that" and sufficient graphs to meet the requirements of the most demanding. https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Audio/70s/Audio-1973-08.pdf Peace, |
- 164 posts total