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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…😘
halcro
timeltel's avatar
timeltel
830 posts
 
Regards & pardon me, down memory lane. Uberwaltz is to blame:

BW TA & Denon 103---
First foray into "high end" audio was an Infinity BW, al. arm wand. Later models had a CF arm, damping trough optional.

For setup the user’s manual for the BW pictured a Denon 103, as did contemporary adds. Mine sat in a drawer for two years until I was finally able to afford a SP-25 TT. Hosted a Shure M95E for a while.

Son is currently running the rig with an AT 15XE on the BW. Era appropriate Kyocera integrated into rebuilt Large Advents. Sounds pretty good.


Peace,

halcro's avatar
halcro OP
2,664 posts
 
A while ago, I posted a Link to THE KORF BLOG which is a 4-Part technical quasi-scientific report on his testing for TONEARM AND CARTRIDGE MATCHING.
In the first three Parts....Alex Korf was discovering results which contradicted the generally accepted wisdom of Arm/Cartridge Matching.
In his 4TH PART (which makes interesting reading) he concludes:-
1 Carlson's formula of a low frequency resonance does not describe the measured low frequency behaviour of the cartridge/tonearm interaction
2 Modern cartridges (meaning all those built in the last 60 years or so) have too much suspension damping and non-linearity for the resonances to dominate
3 The frequency of the observed motion is determined largely by the frequency of the excitation
4 The cartridge/tonearm system acts as a lowpass filter for vibrations picked up by the stylus
5 Too low an effective mass for a given compliance (or too low a compliance for a given effective mass) results in low frequency attenuation and excessive tonearm motion.
6 Too high an effective mass for a given compliance (or too high a compliance for a given effective mass) results in "ringing"—a small resonant peak—that is largely benign and barely registers in the measurements
As he states:-
The accepted wisdom turned out to be completely wrong.
I have been maintaining for over 10 years, that I've experienced hundreds of combinations with High-Compliance MM Cartridges/High Mass Arms which have sounded spectacularly...
In fact the highest-mass tonearm ever commercially made (FR-66s) I have found to be the BEST sonic match for high-compliance MMs of every make.
It also is a superb match for Low to Very-Low Compliance MC cartridges.....thus it can truly be called a 'Universal Tonearm'.

As my listening experiences have never CONTRADICTED the 'Accepted Wisdom' of Low-Compliance/Low Mass Arm being sub-optimal....I have never actively advocated for this combination.

I have always recommended.....the best match for ANY cartridge is simply the BEST tonearm you can afford.
And unfortunately from my experiences....I don't think Low-Mass Tonearms are the best 🥴
rauliruegas
13,125 posts
 
Dear friends: We have to be extremely stupid to share information that in this same thread some one explained in a wide way why no one can took it seriously but as I said we are so stupid to.......! ! ! ?


R.
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