Inexpensive MM Cartridge

Thanks Elliot for your information. Good to know that an elliptical stylus is more forgiving of setup issues. Although I have the tools and knowledge to properly align the cartridge, this turntable (and many other budget tables) does not have VTA adjustment.  I wasn't planning on trying to adjust VTA, so hopefully this flexibility will help.  Thoughts?

chakster - I just want to point out that the dynamic compliance of the AT740 is 10, whereas the Nagaoka is 7.2 (they do not actually state 100hz, but that’s probably a reasonable assumption). On a scale reaching up to 35, the difference b/t 10 and 7.2 seems small. Yet 10 is still almost 50% higher than 7.2. Anyhow, if necessary, I’ll add mass to the tonearm. If I were really seeking a higher compliance cartridge, perhaps the AT740 wouldn’t be enough of a change? Thoughts? Here is a scale from Ortofon Support:

Low compliance < 10 cu.
Medium / moderate compliance 10 - 20 cu.
High compliance > 20 - < 35 cu.
Very high compliance > 35 cu.
Note: Dynamic compliance @ 10 Hz.

Thanks everyone.

Look if you think they did not actually stated 100Hz then it’s 10Hz in your opinion ? But it’s even worst :)

Do you understand that converting from 100Hz to 10Hz dynamic compliance will only increase?

As I said million times on this forum the compliance of Nagaoka is extremely low for an MM/MI cartridge.

Audio-Technica are mid compliance cartridges, but my choice is not the model you just mentioned, anyway.

If Dynamic Compliance measured @ 100Hz as 10.0 then @10Hz will be around 18-20cu

Simply multiply on 1.7 or on 2

So Chakster, how do you explain Soundsmith’s decision to make low compliance, low output moving iron cartridges. What could possibly be the advantages over "The Voice" which is high output (2.12 mV), high compliance other then matching high weight tonearms? What are your favorite styli. I like the Gyger S to which Soundsmiths OCL is very similar.

@mijostyn

Nothing new here, Pickering and Stanton designed and made low impedance (low output) Moving Magnet cartridges, but not a low compliance! You can ask Peter why he made a low compliance, probably for high mass tonearms ? Because you can ask yourself who produce light mass tonearms today ? Those arms from the 70’s are about 5g effective moving mass, remember? And cartridge compliance was 30cu average or even 50cu.

Here is a short sample from the review for Stanton 980 low impedance model:

"Aficionados of moving-coil (MC) cartridges will be surprised and pleased to learn that 980LZS is indistinguishable from the very best moving-coil (MC) types in the most rigorous laboratory and aural tests. Stanton’s is an impressive dual achievement. I was continually aware that 980LZS sounded like a moving-coil (MC) cartridge. The bass was well defined and tight with good sonic clarity, as well as transient response and applause definition. Transparency of sound was excellent when reproducing the high recorded levels present on most direct-to-disc recordings. At no time did I notice any coloration of the music. The 980LZS is also one of the very few phono cartridges that can cleanly reproduce the cannon fire on the Telarc DG-10041 recording of Tchaikovsky’s 1812." 

- B.V.Pisha (Audio Review, Feb.1982)


Stanton equivalent in Pickering line is XLZ-7500 low impedance version, low output, but high compliance.

Chakster. Specs aren't everything. Try listening to the comparisons for once instead of your technical diatribe. I don't ignore specs, but like anything else in this hobby the proof is in the listening. I have had carts you have mentioned specifically the Stanton 881S with Stereohedron profile. My average lifespan for that cartridge tip was about a year to a year and one half with average use. I've had elliptical stylus that have lasted WAY longer than that, and guess what? They sounded much better that the Stantons. I know I have mentioned this many times before, but the Nagaoka bested my beloved Soundsmith Boheme cart which cost me $1200.

@mr_m 

So you're comparing two cartridge on the same tonearm?

1) Nagaoka dynamic compliance is no more than 12 cu converted to 10Hz (you can check dynamic compliance stated at 100Hz here). 

2) SoundSmith Boheme available in two versions, high compliance is 28cu, mid is 22cu at 10Hz.  

The difference in compliance is at least twice as much! 

I may not be a professional, but I do know how to set up a turntable, been doing it for 50 years. You can spew specs all you want but as I said, the proof is in the listening. Do you bother doing that???

I do compare all my cartridges here and now, not in my memories from 100 years ago, I'm doing it now (all those best MM/MI versus best LOMC) on different turntables with different tonearms. 

As you admitted cost is not the answer, your cheaper cartridge is better than your more expensive cartridge. This is what I've been posing here for many years with some crazy discoveries. 

Regarding Stanton 881s I must admit this is "best buy" for those who looking for inexpensive cartridge, and it was Doug Sax's monitoring cartridge, not mine. I trust professionals, but I don't use 881, what I use is CS-100 WOS as the best from Stanton (which is surpassed my Stanton 980). 

Stereohedron stylus was upgraded with mkII and official life span of this profile is over 1000 hrs, unfortunately elliptical can't do even 50% of it, I'm afraid your information is false. But in general elliptical can be very good too, but you have to change it more often with a new one before it's too late. 

@peter_s

I am assuming that the AT and the Nagaoka dynamic compliance values are reported for the same frequency. It’s fine if it’s 100hz - I said that was a reasonable assumption (though not stated by Nagaoka) in my post. In any case, I was just pointing out that the value for the Nagaoka (7.2) isn’t that different than for the AT740 (10). Even if you convert them both down to 10hz (x2 or x1.7), the ratio stays the same.

Right, but there is a difference between 7.2 and 10, don’t you think so ?

And lower models of Nagaoka MP series are 5.5 - this is extremely low compliance. Do you know that with a cartridge like this people are using tonearms with 30g effective mass (those tonearms are super heavy and associated with 70’s era). But Nagaoka making MP cartridge today with dynamic compliance as low as Denon DL-103 from the 60’s. The problem is that tonearms of today are NOT heavy. If tonearm/cartridge matching is important for you I think you have to increase the mass of headshell.