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Is a good Cermic Cartridge an Oxymoron?

A wonderful Metzner Starlight turntable (circa 1950s) is terrible thing to waste. Yet, its induction motor throws out so much EMF that I’m afraid it’s a two-pole and therefore a death sentence for all magnetic cartridges.
While I’m going to try some heavy MuMetal application with it, I want to prepare in the event that all the transmissions can’t be shielded. Do any good ceramics carts exist?
Thanks, Mario
mario_b
colitas
150 posts
 
I remember coming across some while surfing the web, with the warning of ruining your records. Is this true, and if so why even make them?
narrod
1,064 posts
 
I remember coming across some while surfing the web, with the warning of ruining your records. Is this true, and if so why even make them?

They were cheap and didn't require a MM phono stage.
eldartford
4,262 posts
 
Google "ceramic phono cartridge" and you will find a great deal of information (that I was unaware of). There is at least one respectable cartridge, priced near $80, that is said to track as low as 2 grams. Almost worth trying one just for fun.

Wait til the Idler Wheel crew hears about this!
mario_b OP
147 posts
 
Elartford,
Google first, ask second should have been my course.
Seems that Micro-Accoustics was making truly high end ceramics up until 1984 (well, high end back then)- with their top-of-line 830CSA Electret @ 10Hz-30kHz +/- 0.75dB freq. response and tracking at an amazing low mass of 0.75 to 1.25 grams with beryllium cantilever - $335.00
These Electret line of ceramic carts came with an internal micro-circuit to convert amplitude and reduce piezo velocity (the non-magnetic transducer material that made ceramics do their thing - made of lead-zarchonium titanate) so that output could be taken to the more prevalent MM input stage. Dang! Thought I could bypass a phono stage altogether.
blabzigorp
8 posts
 
Superb ceramic cartridges were made by Micro-Acoustics and Weathers -- very refined. A very good series of them was made by Joe Grado around 1962. I have all of these. They are low output cartridges, which allows lower tracking forces. For various reasons (decay, internal contact corrosion, lack of needles), none of these are a good investment today.

Stanton/Pickering never made any piezoelectric cartridges.

Piezoelectric (crystal and ceramic) cartridges were extremely common in low-quality record players. If you buy one of those junky nostalgia things advertised right now, it'll come with one: guaranteed. These have always been low-compliance, high output devices; generally ratty.

Medium-quality ceramics were made by Sonotone. The first stereo cartridge to hit the consumer market was by Electro Voice, a ceramic. All the cartridges I've listed were stereo.

Richard Steinfeld
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