Is a good Cermic Cartridge an Oxymoron?

"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.'

Like undoubtedly everybody here, I look askance and smirk at those 'nostalgia' machines whenever I see 'em, although I do think it's pretty interesting (if unfortunate in ways) that these players have cropped up so profusely in department and discount stores over the last few years -- surely that says something about a latent demand for people to be able to play their records once again.

But I make excellent use of one of those very same cartridges in my battery-powered Numark portable that I always take along (with a pair of folding Sennheiser headphones) whenever I go used record shopping. And you know what? It doesn't sound like a crappy toy. For a plastic-bodied device that cost as little as it did, I can actually enjoy listening with this unit (provided it's thru the 'phones), and the needle doesn't sound or otherwise seem like it tears up the grooves either. Never have I heard it mistrack more than a slight bit, and most often not at all. Thing's saved me a ton of money in chances not taken, while the discard pile's become vestigal. Oh yes -- Eldartford, it is stereo, however it works. Hi fi? No. But it easily does the job, telling me everything I need to know about the music and playing condition of found records.

Zaikesman...Alright already! Back on 4/17 my posting was all wet. My relative ignorance about ceramic cartridges proves I am a real audiophile.

"...my posting was all wet." Now there's a colloquialism that's a little before my time! :-)

Yes. A strain gauge would work. The original Weathers variable-capacitor stereo pickup system was described as a strain gauge.

Richard

Mario_b

The Micro Acoustics 830CSA wasn't Ceramic. It used capacitive elements charged by electrets (the electrostatic equivalent of permanent magnets - they hold a permanent charge. As the stylus moved one plate of a capacitor formed using the electret as the other plate, the changing capacitance with a constant charge created a voltage proportional to the movement.

This is the same principle used by high quality condenser studio mikes, though most of thee use fixed power supplies instead of electrets.

STAX also had a line of capacitive cartridges back in the 80's that I couldn't afford.

There was also at least one strain guage cartridge on the market in the early 80's as well. It too was a high priced limited availability item.

The ceramic cartride was very common in cheap department store stereos. I had one in my beadroom in 1970 and listened to lots of Led Zeppelin, Cream, King Crimson, and other new-at-the-time music.

I'm heartsick right now. I recently mounted my old Micro-Acoustic 830 CSA mounted on an Oracle Paris table in a PT6 arm, and it was sounding great. It only had about 50 hours on it. I went to dust the table and ripped the stylus cantilever off the cartridge with my polishing cloth. I didn't buy a replacement stylus in the 80's when I could, and there are none in sight now......