Low vs. High Output MC Cartridges

few coil wire with 12 magnets.

Frogman, If you re-read my statement, note that in all cases I used the qualifier "as a class". This is to warn the reader that I mean "in general", i.e., I did not mean for what I wrote to be taken as a hard and fast rule. In other words, I was saying, as you said, be careful about generalizations. Of course, I have not heard every HOMC ever made or every LOMC either. So it is entirely possible that a single given HOMC (apparently the Clearaudio is one, in your opinion) could be competitive with the other best cartridges in the world of any and all types. But I spent about 15 years playing with several so-called "good" HOMC cartridges (Sumiko, Benz and Transfig brands) in my system, and in my system, in my opinion, they suck compared to a few very good LOMC cartridges and a few very good MM and MI cartridges that came later. OK? To be more specific, they lacked "sparkle", life, any sense of verisimilitude.

Marakanetz, In your very last post, you say exactly what I say. So I am guessing that you just accidentally misspoke in your first and second posts regarding susceptibility to EMI. Cool.

Lew, I'm not quite sure I understand why you felt I was referring to or contradicting your comments. If anything, I was referring mostly to Stanwal's correct observation that some think LO is better, and some that HO is better. If you reread my comments you will note that we are actually in agreement. I believe that in absolute terms LO versions of the same cartridge are generally better. The point that I was making was that because of their lower output, in practice, they may not yield a superior result in a system with a gain structure that benefits from a healthier output from the cartridge. BTW, I have no experience with Clearaudio cartridges, and made no reference to them (??).

Speaking of the comment re Clearaudio carts, Rockitman the .8 or .9 mv output of the Clearaudios can fairly be considered medium output for a MC. My experience with VDH and Benz medium output MC's tells me that output in the .5-1 mv range represents a very sensible compromise on the part of manufacturers to maximize the advantages of low output design and usability in "the real world".

Dear Frogman, I am too lazy to re-read all the posts to find out who it was that praised the Clearaudio HOMC. Someone did, and I meant to cast no aspersions on that person's opinion. Anyway, sorry for sounding a bit strident. There is no rule to go by, as you and others have said, but I always considered that the "High" in HOMC begins at about 1mV output, and up from there. Which means that MCs in the 0.6 to 1.0mV output range are kind of in limbo. Then too, ZYX makes the UNIverse in 0.24 and 0.48mV output versions; what do you call the latter? It has higher output than its congener but hardly qualifies as "HO". On the other hand, the scuttlebutt is that the LO one is better.

My major point is that (again, as a class), I like the best of the MM and MI cartridges I have auditioned much better than the best of the HOMCs I have lived with for years. So my rank order is: LOMC=MI~MM>HOMC, or something like that. Surely, LOMCs sound "different" from the best MM and MI cartridges, but not always better.