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Color-code of connectors on different cartridges.

Could anyone explain why cartridges have different positions of the color-code connectors on the back?
I own the following:
(I am presuming, tops being the positives and bottoms being the negatives.)

ZYX Airy 1000 (on TNT 5)
Looking from front of cartridge, it has:
Left: White (+), Blue (-); Right: Red (+), Green (-).

Benz Glider (M2) (new, not mounted)
Looking from front of cartridge, it has:
Left: Red (+), Green (-); Right: White (+), Blue (-).

Goldring Eroica (H) (on MMF-7)
Looking from front of cartridge, it has:
Left: White (+), Blue (-); Right: Green (+), Red (-).

The Goldring, in particular, I find strange with green on the right/top position! (Is this really correct?)

Are all cartridges mounted on the arms with the color scheme exhibited on the cartridge or are they mounted in a “set” color pattern, no matter what colors are on the cartridge itself?

Thank you for your consideration of a rather confusing situation.
vvrinc
eddaytona
216 posts
 
"The Goldring, in particular, I find strange with green on the right/top position! (Is this really correct?)"

Yes that is correct and totally weird. Took me a while when changing carts to realize why my system was out of phase. Thought my eyesight was failing when I rechecked the connections!
vvrinc OP
323 posts
 
So, Eddaytona, do you have the green lead on top when using the Eroica? Or do you substitute the red?

Thanks for the input.
eddaytona
216 posts
 
You have to keep to the color scheme. Red to red etc. Green to green, whatever the layout of the pins. I had the red wire going to the green input on the Eroica. That is what was causing the phase problem. (Never thought the green would be on top of a cartridge as it is on the Eroica)
Ag insider logo xs@2x
rauliruegas
13,050 posts
 
Vvrinc: " Why cartridges have different positions of the color .....? ". Well, one of the answers is because those cartridges have different internal construction, other one is because some manufacturers want that the wires will be crossing between them for a better RFI rejection.
BTW, you have to connect the wires with the color of the pins in the cartridge. If there is no color ( like Koetsu cartridge ) then you have to know that if seen from the front of the headshell ( normal position like if the headshell is already mount on the tonearm ) the code is:

Up headshell wires: Left, white (+) and Right, red (+).
Down headshell wires:Left, blue (-) and Right,green (-).

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

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