Tag Archives: Cartridges

Originally publish on trackingangle.com

It’s no secret that the world’s two largest cartridge producers, Audio-Technica and Ortofon generate most of their cartridge earnings from cheap, mass-produced models, lots of which they provide OEM to turntable producers. Yet each lavish time, consideration, and monetary assets on the far smaller (it could be truthful to say “tiny”) high of the market, the place ultra-precision hand-built limited-edition fashions garner extra consideration than gross sales from audio lovers. So why try this? Partly for the status, partly for the “trickle down” tech advantages and partly in all probability simply to push the envelope and see far it could go and to the place it leads.

Back in 2016 Audio-Technica launched the ART 1000 cartridge, designed by the then retired Mitsuo Miyata alongside together with his younger successor then Product Development supervisor Yosuke Koizumi. Miyata’s dream, (some thirty years earlier!) had been to provide a cartridge with coils mounted immediately atop the stylus, so stylus motion would immediately translate to sign technology, the advantages of which ought to be apparent to all studying this. The draw back is added mass immediately atop the stylus and an open structure that made the coils weak to break. But CDs received in the way in which earlier than Miyata may understand his dream, so he turned his consideration to designing headphones.

When Audio-Technica put into manufacturing the AT ART-1000 I flew to Tokyo to each watch it being constructed and to higher get to know the corporate. It was an eye fixed and ear opening journey. The ART-1000 remains to be accessible from some sellers for $4,999.

While there I met younger Yosuke Koizuma, now listed as “Audio Technica cartridge engineer” who honored me by bringing to the manufacturing facility his tremendous 45rpm document assortment. Don’t skip this video!

Hideo Matsushita based Audio-Technica in 1962. At the time he had a tenured place curating an artwork museum. His long-term high-quality audio ardour bit, he stop to begin Audio-Technica, and shortly thereafter launched the AT-1 cartridge. The new MC2022 celebrates the corporate’s sixtieth anniversary. Today, the founder’s son Kazuo is Audio-Technica’s president.

Like the opposite massive scale cartridge producer, Audio-Technica’s line options orderly steps upward in sonic and technical high quality. As Ken Redmond identified in his glorious ART20 overview , to create the ART20, Audio-Technica took its $1500 AT-ART 9XI and changed its aluminum/plastic physique with an aluminum/titanium physique and elevated the magnet system’s yoke mass. The value elevated as effectively, from $1500 to $2900.

The new AT MC2022 prices $9000. Its electrical specs are similar to the ART 20’s indicating that the “motor” might be similar or very related. The static and dynamic compliance specs differ however not appreciably. The massive distinction after all is the unified stylus-cantilever meeting, fashioned from a single, lab-grown diamond utilizing chemical vapor deposition. This was beforehand achieved by Sony in its XL-88D cartridge circa 1980, which I’ve been informed was “carved” from a naturally occurring diamond and value as a lot as Honda vehicle (I’ve not been in a position to affirm that).

 

 

The MC2022’s sq. cantilever is 0.22mm (0.0087”) broad, which may be very slim. The dimensions of the road contact diamond stylus fashioned on the tip is 2.2 x 0.12 mil (or 56 x 3 µm) whereas the AT20’s is 1.5 x 0.28 mil (or 38 x 7 µm), which implies the MC2022’s small radius is lower than half that of the AT20 so it’s a real line contact that in comparison with the AT 20 ought to produce higher element.

 

The physique can be similar to the ART 20’s (titanium and aluminum with an elastomer undercover), although with a higher gleaming gold “bling” issue enhanced with black cartridge physique accents Audio-Technica says are impressed by conventional shippo enameling (Japanese cloisonné). It’s offered in a deluxe wood enclosure.

But the true keys to the MC2022’s sonic efficiency are the cantilever materials itself and particularly the decrease tip mass produced by there being no stylus/cantilever joint requiring bonding or an insertion mechanism or mounting plate, and naturally this design can’t be bested when it comes to junction rigidity, as a result of there isn’t one. However, as you may see within the microscope picture, the diamond makes a 90 diploma flip effectively above the precise stylus, in order that does add tip mass. Clearly the general advantages of this design conceptually outweigh that one minor destructive and although I can’t weigh it, I’d guess the tip mass right here remains to be equal to or decrease than on most if not all bonded and/or bonded and plate mounted styli.

Anyone studying this who’s changed the Ortofon 2M Red’s bonded stylus with the Blue’s far decrease mass nude stylus and heard the startling distinction that substitution produces in a $99 cartridge will want no convincing concerning the sonic enchancment a one piece cantilever/stylus would possibly produce in a cutting-edge design.

The first diamond cantilever cartridge I heard was the Transfiguration Proteus D from Immutable Music (when firm founder and cartridge designer Seiji Yoshioka, handed away, his household selected to nearer the enterprise, quite than promote it). I’d been effectively acquainted with the boron cantilevered Proteus, which was loads quick and “explosive” however I used to be unprepared for the foremost distinction between it and the Proteus D. The “D” model sounded altogether like a special cartridge, although the one distinction was the cantilever. The sound wasn’t “scientific” or “skinny” however quite “quick” and “full bodied” with a really feel of a direct path between stylus and electrical sign propagation. Not for many who like issues “laid again”, or as Ken Redmond colorfully describes it: “mixing board” versus “viewers” perspective.

Audio-Technica takes the diamond cantilever to the following stage by laser reducing the stylus from the lab grown diamond’s tip. No glue, no fastening plate, nothing. Another advantage of this design is that until the laser operation goes awry (not going and even potential) there will probably be no stylus rake angle or zenith angle “off spec” errors. As J.R. Boisclair’s analysis factors out, zenith angle error, even on pricey cartridges utilizing conventional building methodologies may be as excessive as 10± levels from line contact perpendicularity with the cantilever. Manufacturer accepted tolerances are as excessive as 5 levels. The destructive monitoring and sonic penalties, whereas minimized by some out of ignorance and/or vanity, are appreciable as Mr. Boisclair demonstrates within the Florida Expo video lately printed on the TrackingAngle YouTube channel.

 

Set Up

I first put in the cartridge on the OMA K3’s Schröder 12” arm, which has an efficient size of 280mm. To set SRA I used the WallyScope (proven right here throughout a DS Audio optical cartridge arrange for an upcoming overview). Predictably, SRA was near 92 levels with the arm set parallel to the document. Oscilloscope measurements duplicated A-T’s separation and channel steadiness specs: 30dB@1kHz separation and .5dB channel steadiness. Often the precise separation measurements are increased than what the oscilloscope measures. The channel steadiness numbers are extra crucial. The .5 L-R/R-L signifies near excellent azimuth setting as effectively.

The greatest arrange situation was brought on by the stylus tip’s location tucked effectively behind the cartridge entrance and never really easy to see. The upside is it’s troublesome to unintentionally “bonk” and destroy.

While the beneficiant .55mV output and comparatively excessive 12 ohm coil impedance (in comparison with a few of at the moment’s tremendous low output/ultra-low inside impedance cartridges) would possibly make the MC2022 a lower than superb candidate for a transimpedance current-based phono preamplifier, I ran it into the CH Precision’s current-based enter, setting the acquire to +10dB in addition to into its MM/MC voltage acquire enter utilizing a Ypsilon MC-10L step up transformer that’s superb for a .55mV output cartridge. The load seen by the cartridge is 500 ohms. Audio-Technica recommends higher than 100 ohms. I loaded down the secondary to get it to round 200 ohms however didn’t hear a big distinction. The outcomes have been equally good, although considerably totally different sounding run both means. However, the variations aren’t price going into.

I set VTF on the beneficial 1.8g and as soon as the cartridge had a while on it, I used the Ortofon check document and located the MC2022 to be an impressive monitoring cartridge able to negotiating cleanly all however the 100µm lateral peak band and even on that one it tracked with only a slight buzz on one channel that may have been fixable with a minor anti-skating tweak but it surely was so in any other case effectively dialed in I left it as is. Some MCs simply slide off the document on that observe—not that precise music is ever minimize at that stage.

Listening

Let’s begin with the smallest image earlier than entering into the massive image and earlier than entering into the audiophile guidelines weeds. When you decrease the stylus down on the document and listen to that first “pop” impulse it could typically write the whole overview—or not less than a big a part of it. if it’s a loud, long-lasting mid bass unfocused “blob” you may normally make certain the cartridge may have a heat mid bass signature that will probably be heard on each document you play. The greatest cartridges land on the document like one of the best Olympic divers hit the water: there’s hardly a break within the water, nearly no sound and the diver disappears. When the MC2022 lands on the document there’s hardly a sound and what sound there’s, is a ‘pip’ not a “POP”. No sonic splash.

Not surprisingly then this cartridge, as solely a only a few in my expertise have managed, sounds nearly prefer it’s not there. In my world that’s the aim. I don’t need to hear any character, which isn’t the identical as saying it “lacks soul” or is wanting “musicality” or another timbral, textural or transient high quality that’s an identifiably attribute given a optimistic euphemistic spin.

Some cartridges are supposed to impart a selected pleasing character and that’s advantageous too if that’s what you want or if such a top quality enhances your system’s sound and also you’re seeking to take it there. Other cartridges have a “pinch” of one thing expertly utilized —just like the wood bodied Analog Relax 1000 I reviewed a couple of years in the past, and that’s advantageous too. That’s a spectacular instance of the cartridge constructing artwork and the additive high quality so delicate it just about disappears, although you’d hear it’s absence.

The authentic green-bodied Lyra Atlas undoubtedly delivered unprecedented element, not less than in my expertise, primarily based upon appreciable effort at eliminating resonances, but it surely additionally had a scientific, sharp edge. The Atlas Lambda restored misplaced textures with out shedding element and the mixed recipe produced an identical “not there” high quality, although as a reviewer, speaking the development required writing concerning the textures being “added”. That main sonic change was largely achieved with a brand new damping elastomer.

The outcome there and right here is that the much less identifiable the cartridge’s character is, the extra more true is the musical data that you simply expertise, and the extra of it there’s to listen to. Of course, there are methods to explain what listening to music with the MC2022 is like. So right here goes.

The cartridge produces explosive, large-scale dynamics, and ultra-detailed micro-dynamics with exact in-between gradations—the type that produces a “dwell” sensation on well-recorded music. That high quality is straight away obvious, and was the primary time I heard the cartridge dwell at an audio present. The MC2022 excels at element decision, three-dimensional imaging, picture solidity, exact, quick assault, beneficiant maintain and long-tailed decay into black. All the diamond cantilevered cartridges I’ve heard exude this high quality to 1 diploma or one other together with transient precision minus a synthetic “edge”, and an general effervescent, non-mechanical presentation that was additionally instantly apparent the primary time I heard that Proteus D. The MC2022’s one-piece diamond cantilever-stylus elevates all of this to a different stage of pace whereas sustaining full-bodied supply.

The music’s scale didn’t have an effect on the cartridge’s dynamic efficiency. I’ve beforehand referenced the Mark Levinson 45rpm recording Elliot Fisk, Guitar (Mark Levinson, MAL 6). Fisk’s management over the musical dynamics is as exact as his finger work. The cartridge’s response to the recording’s low stage dynamic ebb and movement was easy because it reported minute stage shifts that absolutely communicated the artist’s intentions. The supply of delicate transient textures was equally easy, serving to to create the feeling of a performer taking part in within the room between the audio system—sure I do know, you’ve learn that earlier than, and I’ve written it earlier than so let’s simply say this cartridge’s responsiveness produced an much more intense sensation of that. The guitar’s physique was additionally offered cleanly and freed from the annoying element robbing additive “heat” lesser cartridges impart, but the instrument’s physique was clearly current. The outcome was a “tactile” expertise of fingers on strings; midrange textural magnificence with out additive sludge. Precision with out decapitated physique and largely a simple, non-mechanical presentation. Of course, that Mark Levinson recording can be phenomenal.

To check the cartridge’s presentation on the different finish of the dynamic path, I performed John Williams’ “Liberty Fanfare” from Winds of War and Peace first launched in 1988 on Wilson Audiophile Recordings at 33 1/3 and extra lately as a double 45 by Analogue Productions (APC-8823-45). The National Symphonic Winds consists of largely winds plus some brass and percussion. There’s not an excessive amount of bass coming from this ensemble aside from from the lone bassist and the enormous bass drum “thwacked” by what conductor Lowell Graham describes as “The Mallet of Death”. When that “thwack” first hit, the room shook with as deep and as tight a “thwack” as I’ve ever heard from the recording, adopted by a remarkably clear, long-lasting decay into silence. Residual groove noise was nearly non-existent, even on the well-played authentic. The MC2022 is as quiet a tracker as I’ve heard and presumably the quietest (aside from from optical cartridges that don’t “learn” deflections brought on by grime or bodily defects).

The comply with up “thwacks” have been equally spectacular and never marred by additive mid-bass colorations some cartridges produce that soften the preliminary transient and muddy the maintain. The backside finish is all there and the way. If there’s no bass on a document, you’ll not hear any. That would possibly disappoint on some records with anemic bass (many rock records from the ‘60s and ‘70s) that may sound higher performed again utilizing a cartridge with additive resonance produced “heat”, however I’d quite have accuracy that interprets as deeper, tighter, extra acceptable bass minus additive “overhang” that additionally delivers textures and quick settling time. The MC2022 does all of that.

Resonant excesses eliminated nearly all the time reveals higher midrange element, notably on male vocals and piano—but in addition on feminine vocals that then tackle a freer, much less “chesty” sound. It takes some getting used to. I used to benefit from the room shaking “bass” on the U.Ok. urgent of Small Faces’ Ogden’s Nut Gone Flake (there’s none on the American authentic), notably on “Lazy Sunday Afternoon” and on “Changes Circles Spinning” on Moby Grape’s missed minor gem Truly Fine Citzen. The bass that shook the room on sure notes on each records was clearly produced by a resonance that swamped all the pieces else. It was enjoyable—a whole lot of enjoyable—however with the underside higher “tucked in”, satisfying particulars emerged on each records particularly from the vocals simply above the sonic “growth” (the MC2022 isn’t the one cartridge to enhance the sound of those records in {that a} regard, but it surely appeared to do it most successfully).

The MC2022 can be free from decrease mid-range resonances, which helps ship superb replica of male vocals and piano. Last night time I made a decision to play what I wished quite than what a overview known as for and was I in for a shock. I performed the EMI Centennial version of “Hunky Dory”. I’ve performed that version and others for greater than fifty years! This was “Bowie within the room”. But not simply him. The dynamic presentation of the piano on Biff Rose’s “Fill Your Heart” startled me. I used to be not simply listening to a piano, I used to be listening to an individual taking part in it, bearing down on the keys in locations, shedding in others with a readability of goal I can’t recall ever earlier than listening to. All of those dynamic shifts, some delicate however many actual “bangers”, have been new. The readability of the assault was additionally notable. The lead electrical guitar on the V.U. impressed “Queen Bitch” has by no means sounded so coherent and “spherical”. My psychological notes on simply this document may take up pages so I’ll cease.

Image dimension precision was one other indication of this cartridge’s distinctive efficiency. I performed only for enjoyable an authentic urgent of Otis Redding Live In Europe (Volt S-416). There hasn’t but been a superb reissue. Despite being a lower than superb recording general it has some superb qualities together with “you’re there” transparency, although you’re “there” seemingly within the balcony with a top quality transportable recorder and the folks sitting subsequent to you’re clapping actually loudly!

But Otis, means down there sounds dwell as a tiny spec of excessive vitality greatness. Until I heard Frank Sinatra sing “Try A Little Tenderness” I believed it had been written for Otis. It ends the present and as a dwell live performance second it’s probably the most thrilling ever recorded. Otis goes loopy, the viewers much more so. This cartridge’s pinpoint picture of Otis was thoughts blowingly exact and with the right distant perspective—and I’ve been taking part in this document since 1967—and his respiratory and gesticulating by no means so effectively expressed. Last night time was a type of “it’s two within the morning I’d higher cease and fall asleep” nights.

I may go on for paragraphs about how Small Faces, Small Faces, Small Faces (IMSP 008) sounded —one of many best rock records ever so far as I’m involved (I believe engineered by Glyn Johns) and one with parts of American soul, r&b, onerous rock, psychedelia, British “seaside”, baroque-pop ala “Lady Jane”, and so on.— and the way the sound so shocked me, however I’ll preserve it to a couple and describe it in order that even in the event you’ve by no means heard the document, you’ll get what I’m speaking about. The opener “(Tell Me) Have You Ever Seen Me” has about essentially the most anemic bass line I’ve ever heard on a document. It won’t even be a bass, but it surely normally swamps the sound and overlays all the pieces else. This play it stayed in an assigned house and truly stored time. It doesn’t usually try this. Ronnie Lane subsequent sings “Something I Want to Tell You” together with his lips nearly touching the microphone. It’s a very dry recording. He’s there within the room on the appropriate channel. I’ve by no means heard it sounding so actual. I nearly felt like wiping off the speaker.

 

The subsequent music “Feeling Lonely” has tambourine on the left channel however proper there within the heart hovering in house is a few form of temple bell as clear as a, effectively bell, that I’ve simply not heard earlier than not less than not so clearly outlined and spherical. Finally let me inform you concerning the raucous ending to the music “Tin Soldier” (not on the album however included on a effectively accomplished Castle Records reissue of the album). It jogged my memory of how Otis’s model of “Try A Little Tenderness” ended and searching on the late 1967 recording date, and given Steve Marriott’s love of r&b it’s fairly potential he was impressed by it (one other trace is that Marriott produces his share of “gottas” on the album!).

Here’s the ultimate observe on the album performed incessantly since 1967!

One extra instance of this cartridge’s timbral and transient “rightness”. There’s an album known as The Video All-Stars play TV JAZZ THEMES (SF-8800) on Somerset Records. Yes, residence of the 101 Strings The tunes, are, sure, TV themes like “77 Sunset Strip”, “Peter Gunn” and so on.. I noticed this one within the $1 discount bin and notices the “audio combine” credit score went to Bill Putnam! So I grabbed it after which observed the gamers: Paul Horn, Gus Bivona, Red Mitchell, Frank Rosolino, and so on.—nice studio cats. The sound on this document is early stereo insane however normally the frequency extremes are extreme: bass too heavy, high finish era-searing. The AT MC2022 tames each ends a appropriately delivers the center.

Before retiring final night, I performed a couple of sides of the sonically and musically astonishing British Decca manufacturing of Porgy and Bess with Lorin Maazel and the Cleveland Orchestra & Chorus (Decca SET 609-11) recorded in 1975 with leads Willard White and Leona Mitchell. It’s among the many greatest sounding recordings I personal and never too pricey on Discogs in both this or the identical London version OSA 13116). I all the time thought Kenneth Wilkinson engineered it and why not, it sounds ok to have been, however there are not any engineering credit so I don’t know who did, nor do I do know why I believed he’d engineered it).

The vocals, whether or not male or feminine, solo or massed refrain as reproduced by this cartridge have been as easy, pure and sensible sounding as I’ve ever heard them and you may make a verify record of what meaning and I’d verify off the entire record in the event you offered it to me. And they have been exactly sized on the stage. Even although the vocals are bathed in reverb, the voices stay clarified, and three-dimensional on the stage. Any lingering ideas concerning the low bass efficiency could be allotted with on the finish of aspect two’s single tympani thwack.

Last night time was a type of evenings of listening pleasure, discovery and awe produced in nice half by the actually exceptional Audio Technica AT-MC2022. The remainder of the system didn’t harm the expertise however I’d grown accustomed to most of it. This was a particular night.

Conclusion

With the AT-MC2022, if you need “string sheen” it had higher be on the document. If you need deep bass or midbass heat from any instrument or voice it had higher be on the document. The cartridge won’t produce it. If the document has cleanly outlined transients you’ll hear them reproduced with distinctive, unforced readability, freed from synthetic edge.

I personal many great cartridges and there’ll quickly be a video exhibiting most of them. The Audio-Technica AT-MC2022 is true there on the very high together with only some others (although I’m certain there are others I’ve by no means heard): the Lyra Atlas Lambda SL, the Ortofon MC Diamond and the X-quisite ST. The X-quisite shares “one pieceness” with the AT-MC2022 in that it contains a distinctive one-piece ceramic cantilever coil former. The diamond stylus is inserted and bonded. Both these cartridges produce distinctive transient precision, pace, and readability. I’m sure you’d acknowledge these qualities with out figuring out what you have been listening to, and also you’d hear in them distinctive and fascinating efficiency traits. The different two are additionally high performers for different causes.

The AT-MC2022 cartridge delivers, in my expertise, unprecedented transparency, timbral honesty, midband “palpability”, transient pace and readability and a “wide-openness” I’ve not heard elsewhere. You undoubtedly pay quite a bit for lots of “nothing” and “nothing” is what I would like from a phono cartridge, as a result of a phono cartridge that provides nothing offers you all the pieces. You might produce other concepts. It’s not a cartridge you’d purchase to make use of to “tune” your system somehow. It gained’t try this.

To get essentially the most from the AT-MC2022 solely the best, most inflexible tonearms and highest performing turntables ought to be used. The cartridge on the OMA K3 was spectacular because it was on an upcoming reviewed turntable fitted with the Kuzma Safir 9. It was not fairly pretty much as good on the provided arm with that ‘desk however that’s one other story. If you’ve received $9000 for a cartridge, you’ve almost certainly already received an arm and ‘desk as much as the job.

The AT-MC2022 is supposedly a limited-edition mannequin. To quote Acoustic Sounds Chad Kassem about distinctive and restricted document shopping for alternatives: “Buy now, or cry later”.