How to Choose the Right Phono Cartridge
When choosing a phono cartridge for your turntable, you can consider things like:
Compatibility
- The cartridge needs to be compatible with your turntable's tonearm. The cartridge's mass and compliance should match the tonearm's mass to maintain the system's resonance frequency within an acceptable range. Cartridges with low compliance (less than 10 cu) work well with high mass tonearms (26 g or more), medium compliance (10 to 20 cu) work well with medium mass tonearms (11 to 25 g), and high compliance (greater than 20 cu) work well with low mass tonearms (10 g or less).
- The cartridge should operate within your turntable's tracking force range for optimal performance.
- The stylus's shape affects how it interacts with the record groove. A narrower contact radius allows the stylus to better track modulations in the groove. The two most common stylus shapes are conical and elliptical. Conical styli are blunt and don't go very deep into the groove, while elliptical styli have an elongated, narrow shape that fits better into the groove.
Load impedance
- The industry standard for load impedance is 47k ohms, but some specialized cartridges may have a different impedance. If your cartridge has a different impedance, you may need an external preamp with variable loading to get the best performance