Cartridge Collection

[Eppie]

Hi gang. For the vinyl album affascinatos, doing some house cleaning and came across my old cartridge collection. Trying to decide what is worth passing along and preserving and what is trash. Did a little research on each.

AudioTechnica AT110E. Entry level cartridge that is an ok performer. Retailed for around $140 but sold for less. The cantilever does not look perfect under inspection so I would recommend replacing the stylus unless you have some worn out LPs to try it on. Replacement stylus is still available for about $70-$80. I would probably give this for the cost of shipping as the stylus costs as much as the cartridge is worth.

Empire 4000 XL I. This was a decent cartridge and still receives favourable comments on vinylengine and audiokarma. Unable to find the exact specs but read that it outputs 5mv and tracks between 1.5 - 2.5 grams, typically around 2 grams. Takes an elliptical .0003 x .0007" diamond stylus that is still available for about $75. As you can see from the photo, the original cantilever degraded and the stylus tip is gone, so the value is solely in the cartridge body. Complete cartridge listed on Ebay for $180 or so but selling prices on Canuck and US Audiomart are closer to $80 to $100. Might be worth getting a stylus and then selling in working order?

Shure M91ED. The specs on this are still available:
- Type: Moving magnet
- Frequency response: 20-20,000 Hz
- Output voltage @ 1kHz,5cm/sec: 5.0 mV
- Channel separation (minimum) @ 1kHz: 25
- Channel balance: within 2 dB
- Tracking force: 0.75-1.5 g
- Net weight: 5.8 g
- Inductance: 720 mH
- DC resistance: 630 Ω
- Optimum load resistance: 47 kOhm in parallel with 400-500 pF
- Replacement stylus: N91ED, 5 × 18 µm (.0002 x .0007 in.) elliptical diamond
This is a high compliance cartridge that works best with a low mass tone arm. As per the load resistance spec, it needs 400-500 pF of shunt load capacitance or it will yield too much sibilance; either a longer set of cables or small value capacitors added to the interconnects. Tracking force needs to be on the higher side, especially with a replacement stylus (which is .0003x.0007" as opposed to the OEM .0002x.0007"). I think this came off my father's Dual turntable so the original stylus has some wear.

Mounting adapter kit for an older style Shure cartridge used to mount the cartridge to a standard headshell. The cartridge mounts with a single screw just ahead of the terminals. Might be of use to a collector or someone restoring older turntables?

Ful-Fi TC8H twist over mono cartridge. BSR cartridge made in England. This would only appeal to someone restoring an old mono record player like a Dansette. You push the spring loaded mechanism in and turn the cartridge to access the stylus on the other side (one side for 78s the other for LPs).

AudioTechnica AT152LP. This was AudioTechnica's top of the line p-mount cartridge in the '80s. The 1/2" mount equivalent was the AT155LC, later replaced by the AT150MLX. I used this with my linear tracking turntable. On paper this cartridge has better specs than the Ortofon Red that came with my Project turntable; wider frequency response and channel separation. Still has the original stylus with beryllium cantilever. I hope to try this with my Project turntable but need to invest in setup gauges first.

Cartridge Model	AT152LP
Replacement Stylus	ATN-152LP
Type	Moving Magnet
Frequency Response	5 Hz to 35000 Hz
Output Voltage† (5 cm/sec)	5 mV
Min Channel Separation†	32 dB
Channel Balance†	0.5 dB
Tracking Force	0.8 g to 1.6 g, Nominal 1.25 g
Coil Impedance†	3200 Ω
Coil Inductance	490 mH
Dynamic Compliance‡	10 × 10-6 cm/dyne
Static Compliance	40 × 10-6 cm/dyne
Load Resistance	47 kΩ
Load Capacitance	100 pF to 200 pF
Stylus	0.12 m/m N-Square Linear Contact Diamond
Vertical Tracking Angle	20°
Mass	6.0 g body only, 8 g with mounting kit

Trash or treasure?

 

[Eppie]

I found additional paperwork for the Shure cartridge adapter. This is for mounting a Shure p-mount cartridge onto a headshell, specifically the ME94P, ME96P and ME75P.

I also have an automatic record stacker for a Dual turntable.

 

[lovinthehd]

Taking me back in time....had a Dual with the stacker when I last had an M91ED That was the early 70s, tho. I am just hoping my current Shure (M97xE) outlasts me (and at my current rate of playing vinyl, it should unless I damage it). Hopefully someone may want them rather than trash 'em, tho.

Maybe mentions here https://forums.audioholics.com/forums/threads/vinyl-news.47017/ or here https://forums.audioholics.com/forums/threads/what-vinyl-only-are-ya-listening-to-thread.119868/ might get someone here (that hasn't noticed your thread)

 

[Bucknekked]

I am no help at all here. But I will wager dollars to donuts that @TLS Guy will have an excellent set of ideas.
Great post. Even if I can't help, this is just geek level cool.

 

[Eppie]

Yeah, mainly want to see these get used and not binned. The p-mount adapter is for a Shure ME96P that I forgot I have. We had two linear tracking turntables and I got the Shure for my wife's. Speed control is off so I don't use that table but might fix it.

Most members have pretty decent setups so I may have to go to vinylengine to find buyers.

 

[TLS Guy]

Yeah, mainly want to see these get used and not binned. The p-mount adapter is for a Shure ME96P that I forgot I have. We had two linear tracking turntables and I got the Shure for my wife's. Speed control is off so I don't use that table but might fix it.

Most members have pretty decent setups so I may have to go to vinylengine to find buyers.

The Shure is the cream of that crop. A good steady performer. That Audio-technica is also a steady choice. I don't know the Empire personally, but back in their day, they had a reputation of being on the edgy side.

The crystal turnover cartridge I doubt actually works. The crystal element fails over time, whether used or not. They require NO RIAA compensation and need an input impedance of 1 to 2 megaohms. 2 megaohms is optimal. Usually 50 to 100 mv sensitivity. You don't see those inputs anymore. They were mainly used in autochangers in table top record players and radiograms. That is a mono cartridge and will only play older mono records. It has NO vertical compliance and will ruin a stereo record.
For many years record companies had to issue a dual inventory of mono and stereo versions. Then Decca produced a mono ceramic cartridge that had vertical compliance and Decca stopped issuing mono records. Other companies followed. I doubt there is a market for that, as there are crystal cartridges made for restorers, I think by Astatic.

 

[afterlife2]

Ill take them if you're not using them and if you're giving them away... I had the AT110E before Sandy happened to me and bought a knockoff version off ebay and really like it.

 

[Eppie]

The Shure is the cream of that crop. A good steady performer. That Audio-technica is also a steady choice. I don't know the Empire personally, but back in their day, they had a reputation of being on the edgy side.

The crystal turnover cartridge I doubt actually works. The crystal element fails over time, whether used or not. They require NO RIAA compensation and need an input impedance of 1 to 2 megaohms. 2 megaohms is optimal. Usually 50 to 100 mv sensitivity. You don't see those inputs anymore. They were mainly used in autochangers in table top record players and radiograms. That is a mono cartridge and will only play older mono records. It has NO vertical compliance and will ruin a stereo record.
For many years record companies had to issue a dual inventory of mono and stereo versions. Then Decca produced a mono ceramic cartridge that had vertical compliance and Decca stopped issuing mono records. Other companies followed. I doubt there is a market for that, as there are crystal cartridges made for restorers, I think by Astatic.

I was hoping you would chime in too. Nice to know about the Shure. The AT152LP was top of the line and is still a good cartridge. Any value in the blue AT110E? With the current price of replacement styluses the AT110E and Empire are only worth a little more than the stylus cost, as far as I can tell.

Yesterday I finished repairing a receiver for my brother-in-law so while it was handy I connected all of the cartridges to the phono input and tested each with a stylus brush for any output. They all worked, including the mono twist over cartridge (both the 78 and LP stylus). Unfortunately I can't judge how well as my Project turntable does not have a removable headshell and I have nothing to test the mono cartridge with. Is that rated sensitivity the same spec as output voltage? If the MM cartridges output 5mV I would have expected the crystal to output more but I'm not sure what to expect connecting that old mono cartridge to an RIAA phono input. It did produce sound, though, so that crystal has not failed.

 

[Eppie]

Ill take them if you're not using them and if you're giving them away... I had the AT110E before Sandy happened to me and bought a knockoff version off ebay and really like it.

To be honest, I am not sure about the stylus on the 110E. It needed some straightening which may have affected the cantilever. I haven't had time to dig up my old microscope to check it over more closely. I think the stylus likely needs replacing.

I confirmed that the Empire still produces sound in both channels, so it just needs a new stylus. I think I saw one on LPgear for around $73. You can find subjective reviews in other forums. I've seen them sell for $80 so if you sell it you should be able to get back what you paid for a stylus. I don't mind giving those two away. PM me and we can chat about it.

I'll probably hang on to the Shure M91ED for a while longer and the AT152LP is staying with me.

 

[TLS Guy]

I was hoping you would chime in too. Nice to know about the Shure. The AT152LP was top of the line and is still a good cartridge. Any value in the blue AT110E? With the current price of replacement styluses the AT110E and Empire are only worth a little more than the stylus cost, as far as I can tell.

Yesterday I finished repairing a receiver for my brother-in-law so while it was handy I connected all of the cartridges to the phono input and tested each with a stylus brush for any output. They all worked, including the mono twist over cartridge (both the 78 and LP stylus). Unfortunately I can't judge how well as my Project turntable does not have a removable headshell and I have nothing to test the mono cartridge with. Is that rated sensitivity the same spec as output voltage? If the MM cartridges output 5mV I would have expected the crystal to output more but I'm not sure what to expect connecting that old mono cartridge to an RIAA phono input. It did produce sound, though, so that crystal has not failed.

Crystal cartridges usually had an output in the 250 mv range but they were all over the map. Often in the 50 to100 mv range. What is crucial is a high impedance. They come from the tube era and usually those table top players were single ended output tube amps of around 3 watts. The input was usually an EF 86 and sometimes an ECC83, which was two tubes in one. The cartridge was connected via cap to the grid. So that was a high impedance load around 2 million ohms. Remember a tube is essentially a voltage amplifier, whereas a transistor is essentially a current amplifier.

 

[Eppie]

Crystal cartridges usually had an output in the 250 mv range but they were all over the map. Often in the 50 to100 mv range. What is crucial is a high impedance. They come from the tube era and usually those table top players were single ended output tube amps of around 3 watts. The input was usually an EF 86 and sometimes an ECC83, which was two tubes in one. The cartridge was connected via cap to the grid. So that was a high impedance load around 2 million ohms. Remember a tube is essentially a voltage amplifier, whereas a transistor is essentially a current amplifier.

OK, thanks for that info. I'm not looking to make money on these especially if the functionality is questionable. I could offer the cartridge for cost of shipping to someone doing restoration work and they won't be out much money if the output is too low. I see these on Ebay but I can't imagine that there are too many out there.

This thread got me thinking though. Forum members tend to push measurements or using level matched A/B testing over subjective listening, but that's rather difficult with phono cartridges. You can find specifications for most, but does anybody publish frequency response graphs for cartridges? How do you measure compliance and tracking ability? I see some graphs on Stereophile but mostly subjective reviews along with just the specifications. How much do the specs actually tell you?

The AT152LP has a wider frequency response and better channel separation then the Ortofon 2M Red that came with my Project, but a direct comparison would be very difficult. If I get the linear tracking table working then I would have two tables to make comparisons but every piece of gear I own only has a single phono input. You can't use a device to switch inputs as that would affect the cable capacitance and if you switch speakers between two systems does the RIAA equalization on each come into play? You would also need two identical LPs for an A/B comparison. This seems to be the one area in hifi where the subjective opinions of others and you're own personal preferences come the most into play.

 

[TLS Guy]

OK, thanks for that info. I'm not looking to make money on these especially if the functionality is questionable. I could offer the cartridge for cost of shipping to someone doing restoration work and they won't be out much money if the output is too low. I see these on Ebay but I can't imagine that there are too many out there.

This thread got me thinking though. Forum members tend to push measurements or using level matched A/B testing over subjective listening, but that's rather difficult with phono cartridges. You can find specifications for most, but does anybody publish frequency response graphs for cartridges? How do you measure compliance and tracking ability? I see some graphs on Stereophile but mostly subjective reviews along with just the specifications. How much do the specs actually tell you?

The AT152LP has a wider frequency response and better channel separation then the Ortofon 2M Red that came with my Project, but a direct comparison would be very difficult. If I get the linear tracking table working then I would have two tables to make comparisons but every piece of gear I own only has a single phono input. You can't use a device to switch inputs as that would affect the cable capacitance and if you switch speakers between two systems does the RIAA equalization on each come into play? You would also need two identical LPs for an A/B comparison. This seems to be the one area in hifi where the subjective opinions of others and you're own personal preferences come the most into play.

First the crystal cartridge was pretty much done once those cheap tube amps and radiograms were no more. But some guy restoring one of those units could make use of it, but likely not. A restorer is going to use a stereo cartridge even if the unit is mono. There are so few mono records around any more, and you can not play a stereo record with that cartridge. So I doubt you could give it away.

Back in the day, FRs were measured, and the Shure FRs are well know. Shure produced a number of discs for measuring and evaluating cartridges. And as you might imagine, I have them in my "museum." They are not eBay purchases either. I am the original owner. There is just way too much audio history in this house.

 

[afterlife2]

This is the copy I have of the AT110. It's in the living room. For a copy it sounds great!

 

[davidscott]

The Shure is the cream of that crop. A good steady performer. That Audio-technica is also a steady choice. I don't know the Empire personally, but back in their day, they had a reputation of being on the edgy side.

The crystal turnover cartridge I doubt actually works. The crystal element fails over time, whether used or not. They require NO RIAA compensation and need an input impedance of 1 to 2 megaohms. 2 megaohms is optimal. Usually 50 to 100 mv sensitivity. You don't see those inputs anymore. They were mainly used in autochangers in table top record players and radiograms. That is a mono cartridge and will only play older mono records. It has NO vertical compliance and will ruin a stereo record.
For many years record companies had to issue a dual inventory of mono and stereo versions. Then Decca produced a mono ceramic cartridge that had vertical compliance and Decca stopped issuing mono records. Other companies followed. I doubt there is a market for that, as there are crystal cartridges made for restorers, I think by Astatic.

I once owned an Empire 1000 model on a mid-level Technics DD turntable and didn't notice it as being particularly edgy. Of course, that was a long time ago and my memory could be suspect.