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After years of development we are finally launching our phono cartridge measurement library. These measurements were created using the brilliant cartridge response python script written by @scott wurcer and @JP. Information about its origins can be found in the following threads:
www.diyaudio.com
www.audiosciencereview.com
The script itself, user guides, information regarding test record compatibility and limitations, and discussion are available here:
www.audiosciencereview.com
Information regarding Floyd Toole's phono cartridge blind test experiments and the importance of frequency response is found here:
www.audiosciencereview.com
We invite you to join us and share your own measurements. It is our hope that this will be the largest, most detailed, and most reliable collection of its kind. We are indebted to the professional reviewers of the medium's golden age, who set the standard for third party cartridge measurements. This kind of data was once expected from the highest quality reviews in magazines such as Stereo Review and HiFi News.
Kindly abide by a few important rules:
Refer to the script thread for additional tips and guidelines. Please keep script and test record discussion in the respective threads. A lot has already been covered. It is important that this thread is somewhat orderly and legible as it is more a reference guide. If you want to check if the script supports your older measurements send me a private message, but generally sweeps at 44.1 and 96k are accepted. As long as you allow the results to be posted and can provide detailed loading information, I can make a graph out of your frequency response recordings should you want. Do allow me time. The script works best with JVC TRS-1007, Clearaudio CA-TRS-1007, and CBS STR-100 (Issue 3). Each has its limitations as you will see (e.g. CBS STR-100 and crosstalk). Spot rundowns have shown that frequency response measurements using JVC TRS-1007 are, for our purposes, correct when processed through the script. Think of Clearaudio CA-TRS-1007 as a lower resolution version. While CBS STR-100 is not as accurate, it is not too far off either, with a likely -0.5 dB bell dip between 2.5-17kHz. See the following for confirmation:
audiosciencereview.com
Note: Test records are not perfect and the turntables even less so with the many variables than can and do go wrong, so please use discretion as results are certainly not guaranteed on your set-up. Think of these as akin to Amir's headphone measurements. We are using modern capture technology with 50 year old test records so expect some compromise as the latter were never meant for this level of scrutiny and may suffer from pressing or warping issues. Additionally, the measurements are of sweeps located near the outer groove of the test records. Frequency response and distortion often changes a little as a cartridge progresses toward the inner groove. Those with larger radius diamonds, those with wear, and especially those with a combination of the two show larger differences. And a reminder that other factors such as trackability, channel matching, tone arm compatibility, output voltage, and condition also matter when considering a cartridge. Most importantly, your cartridge is just one part of your audio system chain (including RIAA implementation), with your speakers and room having the most impact on what you hear. So, for example, if--in a perfect world--your cartridge is neutral then what you hear is more or less the recording (with all the idiosyncrasies of the medium) through your speakers in your room. Please take this into consideration when offering or discussing anecdotes about sound quality. The circle of confusion has hit the vinyl community especially hard and we hope that by "democratizing" cartridge measurements we can begin to collectively move past it during the medium's, uhm, extended golden years.
Cartridge dynamic behaviour
I've started this thread to explore some issues that came up on another thread recently that were starting to drag that thread in the wrong direction. Hopefully I'll get time to pull in stuff on some other discussions here, but the drive here is to discuss things that would cause non-linear...
MM vs MI vs MC
Just for holiday giggles, I swapped out one of the several MCs in my collection (in this case, it was an AT33SA) for the only MM/MI collection, a Nagaoka MP-500. Granted, this is a fairly top end MM/MI, with a boron cantilever, special line contact stylus, and these days, a very high price for...
www.audiosciencereview.com
The script itself, user guides, information regarding test record compatibility and limitations, and discussion are available here:
Phono Cartridge Response Measurement Script
This thread is intended to consolidate the technical discussion and further development of Scott Wurcer's frequency response measurement script to a central area. I'd like to keep this discussion about the tool rather than specific cartridges. I'll edit this and the subsequent reserved posts in...
www.audiosciencereview.com
Information regarding Floyd Toole's phono cartridge blind test experiments and the importance of frequency response is found here:
Toole Blind Cartridge Comparison
From Audio Scene Canada August 1980, a blind screen comparison by Floyd Toole of 2 MCs and a MM which I decided to add under its own thread rather than at least 2 others to which I might have added it.
www.audiosciencereview.com
We invite you to join us and share your own measurements. It is our hope that this will be the largest, most detailed, and most reliable collection of its kind. We are indebted to the professional reviewers of the medium's golden age, who set the standard for third party cartridge measurements. This kind of data was once expected from the highest quality reviews in magazines such as Stereo Review and HiFi News.
Kindly abide by a few important rules:
- One measurement (or rather cartridge) per post
- Write the name of the cartridge on the post so that it is searchable
- Use the latest version of official script
- This helps with consistency (e.g. IRIAA filters may be off on older measurements)
- The script compensates for recording characteristics and allows for full range plots with custom biquad filters
- Provide as much set-up information as possible as well as stylus condition if known
Refer to the script thread for additional tips and guidelines. Please keep script and test record discussion in the respective threads. A lot has already been covered. It is important that this thread is somewhat orderly and legible as it is more a reference guide. If you want to check if the script supports your older measurements send me a private message, but generally sweeps at 44.1 and 96k are accepted. As long as you allow the results to be posted and can provide detailed loading information, I can make a graph out of your frequency response recordings should you want. Do allow me time. The script works best with JVC TRS-1007, Clearaudio CA-TRS-1007, and CBS STR-100 (Issue 3). Each has its limitations as you will see (e.g. CBS STR-100 and crosstalk). Spot rundowns have shown that frequency response measurements using JVC TRS-1007 are, for our purposes, correct when processed through the script. Think of Clearaudio CA-TRS-1007 as a lower resolution version. While CBS STR-100 is not as accurate, it is not too far off either, with a likely -0.5 dB bell dip between 2.5-17kHz. See the following for confirmation:
Phono Cartridge Response Measurement Script
This script is the best! It is now easier to test, diagnose, and fix TT performance than ever before ..... and it's free! Thank you! It is probably easier for me because I use an ADC and digital RIAA so sampling and correcting become trivial compared to messing around with scopes and...
audiosciencereview.com
Note: Test records are not perfect and the turntables even less so with the many variables than can and do go wrong, so please use discretion as results are certainly not guaranteed on your set-up. Think of these as akin to Amir's headphone measurements. We are using modern capture technology with 50 year old test records so expect some compromise as the latter were never meant for this level of scrutiny and may suffer from pressing or warping issues. Additionally, the measurements are of sweeps located near the outer groove of the test records. Frequency response and distortion often changes a little as a cartridge progresses toward the inner groove. Those with larger radius diamonds, those with wear, and especially those with a combination of the two show larger differences. And a reminder that other factors such as trackability, channel matching, tone arm compatibility, output voltage, and condition also matter when considering a cartridge. Most importantly, your cartridge is just one part of your audio system chain (including RIAA implementation), with your speakers and room having the most impact on what you hear. So, for example, if--in a perfect world--your cartridge is neutral then what you hear is more or less the recording (with all the idiosyncrasies of the medium) through your speakers in your room. Please take this into consideration when offering or discussing anecdotes about sound quality. The circle of confusion has hit the vinyl community especially hard and we hope that by "democratizing" cartridge measurements we can begin to collectively move past it during the medium's, uhm, extended golden years.
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