[BikeFi10]

My Music Hall mmf 9.1 tt has a Project One EVO CC 9" tonearm.
Project One site indicates this is a high compliance tonearm and needs a 30mn/mN or higher cart.
Music Hall claims this tonearm uses a 18 mm/mN cart thus they recommend a Goldring Erocia at 18mm/mN cart.

The only HIGH compliance carts Ive seen are Soundsmiths. Some spec'd as high as 28mm/mN.

Ive read good things about Soundsmith, but does anyone know of other other high compliance carts?

Looking in the $1k range. Open to used.

[nlitworld]

There is always a range of acceptable values based around total mass (effective mass of tonearm, plus cartridge and hardware) vs compliance. More mass means less required compliance. That is a low mass tonearm where the 9" option is only 8g.

The vinylengine cartridge resonance calculator HERE is super handy. Find a cartridge and hardware weight that fits into the green region with the allotted compliance. You actually have a lot more options than you'd think like a Benz Micro Glider or a Grado Timber V3 Master. whats your phono preamp like? Can you support a LOMC or are you looking at just MM cartridges?

[WGH]

The Goldring 1042 is a lovely MM cartridge, I have used one for years on a Harman Kardon T55C turtable with a low mass tonearm by ITO. The Gyger S stylus profile is quiet, details emerge out of a black background. Read the reviews, everyone loves the 1042.

Because the Gyer S profile is a line contact stylus make sure the arm height can be adjusted so the body of the cartridge is parallel to the record. The Goldring 1042 is a large cartridge. VTA is extremely important, get it right and the heaven's open up. The stylus is user replaceable too.

https://goldringusa.myshopify.com/products/goldring-1042-moving-magnet-cartridge?variant=40286404706493

[BikeFi10]

That chart on vinylengine is a great tool. Im guessing 0.5 extra grams could be added for hardware?

Its frustrating some cart manufacturers dont give compliance like Hana and Simiko gives complance @ 100hz.
Im looking to try MC or MI cart. My preamp has inputs for MM and MC.
I also have a Schitt Mani which, I believe pairs with MC carts.
I see some manufactuers have high output MC versions as well. I might go that route as my Magnepan 1.7i s are hard to drive.

I like what Ive read about shimato and line contact stylus. Ive read the mirco lines are extra sensitive to alignment and though very detailed, can be a bit on the thin sounding side.

[WGH]

Ive read the mirco lines are extra sensitive to alignment and though very detailed, can be a bit on the thin sounding side.

The Goldring 1042 is not thin sounding at all.

[BikeFi10]

WGH,
I read on HiFi Advice site about the thin sound, but maybe that is refering to a cooler/faster vs warmer/slower sound like digital vs analog.
Did you find the setup of the  Goldring 1024 more difficult?
Im in my 60s and my hand eye cordination is not what it use to be.

[WGH]

Did you find the setup of the  Goldring 1024 more difficult?

The setup was only more difficult because the arm on the Harman Kardon turntable (1985) was not designed with height adjustment in mind. The height can be adjusted by turning the turntable upside down and loosening a collar to change the arm height. Repeat as necessary.

[BikeFi10]

Nice vintage HK tt. I ran a fully auto Sony PS-x55 for 40 years then picked up a very manual Music Hall mmf 9.1 after the last kid left. It has all the adjustment options. The tonearm is feather lite and its taken a few unwanted swings.
It'll be interesting to try a MC or MI cart with line contact as Ive only used MM. Most my lps are from 1970s ,1980s and Ive always treated them well.

[theflattire]

I think Grado and Dynavector have high compliance carts.

[andyr]

I see some manufacturers have high output MC versions as well. I might go that route as my Magnepan 1.7i s are hard to drive.

Sorry, I can't follow ... sure, MG1.7s are "hard to drive" - but that means you need a grunty power amp which is happy driving 4 ohm spkrs!  What cart or phono stage you have is irrelevant - of course, providing your phono stage has the appropriate gain for your cart (so it outputs enough signal for your preamp/integrated.

Here's where a HOMC can fall short.     Their output is typically 1.5-2mV ... whereas your standard MM phono stage (with 40dB gain) expects to 'see' a 5mV cart - and so puts out 500mV.  If you feed it with a 1.5-2mV HOMC ... you only get 150-200mV out.

So you need an MM phono stage which has 46dB of gain - even 50dB, for a 1.5mV cart.

[BikeFi10]

Amp is high current Odyessy Kismet, upgraded. Drives Maggies pretty good, but Im sure a couple mono blocks would give better horsepower. Not in my budget though.
Both my pre amp and Schitt Mani have 60db setting for LOMC, but just saw interview with Peter L. from Soundsmith. He said LOMC are market driven. Basically a more prestige option for mid fi and up audiophiles to pair with upper priced phono stages.
Schitt Mani is just entry level so now Im thinking price ratio may be way off for a $800 - $1k cart. Maybe MM with line contact stylus would be a better match for my system.
Earlier poster mentioned Goldring 1042. Im uneasy about the  micro stylus and tricky setup.

[andyr]

Amp is high current Odyessy Kismet, upgraded. Drives Maggies pretty good

I'm sure it does!   

Schitt Mani is just entry level so now I'm thinking price ratio may be way off for a $800 - $1k cart. Maybe MM with line contact stylus would be a better match for my system.

There are MM carts which cost more than $800-1000!

[Rocket]

Hi,

Sorry to hijack your thread. Using the cartridge vinyl resonator as below:

https://www.vinylengine.com/cartridge_resonance_evaluator.php?eff_mass=12&submit=Submit

My Technics sl1200g has a tonearm effective mass of 12g and I wanted to use a Denon dl103 which is a low compliance cart.  The dynamic compliance is 10 and using the resonator shows that its within the green range. I've always read that the denon dl103 isn't a good match for the technics turntable. Unless I'm doing something wrong... ?

Cheers Rod

[nlitworld]

Hey Rod,
It's because that cart is heavy enough that it brings things back into play. If that cart was 8 or 9g, it'd be a tougher sell. It's all a matter of balance.... literally. 

[BikeFi10]

No problem, Rocket.
 Crazy that I used Ortofon for decades in an old Sony tt then a Nagaoka MP110 which went into my Musichall tt before ever learning about compliance. Maybe I was lucky on matching, but they sounded pretty good. The Musichall /Nag very good on very good recordings.

[jedgar]

What to do for cartridge with my Thorens TP16iii, low mass (7.5g) tonearm on TD 125 Mk III?  I have had  2 Dynavector 10x5s (MC) and was happy.  Both damaged and on # 1 I now use a Soundsmith Ruby Cantilever / Optimized Contour Nude Contact Line Diamond new rebuild ($400) which I am getting happy with as initial brightness fades.

Not sure if the 2nd is repairable as the problem is internal, not stylus.  So considering other options. 

My AVA phono pre has many switches that will give quite a bit of gain (up to 60 I think) so I am ok going lower than the Dynavector 2.5mV output. I have a duplicate tonearm and will switch them for comparison, I expect.  I am 70+, had good hearing as of a few years ago but know that will change.

So with this 7.5 g tonearm high compliance seems a must. I read that compliance measurement of 20 is good for such a light arm.  Though Dnyavector says it's 10x5 is at 12 nm/dyn.  Which may not be same measure as others' reference?

I not going to spend lots of $ I hope.  Ideas welcome and thanks.

Happy listening.

[BikeFi10]

Jedgar... if you click the link "HERE" in nlitworlds post above it takes you to a nice referance chart. Also if you go to Soundsmith site and click on How To ( at top) then Compliance / Arm Mass Chart that is very handy too.

[davidc1]

If you wanna go vintage, nothing was higher compliance that the Shure V15 Type V

[HAL]

Or the less well known Shure Ultra 500 MM cartridge which was an upgraded version of the V15-VMR.

[I.Greyhound Fan]

I would give a look to the Nagaoka MP-200.  It is a medium compliance cartridge.  I use one on my vintage Thorens TD-145 TT and it sounds great.  It has a warmer sound, is forgiving, has great bass and punch and a smooth top end without being rolled off. The mid range is fabulous. It takes 30 hours of break in per Nagaoka and they are spot on.  It sounded like crap the first 10-15 hours and then started to smooth out and  by 30 hours the transformation was remarkable.  Nagaoka recommends swapping out the stylus at 200 hours but that is a bunch of crap.  All cartridges lose a little bit at 200 hours or so.  I have about 400 hours on mine and I havent noted any drop off.  I also own the MP-150 and it has a similar sound but the 200 sounds a bit better. You can buy them direct from Japan for a discount.

https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/nagaoka-mp-200