Interface: Cartridge-Preamp or Cart-Tonearm?



I'm trying to choose a cartridge.

Which plays the more influential role, the cartridge / pre+phono amp interface (electronic complementarity) or cartridge / tonearm interaction (physics of tonearm-cartridge mating), all other factors being equal? assuming correct setup with proper cartridge-arm load matching...

Or, as in so much else in audio, does each contribute differently --and if so, how do the two differ, as relates to choosing a cartridge?

If need be, I can specify the equipment involved in my choice, but this is intended to be a non-specific question --at least at this phase of inquiry.

Thanks in advance for sharing your experience(s).

David
128x128cdk84

Showing 3 responses by dan_ed

Both are important. Missing on either will degrade the final sound.

The cart/arm interface is mostly concerned with the mechanical operation of the arm/cart/table. Things like alignment, mass, bearing design, etc., are the parameters here. We can make educated guesses using the resonance calculations here to see if a particular combo won't be grossly mis-matched but in the end we usually have to listen to a particular set to decide if they work well or not for us while playing music. Or, rely on the experience of others.

The cart/phono interface is mostly concerned with the electrical operation. Gain, internal resistance, tonearm cable, loading, slew rates, etc., are some of the parameters here. Here it gets more difficult as most times what works on company A's phono stage won't necessarily work the same on company B's phono stage, for instance. Many times issues in this interface can sound like mis-tracking when in fact we are hearing distortions. This, to me, really does rely on listening to get right, and many times input by the phono stage designer can be invaluable. Or, again, rely on the experience of others.

There is a lot more that can be said, but I hope this gets the basic idea across.
I can tell you what some of these lesser cartridges sound like on a Talea. So far, I've used a 103r, older Benz Glider MO, Shelter 901, Dyna 10x5 and 20XH-2. I think many people might change their opinion on these carts when heard on a Talea/Galibier combination.

dealer disclaimer
Interesting to note the conversation has moved from the stylus end in Tobias' post to the phono stage in Syntax's post. Mechanical vs electrical.

I think there is much I would agree with Syntax on his approach. Knowing what bits I've learned and what I like, this would be a very fast progression of upgrades from there on out to the cartridge, but they would be done once and over with. Critically damped, so to speak. :-) But I can't help but feel that which end one starts with is dependent on what that someone may be more comfortable debugging. Most people seem to be mechanically intuitive, so I think one has to have some level of listening sophistication with electronics for this approach to work.