The Neumann, and the ART1000 are attempts to make traditional MC designs approach the tip-sensing goodness of the Deccas.
Can there be a better spot for a nice big coil than wrapped right around the portion of the armature holding the stylus?
What innovative, unconventional cartridge designs can you recommend?
Most cartridges have a stylus and cantilever where the transducer (magnet, iron or coil) sits on the far end of the cantilever. What other designs are there?
I am mindful of two designs which put the business end right on top of the stylus. The first is the moving coil (MC) Audio Technica AT-ART1000 which places two tiny coils, each 0.9-mm diameter, with eight turns of wire directly above the stylus. Australian price is about AUD-7000 and there apparently is a newer model, slightly less exxe. the ART1000X. This has square coils for a bit more output, and threaded mounting holes.
A downside is that stylus replacement involves a factory maintenance program and the Australian website page describing this service does not exist.
Another design is optical, exemplified by DS Audio's range. While these still need a stylus to trace the groove, the signal is produced by reading the intensity of light produced by a Light Emitting Diode (LED) hitting two sensors. Between the LED and the sensors are two 'shades' mounted above the stylus which change the amount of light as the stylus vibrates. These cartridges need a special "photo-stage" to replace the conventional phono-stage which is an additional expense.
Australian prices including photo-stages range from AUD-2,150 for the DS-E1 to the DS Master 3 at approximately AUD-40,800, which is a bit outside my price range! Where is the sweet spot?
What other way-out designs are there?
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But the Neumann and ART1000 both have cantilevers wafting around upon which the coils are mounted.. The closest MC to the Decca is the original Ikeda 9 ( from the 80s' ) that has no cantilever, and the coils are wrapped around a hoop right next to the stylus, which is mounted at the apex of the hoop. Superb cartridge - I've had a few, still have one. I've set up at least 30 Deccas, both original and modified, the original Ikeda MC and Decca's are certainly the quickest and most direct sound of any of the modern cartridges. The Dynavector Karat Nova 13D, with its 1.3mm cantilever is close. I have owned one since the 80's - thrice rebuilt by Dynavector, last rebuild with micro ridge stylus, which was a considerable upgrade over the previous pathfinder in terms of resolution - it will see off most of todays top cartridges. |
The diagrams I have seen of the Decca moving iron (MI) cartridge do label the structure holding the diamond stylus as a cantilever. It is different in shape and position from typical straight cantilevers, though, and is made of iron. Essentially it runs nearly vertically above the stylus, before doing a near right-angled turn towards the rear of the cartridge, where it is flattened into a flat spring shape and clamped in place. The spring allows the stylus to move vertically through bending, and sideways through twisting (with different compliances!). On its own, this (double?) cantilever does not prevent some unwanted fore-and-aft movement of the stylus, so a tie-back cord is added where a more conventional cantilever would run. The actual cantilever is hidden above the lateral coil and magnet structure. Have I got this right so far? For the diagrams I am looking at, see for example Those Were The Days:Ortofon A/B, SPU, Decca London, Garrard GMC and Tannoy VariTwin Phono Cartridges These diagrams also show damping medium (rubber?) attached to the flattened spring. I don't think it is fair to suggest the ART1000 has its coils mounted to a cantilever which wafts around! The coils are mounted almost exactly over the stylus as can been seen here Direct Power Stereo MC Cartridge | AT-ART1000x | Audio-Technica | Audio-Technica. The cantilever exists solely to position the stylus in the body, and to stop it rotating.
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