Cartridge 101: Moving Magnets
Turntables are well into their comeback era now, and with so many to choose from, I wouldn’t blame you for feeling a little overwhelmed! We’ve got “moving magnet” and “moving coil” cartridges, “phono pre-amplifiers”, and the plethora of material choices that all come together to play your favourite vinyls. Let’s dive into moving magnet cartridges here and discuss a few of the options we have available and hopefully help you on your analog journey!
INTRODUCTION TO CARTRIDGES
Cartridges sit at the end of the tonearm and transfer the ridges in the vinyl record into audio through your speakers. This is done through the needle (stylus) attached to the end of the cartridge. The better the quality of the cartridge, the more detail you can pull out of your vinyls.
Ortofon and Rega are two fantastic brands we have here at West Coast Hifi that develop cartridges, and thankfully they have options for all price points and fidelities. We have a great history with them and they are highly trusted in the analog community.
There are two types of cartridges available here: moving magnet (MM) and moving coil (MC). These two designs perform quite differently, and in turn need particular hardware to perform their best (look out for our Phono Pre-Amp blog coming in the near future). As I stated above, we’ll just dive into moving magnet cartridges in this blog, but expect one on moving coil cartridges very soon!
HEADS UP!
If you are retrofitting a new cartridge to an existing turntable, it’s important to check whether it is compatible both with the turntable and the phono pre-amplifier (phono stage) you might possibly have or are looking into. If you are unsure, please contact your nearest West Coast Hifi store to discuss with one of our friendly AV consultants. 😊
MOVING MAGNETS
Moving magnet cartridges are the most popular choice for their simplicity and starting price point. In a moving magnet cartridge, there’s a tiny magnet attached to a small arm called the cantilever. When the stylus moves along the grooves of a vinyl record, the magnet moves too. This movement changes the magnetic field near the coils inside, which creates a small electrical signal. That signal is then sent to an amplifier so you can hear the music!
I’ll briefly go over a few options here, but rest assured we have an extended range on our website and available through our stores. Give us a call or send us a message if you have any questions!
ENTRY
A nice starting point would be the Ortofon OM5E and Rega Carbon. Both of these moving magnet cartridges have great bang-for-buck and make for a fantastic upgrade to an older compatible turntable that supports cartridge swapping.
If you’re wanting some extra detail while still keeping it relatively affordable, I highly recommend moving up to the Ortofon 2M Red and the Ortofon 2MR (made for Rega turntables) instead. These improve on detail retrieval, and produce a clear, neutral sound. They are a great choice for those wanting to start their analog journey.
MID-HIGH
Stepping up to the mid-high end range, we start seeing some really sweet offerings from Ortofon and Rega.
The Ortofon 2M Blue improves upon its 2M Red sibling by using a “nude elliptical diamond” rather than a “bonded elliptical diamond tip”. In translation, this means that instead of using a diamond tip glued to a metal rod that attaches to a cantilever, the stylus is made entirely out of diamond mounted directly to the cantilever. This reduces its mass to improve performance. Because of this lighter design, the 2M Blue has improved high-frequency detail, which is especially noticeable in elements like vocals or cymbals for example. The improved agility also allows for a more dynamic and open soundstage. The 2M Blue is known for having a more present sound signature, which lends itself towards genres like classical, jazz, and rock.
For Rega, their new in-house developed Nd3 Moving Magnet Cartridge is a perfect upgrade, plus it can be factory fitted to their Planar 2 and Planar 3 turntables if you’re in the market for some new Hifi gear. The Nd3 is the entry to Rega’s new neodymium magnet based designs – a first in the market – which offer stronger magnetic fields for improved performance. Rega’s lightweight philosophy stays true in their cartridges. The Nd3 is lightweight and rigid to reduce strain on the tonearm and improve tracking. Over the Ortofon 2MR, the Nd3 has more dynamism and energy, with an open and spacious performance and improved precision.
If you’re still yearning for more fidelity, the Ortofon 2M Bronze and Rega Nd5 are that next step to hifi glory.
The 2M Bronze’s “Nude Fine Line” stylus and upgraded cantilever retrieve more high frequency detail, as well as better transient response and control, like in drums or other percussive elements. Sonically, the 2M Bronze has a slightly warmer – if not neutral – tone over the 2M Blue, and smoother high frequency reproduction.
The Rega Nd5 Moving Magnet Cartridge refines the performance of the Nd3 with the help of an upgraded nude elliptical diamond stylus, and further solidifies the benefit of using Rega cartridges with Rega turntables. As well as offered as a factory-fitting on thePlanar 3 and Planar 6, the Nd5 is for those wanting extended levels of detail and opening that soundstage. This cartridge is also going to be much better for those more complex records like rock, rap, pop, and electronic with its more playful sound signature.
HIGH-END
Those searching for true moving magnet bliss should look no further than the Ortofon 2M Black and Rega Nd7 Moving Magnetcartridges.
The Ortofon 2M Black is graced with a Shibata diamond stylus. It has excellent tracking and shows better high frequency response. The 2M Black is more transparent and revealing over the 2M Bronze, which many audiophiles or audio purists will enjoy. This is the cartridge for those wanting the most detail and realism from a moving magnet cartridge.
The Rega Nd7 Moving Magnet Cartridge is a masterpiece in engineering. The nude fine line diamond stylus, neodymium magnets and “low-turn coil design” combine to create their most detailed moving magnet cartridge yet. Over the Nd5, the Nd7 produces excellent dynamism, with deep bass reproduction and crisp high-end detail thanks to its deeper groove contact to enhance tracking. The precision of this cartridge is its greatest strength, and one that people looking for the highest quality transfer of audio from their vinyl records should look for in the moving magnet segment. This cartridge can be factory fitted to the Planar 6 and Planar 8 turntables.
That’s a brief overview of what we have to offer for you! The world of cartridges is a very technical one, but at the end of the day it’s all about the music, and there’s an option for everyone trying to get the most out of their vinyls.
Now of course, this isn’t the end for cartridges! We’ve got an upcoming blog discussing “moving coil” cartridges coming very soon, and I’ll go through their qualities and upgrades over moving magnet cartridges. Until then!
If you need guidance on which cartridge is right for you, our experts at West Coast Hifi are more than happy to direct you through the selection, and what suits your needs best.
GLOSSARY
Bonded Elliptical Diamond Stylus: consists of an elliptical-shaped diamond tip that is attached to a metal shank, which is then joined to the cantilever of a turntable cartridge.
Cartridge: The housing for the stylus that attaches to the tonearm on a turntable.
Nude Elliptical Diamond Stylus: a type of stylus where the entire diamond tip and shank are made from a single piece of diamond, without any bonded parts.
Nude Fine Line Diamond Stylus: Similar in fashion to the nude elliptical diamond stylus, but with reduced mass.
Stylus: The needle at the end of the cartridge that sits in the groove of the vinyl.