The Goldring E3 Phono Cartridge Revisited | Is the E4 that much better?

[@EzeeLinux]

OOPS! When I said the Goldring Elan and Electra were based on the Red Ed I got my supply chains a little confused. Both the Red Ed and the Goldring carts were based on the Chuo Denshi MG-29D. Thanks to gotham61 for pointing that out. :)

[@matereo]

Originally made by Nagaoka.. then oem by sanyo, fisher and goldring and others. Tonar now, another one

[@PhonoDirect]

@@matereoExactly.

[@Victrola777]

I absolutely love my AT VM540ml !!! They are amazing ! Very true to the recording, yet not over the top like some AT carts.

[@r423sdex]

I have Vm740ml, absolutely awful sounding.

[@Victrola777]

@@r423sdex I have heard that from too many people. That is why I have thought about moving up to the low output mc carts instead.

[@mickshrimpton6494]

Lovin these cartridge videos, Joe, keep up the good work, its MUCH appreciated

[@markcarrington8565]

It’s great to see some reviews of budget cartridges and the E3 in particular, so thanks for this. I have some friends who may be interested in upgrading the Carbon on their P1 and a Rega dealer has recommended it as a straight swap. As for your extrapolations from one manufacturer to another regarding switching between bonded and nude elliptical tips, however apparently logical your reasoning, I would caution against it. The step up in price here may be influencing your thinking, however, your favoured AT95EN is £119 here in the UK against the £48 of the bonded VM95E. A hike of almost 2.5 times in price. Goldring E3 at £89 goes up to E4 at £199, ratio of just over 2.2 times. So doubling for nude is the normal practice. Only the buyer can decide if the difference between Goldring and AT carts is worth it, but your direct comparison between the cheaper of the two suggests you would give the E3 a clear win over the 95E. It even challenged your more expensive 95EN. I would be really interested to hear your thoughts on an E4 after you’ve heard it.

[@nattyco]

I have all 3. The E3 sounds very different from the AT-VM95EN. The E3 is much fuller in the mids with a better focused bass and smoother treble. The E4 is better still with a wider soundstage , better instrument separation and deeper bass.

[@Victrola777]

The Goldring E3 is a 2021 Stereophile recommended class B cartridge ! No other cheap cart has made it to class B before. Most class B carts cost hundreds to thousands of dollars.

[@Victrola777]

Believe or not, I really loved an AT95 on my Linn LP-12 ! Great combination, great synergy.

[@petersammon8771]

The E2 on my u-turn gen 1 sounds phenomenal! Stereo sound staging and separation is extremely wide and extremely deep.

[@richardlloyd5519]

I have been using a VM-95EN for years and recently picked up an E4. In my setup, there is a HUGE difference in sound signature. The E4 somehow manages to find more detail, but it "peaks' through rather than being in your face...maybe not a great description, but that is what it sounds like to me. I haven't heard an E3. The E4 has great, deep, bass and everything seems to flow together musically. As a musician, I am sensitive to timbral differences. The E4 does stringed instrument resonances way better than the 95 did...no surprise given the price difference, but it isn't even close, all the way from bowed bass through cellos, viola and violin. Listening to an early pressing of Abbey Road, I actually heard things they were doing in harmonies that I never caught before, and I have listened closely many times. McCartneys vocal on "You Never Give Me Your Money" sounded a little thin before (thought it was the mix) and he now has a kind of bloom that sounds more natural, and so is probably more accurate. Anyway, as you can tell, I was surprised and impressed with the E4. I know I am comparing it to a WAY less expensive cart (with maybe 500 hours on it) but that is what I was using before. I'm sure that the E-3 is fabulous, as well...and maybe the deal here? Some audio forum members seem to say that they are nothing more than rebadged AT's. I started out with a 540ML. It had it's own sound (not to my liking, way bright). The VM-95EN was much more well behaved to my ears. Still, IMHO, the Goldring does not have the same AT "house sound" at all, and for the better!

[@petersammon8771]

❤ another great video sir. I just pulled the trigger and scored a Goldring e2 green 🍏 for 79 bucks on eBay which I plan to mount on my u-turn green orbit basic. I saw today that the price has come down on your E3 for about 139 on Amazon.❤

[@z90012]

Hi Joe great review.ive got the VM95SH nude shibater.for the money its wonderful.£168 in England😊

[@vanea99]

In the storm of enthusiastic reviews for Goldring E3, no audio specialist (The Audiophile Man, What HI-Fi?, The Ear, Stereophile, Deeply Groovy, CNET, Needles @ Grooves, RicherSounds and so on) wrote a single word about the three issues of this (really great) cartridge: sibilants, IGD + distortions on fortissimo musical passages (because, and it is normal, no one tests cartridges on old, used LP's). All these problems are solved by E4 thanks to its nude stylus - E3 has a bonded one. On the other hand, the sound is much better, close to Goldring 1042: treble and upper mid are finer and more delicate -, the bass is a step forward over the E3, in terms of the absolute depth, details and definition, and enhances the warm of music. Every instrument is distinct and natural & the overall sound is full and round. In addition, there is a larger soundstage, lower floor noise, and a good attenuation of clicks and pops, comparative to E3. Final note: Goldring E4 is exceptional for all types of music, classic, jazz, folk, rock, pop. Amazing balance, dynamics and timing - established qualities of E3 - are improved on E4.

[@johnnytoobad7785]

There are some great OEM "aftermarket" styli for the original AT95 body available from LP-gear and Turntableneedles. I purchased an AT-95 body just to get the nude-hyperelliptical stylus from T-needles.

[@keithneal5369]

Been using the E3 for 6 months now, just to give my audio technica AT 0C3 moving coil cartridge a rest. The Goldring is amazing value. Using it on a garrard 401, sme 3009 with fluid damping. Took some setting up, needs less bias compensation than most. Through my tannoys the Goldring E3 is punchy, fantastic bass and great at imaging. Definitely highly recommended.

[@rafacq]

I’m glad I ordered the AT-VM95EN. Will arrive Wednesday. Bought it from Crutchfield, had nearly $50 in creditts!

[@cm2881]

How do you like it?

[@rafacq]

@@cm2881 I can’t remember why, I returned it. Thinking about getting the vm540ml.

[@Victrola777]

I also really like my Goldring 1042. But it is very hard to set up properly with the Fritz Geiger type iii needle. VTA is critical. It takes a long time to set up correctly, but when done, it is very good. But expensive at $600.

[@redrobbosworkshop]

That's a hell of a surcharge for a VM95EN in a posh coat.

[@Victrola777]

The 540 set up on my table is not mushy at all. It is ruler flat, and very true to the recording.

[@arnoldtolker3505]

2021 holte ich mir einen Vintage-Plattenspieler, einen 1977er WEGA P555, ein direktgetriebener Vollautomat. Den angebauten AT 91 gelb tauschte ich gegen einen GR E 3 blau. Der Klangunterschied: Welten!

[@LeRoySL-q5q]

I'll take the Audio Technica AT-VM95ML cart over this, anyday. Better separation, frequency response, detail, and near zero IGD.

[@petrvodkin5001]

Agree a 100%! I got the E2, beautiful sounding, AT 530EN way too bright, VM95ML kinda lifeless.

[@Dave-if5qj]

A ton of high end cartridges use the AT generators clearaudio Moving magnets for example There just hidden inside a fancy body same as mofi mm models

[@jamesminotto8036]

Nice video. I'm having the same debate. I have the E3 on my Dual 1219.

[@bearded_wolverine3503]

I currently run the vm95ml on my sl1200MK2 but this e3 has my interest

[@EzeeLinux]

If you are in the US, I'd skip it. The replacement styli are hard to find and expensive. AT is a better deal. :)

[@jedi-mic]

@@EzeeLinux I'm not sure that's the case it shouldn't be hard to get a replacement you could order it from the UK off the website, maybe if the retail shop doesn't stock it but everybody's batting online shouldn't be a problem, price should be cheaper because you're not paying VAT if you're buying it from the UK 22% cheaper. So that would probably pay for postage.

[@cassette_decks_and_turntables]

In today's market of cartridges,no one can compete the prices of Audio Technica... And no one can compete in price/performance the ATVM95 EN...✌️

[@EzeeLinux]

Treo... But is the extra money worth it if you don't want AT?

[@cassette_decks_and_turntables]

@@EzeeLinux In prices up to 250€ I think the only road someone has is to choose AT But if someone wants a more "flat" "clinical" sound he can choose the Ortofon OM series (OM5,OM10) That's my conclusion after I tried many cartridges at this price point (up to 250€) You have a very nice KZbin channel, great videos keep up ✌️

[@gotham61]

To be fair, the Goldring Elektra and Elan were hardly "based on the Red Ed". Ed Saunders was just a guy selling cartridges and styli out of his house. Both were just OEM rebadged versions of the Chuo Denshi MG-29D. Actually, the Red Ed version wasn't rebadged at all, it was just a standard Chuo Denshi. I also don't think you're being entirely fair in saying the E4 is just a rebodied AT VM95EN. 0.3 x 0.7 is pretty much the standard radii for any elliptical stylus. But if you look at the rest of the specifications, you'll see that everything from the output level, channel balance, DC resistance, coil inductance, and static compliance, to the VTA are all different. I'm not aware of any official source where Rega claims that they modify the Carbon. Can you point me to one?

[@EzeeLinux]

Whether it's called a Red Ed or Chuo Denshi, they quit making them. As for the Carbon, I checked Rega's web site and they no longer claims to have "modified" or 'upgraded' this cart but they have in the past. I didn't make it up. There are still some references to the mythical modifications to be found in audio forums and review sites. They are now selling for around $70 US and that's quite a markup for a decal on the stylus. Finally, the only apparent difference between the E3 and E4 is the stylus construction. This is what the consumer is going to see.

[@gotham61]

@@EzeeLinux " the only apparent difference between the E3 and E4 is the stylus construction" Correct, but that not what I'm saying. My point is that the generator is really not at all like a VM95. Pretty much every spec, apart from the rather standard stylus dimensions you highlighted, is different. Even the VTA is different, which is something that would be identical if it used the same cantilever and stylus assembly as the AT. I guess my point is that while it may use some AT parts, it's not at all a rebodied VM95 as you say at 8.03 Goldring is a real company. They've been in business for well over 100 years, and still make all but their lowest cost cartridges in their own factory in Bishop's Stortford England. They also make cartridges as an OEM for a bunch of other manufacturers, as opposed to the other way around. They also have an active business repairing and retipping other manufacturer's cartridges. Sorry to be a pain, but you're making objective claims, which I don't think are borne out by the facts.