Examining the world's cheapest phono cartridge, which sells for less than $2 on eBay (including free shipping from China), and demonstrating the audio quality it can deliver when attached to properly matched equipment.
Пікірлер: 691
@GradyWhite20076 жыл бұрын
15 grand for a phono cartridge? Hell in some cases, then just hire the band to come play in your living room!
@vonderheide61015 жыл бұрын
Howard Mora literally true
@AdrenalineRushMX5 жыл бұрын
lol
@_-_Michael_-_4 жыл бұрын
But what if you want to listen to Beatles or Hendrix? :D
@ABCEasyas--4 жыл бұрын
Marshallbluesrock Have holograms of Jimi, George or John
@Sarathewise1584 жыл бұрын
@@_-_Michael_-_ Hire a medium to hire the band?
@TheZooman227 жыл бұрын
"They must have lost the formula to 317X " that is epic. I think that is why I watch these VWestlife videos, for the classic commentary.
@Golbez1991 Жыл бұрын
@4:20, not your main subject but when you mentioned how much static the new records have these days, I was relieved to know I wasn't the only one to have this issue. I guess they want to make us pay for that anti-static gun thingy or whatnot.
@SouvenirDin24Ай бұрын
One of the new records I purchased a few weeks back had that much static on the vinyl it was near impossible to remove it from the inner sleeve and it actually got light surface scratches on part of the vinyl when I did eventually entice it out to play it. Luckily you can't hear the scratches.
@warrenmacdonald13727 жыл бұрын
A lot of work went into this video. Thanks Kevin, for taking the time, excellent!
@varikvalefor6 жыл бұрын
The quality is pretty astonishing for the price. That's not saying much, though.
@tunemixerman6 жыл бұрын
Well it may shock you to know that I have used those cartridges in many old consoles with amazing results and full sound quality, but only with the aluminum shaft diamond tip stylus. Work well on old console stereo. Cheers my friend ! Electronics Engineer over 50 years.
@g.m.56074 жыл бұрын
Tony Louis 🤔 will it damage a record after a certain amount of time or is that more audioPhile baloney/ snobbery ?
@Altchannel29884 жыл бұрын
All snob
@Altchannel29884 жыл бұрын
The cartridge will not harm records AT ALL
@xaenon4 жыл бұрын
@@g.m.5607 It's not as simple as that, though yes, there is a degree of snobbery involved. We have to make sure we're speaking using the same terms first. 'Wear' versus 'damage'. All records experience a degree of 'wear' each time they're played. Ultimately, they'll get worn out. Just like the tires of your car; no matter how well you maintain them, they will eventually wear out. But obviously, not all tires wear the same. They might last 60,000 miles on one car, and only 25,000 on another. It depends on how well they're made, how they're maintained, the loads and road surfaces involved, and other factors. And records and cartridge/styli are pretty much the same. When the LP was first developed, ceramic cartridges (or, more accurately, their predecessor, 'crystal' cartridges) were the norm, and it was noted that a vinyl record could be played several hundred times before the record could be considered 'worn out'. And this was at a tracking force of about 4 to 6 grams, which for this type of cartridge is completely normal. Magnetic cartridges, however, offer advantages. One, they can be made to track very light - 2 grams or even less is not unusual. Magnetics can also be made to be very compliant - meaning they more faithfully follow the contours of the groove. Both of these are due to how magnetic cartridges work. I won't go into details here, but suffice it to say that lighter tracking and greater compliance means less wear PER PLAY, and overall, a greater functional life of your records. DAMAGE to a record is usually caused by excessive or unusual wear. Unusually high tracking forces, a damaged or badly worn needle, a cartridge/stylus assembly that does not provide the proper geometry, etc. Those suitcase things track at 5 grams or so (actually fairly normal), but they don't have the best tone arm geometry, and they often come with a very cheap stylus installed - one that is sapphire and tends to wear out within a very short time (I think they're generally spec'd to last about 40 hours, and the ones they supply probably aren't even all THAT good). A diamond needle, on the other hand, will last much longer before it becomes damaged and worn. I truly believe the people who shriek 'damage!' are those who played with their Cruiser or whatever for about a week or two, probably didn't notice that the cheap sapphire needle went to rags already, and not understanding this, blamed the player. It's not that they're WRONG, really, but still. If anyone buys one of those inexpensive suitcase things, I warn them that they should replace the original needle with a good-quality diamond tip ASAP, and if possible, to keep a small supply of them on hand. If there's even a suspicion that the needle is worn, swap it out. So why don't we hear about these issues with magnetics? Because I don't know of a single magnetic that uses a sapphire tip, and because magnetics track lighter (less wear, remember?) and the people who spring for magnetics generally treat their equipment better and are at least familiar with the concept of a 'worn needle. It's not unusual for a magnetic with a new diamond tip stylus to last two or three years with moderate use. As for claims that one of those portables will damage a record in as little as five plays - I suspect there is more behind those claims than we're being told. The reason ceramics are still used is obvious - they're cheap, and they work. And as Vwestlife has pointed out, they CAN actually sound very good if they're provided the proper input impedance. I have a beautiful old Magnavox console with a ceramic-equipped changer, and I'm not kidding, it sounds WONDERFUL. Though of course, magnetics are more expensive, offer better frequency range, better compliance, and wear on the records less. I know, that's a lot to take in, but as I mentioned at the start, it's not as simple as A/B.
@01chippe2 жыл бұрын
@@xaenon Very well said!
@weeg915 жыл бұрын
the irony? play any track cut before 1987 with this cartridge and it will wipe the floor with any-price audiophool systme playing modern music.
@ClassicalRips7 жыл бұрын
This was an incredibly well made video and is something I'd always wanted to see; you went over almost every point I was hoping you'd cover. I'd love to see videos similar to this of other cheap or 'budget' cartridges and styluses.
@ProtoMario7 жыл бұрын
You can actually get a discount for buying in mass, there are places where you can buy in bulk with a 20% discount too.
@TheGreenDoggoOfWisdom3 жыл бұрын
Didn't expect you here!
@isaiahdemeule80903 жыл бұрын
Woah protomario?
@steverobert17 жыл бұрын
Impressive sound quality for such a cheap cartridge.
@pankajrawatindia4 жыл бұрын
This channel is Google of record players
@davemcdonald87902 жыл бұрын
That cheap one sounded a lot better than I expected
@mipmipmipmipmip7 жыл бұрын
thanks for the great work! actually not only did you mount it on a $300 turntable, you also modified it, and then found a pre-amp to match it. Crazy work, I love it!
@billyboi577 жыл бұрын
Guess you missed the part where he said the cartridge requires NO preamp. Ceramic cartridges have enough output voltage that no preamp is required nor should one be inserted into the input stages. Only magnetic cartridges need some sort of preamplification.
@DJW1959Aus7 жыл бұрын
Yes no preamp but still needs RIAA equalization.
@DoubleMonoLR4 жыл бұрын
@@DJW1959Aus *Ceramic* cartridges don't require RIAA apparently, though apparently some other equalization may help. To qoute someone else: *Magnetic* cartridges are constant-velocity devices: the signal is proportional to the velocity of the stylus. Since high frequencies cause the stylus to "wiggle" faster, you naturally get an increasing velocity (and hence signal level) as frequency rises. The cutting head used to make the master is also a constant-velocity device, so a magnetic cartridge "matches" the characteristics of the cutting head. The RIAA EQ is applied during cutting in order to restrict excessive groove excursion (bass cut) and to overcome surface noise (treble boost). When you play a record that was cut with a constant-velocity cutter using a constant-velocity cartridge, you therefore need to apply inverse EQ to correct the frequency response. In contrast, *ceramic* cartridges are constant-amplitude devices. In other words, the signal level is proportional to the amplitude of the side-to-side motion of the stylus. There is no natural tendency for the signal level to increase at higher frequencies (because the amplitude doesn't get bigger), and hence RIAA EQ should not be applied. Of course, the frequency response characteristic you get out of an unequalised ceramic is only approximately OK-ish. But since its intrinsic sound quality is so low that's an academic point. It seems to depend on the specific cartridge, and amp, as to what's required.
@Stjaernljus7 жыл бұрын
that one direction lp sounds horrible, must have been masterd by someone not familiar with vinyl records.
@EgoShredder7 жыл бұрын
The cynical trend these days by the money men, is to just take the CD mix and dump it on vinyl with the minimum of vinyl mastering to make it play properly. If you listen to music created and intended for vinyl in the 1970s and 80s, you will hear VASTLY superior mixes to what they later released on CD.
@mr.smash6987 жыл бұрын
Vinyl from the 60's thru the 80's sounds a lot better because someone took the time to make it sound right. I will never buy vinyl from today's world.
@vwestlife7 жыл бұрын
Pluse these days there are idiot producers who smash and compress the levels right in the studio on the master recording, so the audio quality is already degraded before it gets to be released on any format (whether it be on CD, LP, or iTunes).
@mr.smash6987 жыл бұрын
VWestlife It's sad that record producers don't care about the quality, they care more about the $$$.
@EgoShredder7 жыл бұрын
Mr.smash 69 I've considered having my own music put on vinyl, but only if I can demand no aggressive processing is used. I'd love to have my own cutting machine but they cost obscene amounts of money.
@artisankatstudios79026 жыл бұрын
The 'sapphire' one is synthetic sapphire and darker on top because of the cone reducing the light (Looking down through the top will give you this darker colour as well, in a long object) and likely the diamond one is just a tiny industrial diamond embedded in metal.
@Architector_47 жыл бұрын
I know nothing about turntables, or anything mentioned in the video above, but heck, it's still interesting to watch. :v
@sunny_hydra5 жыл бұрын
So true
@codybroken2 жыл бұрын
cheap cartridge in crap record player: 4:57 cheap cartridge in good record player: 8:00 HUGE bass and richness improvement!
@warrenf58214 жыл бұрын
Great video here. This makes me feel a LOT better about starting out with one of these cheap styluses when I first got into vinyl. I always kicked myself for playing good records with one of these cheap styluses, but it looks like I did no damage at all.
@astrax84857 жыл бұрын
Always bringing the most interesting content I never knew would be interesting. Keep it up!
@miscible217 жыл бұрын
Your videos are always really informative. Thanks for the content!
@icecreamget Жыл бұрын
>playing one direction on a suitcase player yup I think I'm okay with this one.
@davidtroup13117 жыл бұрын
Thank you a million times over. I learned so much in such a small amount of time. I'm glad you were so thorough!!!
@Vintage-Tech7 жыл бұрын
What a great video explaining about ceramic cartridges, I have just recently been rebuilding and Grundig console from 1955 which of course used a ceramic cartridge but having its own preamp stage using a single EL86 tube, the console was a luxury and expencive item in the UK in 1955 so I did expect a decent sound... sadly someone had removed the preamp and replaced the cartridge with a high output one... so I had to build a new preamp from the original circuit and buy a new cartridge. I didn't really know a lot about cartridges so had to do a lot of my research online which took me a while to get my head around it all, if only your video was made sooner it would have saved me a lot of time ! Once again great video very easy and simple to understand thanks for making it now I can confirm what I learned is correct lol!
@BansheeFifteen2 жыл бұрын
That's a really fun experiment you ran. Thanks for sharing. I'm currently going in the opposite direction but that's pretty cool.
@ct16606 жыл бұрын
I just slapped one of those cartridges on an old Morse mini-console stereo I picked up. The built-in ceramic phono stage gives it a vintage sound.
@TheBudgie297 жыл бұрын
The Disco Industry Used ceramic cartridges for years. Until 12" singles like Blondie's Heart of Glass was released. They could not handle the low Frequency and jumped all over the place. This made them change to the Magnetic Cartridges never really looked back.
@akaiuwu5 жыл бұрын
They used Shure m35s, Stanton 500als and Stanton 680els. That's wrong lol
@rosskelly42007 жыл бұрын
I use one of those ceramics through my hi fi system, and - like you - I was flat out amazed at the quality that lies untapped. Midrange attack and subtleties can go head to head with some of the better MM cartridges... potentially even getting close to MC. I don't think bass and high treble are remarkable in any way; but, oh, that midrange definition and immediacy is bloody incredible. The psychological hurdle most people (and initially myself as well) have to get over is to bother to take these cartridges seriously as hi fi quality, and to trust their precious vinyl to go under it. Once you take the leap, you may well become a ceramic convert like me:-) As this video implies, though, you will need to experiment with equalization. Great video. Ceramic cartridges serving up killer vocal performances - who could have guessed? Just another note: the sapphire ("ruby") styli are pink under magnification. They sound just as good as the diamond styli, which are dark gray to silvery colored under magnification. The notable and important difference is the need to change the "ruby" stylus about every 50 LPs, compared to perhaps a 150 LP life for the diamond.
@martinda74466 жыл бұрын
Ross brilliant reply, the piezo ceramic generator material itself limited performance. Modern 'non velocity' cartridges can be made from strain gauge, electret and modern piezo material. Which if chosen carefully should give full range and linearity like any mm or mc except with big voltages and no filtering with benefits that bring less phase error, less noise, less gain stages to add distortion etc. PS diamond is tougher than you suggest, Shure estimated 1000 hours. Twenty times a sapphire (well 17x). I remember a sapphire being rated at 300 plays which is about 60 hours if per side. This would give close to 5000 plays for a diamond. I've had a stylus last at least that. I figured mine were just 'polished' at 6 months.
@dougbrowning826 жыл бұрын
The majority of those beautiful sounding consoles of the 50's, 60's and 70's used ceramic cartridges in mainly spring balanced tonearms on low end idler driven record changers.
@artisankatstudios79026 жыл бұрын
I am curious about this replacement timelines. I am a gemologist, so I can say nothing on the record could scratch or damage the actual tip. But I imagine that the stress of the grooves could push the head out of alignment.
@UnderEu2 жыл бұрын
For the next one: "What happens if you put a 15 grand cartridge in a Crosley turntable?"
@Nexfero6 жыл бұрын
That pink crystal is a form of synthetic sapphire called Nd-YAG, it is also used in 1064nm near infrared lasers
@johnjeffery66383 жыл бұрын
GOOD to ah KNOW...
@riverhuntingdon66597 жыл бұрын
It really IS amazing what these cheapo things can do. Put into a properly designed system, they sound surprisingly or very good, those ceramic cartridges. After all, they were the mainstay of music centres and consoles, etc, for many years. The pity is, that the Crosleys, etc, don't make the full use of it and continue to sound like the junk they are. Wouldn't cost THAT much more to make a really nice one, especially in a factory with all those production processes, would it ? !
@riverhuntingdon66597 жыл бұрын
Couldn't agree with you more. The best vinyl comes from a reel - to - reel mother . As the owner of three old Philips Stereo and one Mono reel - to - reels, which I've refurbished, I think it's a lovely format. The mono machine came from a "fleet" of identical machines used at a local school, which was actually going to be thrown out ! All were degunged, repaired, and five found new loving homes. The sixth is my own.
@ikonix3607 жыл бұрын
The best vinyl is the direct disk method where no tape is involved at all, but it is much harder to do as the band has to get it right in one take as there's no editing or doing multiple takes and splicing the best parts together..
@DJW1959Aus7 жыл бұрын
Players like the Crosleys don't have RIAA equalization which is required for vinyl records.
@ikonix3607 жыл бұрын
Actually they do have RIAA EQ. The ceramic cartridge by design performs that task granted it doesn't perform it as well as a phono preamp with built in RIAA EQ.
@edgardoluciocrocetta24377 жыл бұрын
Yes, MONO is natural sound for ear. You cannot ear STEREO into an auditórium. When I was a Young man, had a proverb: "STEREO is a beautiful lie" (Sorry for my por English)
@jcmolero717 жыл бұрын
honestly first time I heard bass from this cartridge, sounds decent but it's noticeable the absence of higher frequencies, like 12 khz or abovw
@johnb67232 жыл бұрын
Ok for shellac 78s, not up to scratch for anything else, and the line level output is not ok for any 4 to 6 mV inputs found on older stereo systems, for the 200 to 300mV output would cause clipping distortion on even very quiet passages on a record, or worse, might even damage transistors/speakers.
@wildbilltexas7 жыл бұрын
I have a Numark PT-01 portable phonograph that uses this cartridge, and it's alright for old records. And some KZbinrs are buying these to replace old cartridges in 50's-60's phonographs.
@priddystrains56603 жыл бұрын
This is the best video i have looked at for a very long time, trying to explain to people the reson my there cheep record player sound rubbish, is because it has the incorrect amplification, (still will not sound the best but still good) . Why don't the manufactures of the cheep turntabels just add in a high Z 2M ohm pre amp stage for around 20p? would make them sound soo much beter as standard
@supersamsquared80556 жыл бұрын
It can sound great as long as you have the right equipment like this guy... But let's be honest, who, when spending less than $2.00 on a cartridge, would own that kind of equipment?
@DoubleMonoLR3 жыл бұрын
To be fair, there's probably a lot of much older cheap used turntables you could use them with, which would likely work a lot better than new cheap record players.
@lookoutleo7 жыл бұрын
cool video, its amazing the sound from such a cheap ceramic cartridge, in the 50's my dad had a dynatron mono phonograph and it had ceramic cartridge and el84 valve amp and it had a great sound
@JGonYT6 жыл бұрын
Haha! I have the same GE mouse. I randomly saw it at Walgreens YEARS ago and thought it looked decently made. I bought another right after using it since it always seems like once you find something good it gets discontinued pretty quick. I've been using it ever since!
@tobyjackson65146 жыл бұрын
great video as always keep them coming!
@JeffSmedbron7 жыл бұрын
Nice test / comparison video. That's the same Admiral test record I've been using lately to test components.
@devonnewest79906 жыл бұрын
You never fail to amaze me!!!
@remix01811 ай бұрын
I just wanted to thank you for helping me in my journey to make my Crosley Musician not sound horrible! I was able to order a chuo denshi cz 800 and installed it after retuning the motor and I was very surprised by the amount of difference it makes. I used the headphone port to run an aux cord into a creative d100 and it sounds nearly perfect, though I’ll probably upgrade the speaker later anyway
@washingtonpereira19006 жыл бұрын
Congratulation for your videos, always completes and informatives!
@nigelpearson66646 жыл бұрын
Great technical review. I have Vol 1&2 of the AES history of LP reproduction. It mostly looks like NASA scientists wrote it with similar photo's of the scientists. Ceramic designs are the ones most written about. Looked at that way the ceramic was the dominant design. Some like Decca Deram were very good. In many ways ceramic types were the best. Like going through the sound barrier when aircraft there were somethings they couldn't do. Unlike aircraft the cost of doing that wasn't vast. Although not really suited the LM741 op amp made cheap moving magnet cartrigdes and preamp posible. NE5532 made it doubly so, the AT93/95 the typical choice. However an ECC83 + 2 x EL84 in SE as valves could be driven directly from a higher output ceramic. That was a posh Dansette record player.
@Amberstargazerofearth Жыл бұрын
The truth is that nowadays it's hard to get original ceramic phono cartridges for an old record player. So these cheap cartridges help to solve the problem. And so i did. Thanks for testing!
@randyc81712 жыл бұрын
I love this video. I think I will convert all cartridges over to ceramic.
@danacolley15796 жыл бұрын
Wow thank you for the incredibly informative video
@ct16602 жыл бұрын
Are you familiar with the AUE CP-38S cartridge? The one that is typically common in Crosley Stack-O-Matic record changers? Well, they cloned that cartridge too now! So far, Vakind is the only one that sells a clone of it, but won't be surprised if others begin to follow suit. Theirs is a blue body with a white stylus and what seems to be a proper diamond needle. Recently ordered a pair from AliExpress and it's quite impressive how it's inches to being a 1:1 in sound quality
@Musicradio77Network4 жыл бұрын
I recently got my Realistic SA-10 from Radio Shack off of eBay, and it's the same model as yours. I connected to my 1967 Magnavox/Collaro Micromatic changer, and connected to the main stereo amplifier as a CD input connected to the "Speaker" output which is an aux output. No need for bookshelf speakers, just use it as a main output.
@QerstyBass7 жыл бұрын
yes but will it wreck dark side of the moon after 5 plays?
@ronjenkins39566 жыл бұрын
Once you pull the record out of the sleeve, it’s automatically tainted and must be disposed of.
@christianjohnson72284 жыл бұрын
This is a common misconception, the album is always made to brake so when manufacturing they are all duds. The only good version of that album is on 8 track tape.
@lurkersmith8104 жыл бұрын
@@christianjohnson7228 That's why I have Dark Side on Blue Amberol only. You get a box of 12 cylinders (Time and Us and Them take 2 cylinders each).
@christianjohnson72284 жыл бұрын
Lurker Smith idk, I also have it recorded on wire reels. The album takes 2 reels.
@lurkersmith8104 жыл бұрын
@@christianjohnson7228 The trouble with wire reels is trying to get the left and right reels to stay in sync. You're better off getting the single reel mono mix.
@bulletholeteddy92236 жыл бұрын
I would have never thought a low end stylus could sound as good as a mid range one which costs a lot more
@DjPhaseFour7 жыл бұрын
I've named this cartridge "The Red Flag", when you see this attached to something avoid it like the plague. The only exception being portablist gear where the sound/record wear are secondary concerns.
@Imsuchaliar7 жыл бұрын
They were everywhere to be found on midi "hi fi" stereo systems from the mid 80s onwards. Look for Philips Stereo-Midi-System F1662 (1986) on youtube, I had one of those. It's really strange to see these come back with all these current lesser brands of record players. My childhood records were plowed to death, especially as this cheapo stylus was never changed.
@arifakyuz76736 жыл бұрын
Numark?
@WilliamMattocks5 жыл бұрын
I recall the old days of flip-over needles on stereo console record changers, and as I remember, the sapphire needles were known to have a very short lifespan - even the manufacturers recommended replacing them every 50 plays! Diamond needles were much more durable. I don't know that I'd want to use a sapphire needle in a modern cartridge on my records, but it's a fascinating experiment and thanks for the video!
@RandomDude6556 жыл бұрын
As much as it is an improvement to use it with the proper equipment intended for ceramic cartridges and it is a cool experiment, I'm gonna stick with magnetic cartridges because they undoubtedly sound way better. But this was good video, nice work!
@EdgardoDC6 жыл бұрын
I found the same cartridge and stylus for 1 dollar + shipping on the app wish. The bad thing is that it took almost 4 months to get here
@mkshffr49366 жыл бұрын
Thanks for the response specs. I have wondered about that. Sonotone * series and newer were much better of course. The P-188 specs I have seen with diamond stylus was 2-4g which was pretty impressive for that type.
@martinda74466 жыл бұрын
I experimented with various ceramic models a few years ago as I liked the idea of missing out the RIAA stage and the extra gain. Finding a ceramic with a decent diamond and generator is difficult. This has (yours) a ruby/sapphire stylus and that is approx 300 plays (60 hours)?. A diamond is much, much harder, that jump from 9 - 10 on hardness scale makes a big difference - over 5000 plays. At 20 tons a square inch it has to be, along with massive 'g' too. It is well worth playing with 'non velocity' generators as the extra fidelity from losing a sensitive noise inducing gain stage can make up for some of the losses in performance IF you find a decent ceramic. Wobbly response was hard to tame. Strain gauge, modern piezo material and electret can be made to perform as well (or better) than MM or moving coil, anyone want to retro fit a new generator and electronics into a good stylus body?
@poormansvinyl37173 жыл бұрын
"LP Gear" sells an elliptical stylus for this ceramic cartridge, since they usually come with a conical one, and it does improve the sound.
@UnderEu2 жыл бұрын
What model?
@poormansvinyl37172 жыл бұрын
@@UnderEu It's called the Cerapreme Blue Stylus (or red too)
@happymeal59303 жыл бұрын
literally have a cheap "skywin" turntable for 3 years. and the reason people think they are just bad because of the speakers that were built in. but in my case, having a decent speaker and a decent pre amp, dude it would almost sound just as decent as the lp-60 especially when you have a new needle. dude i had that turntable for 3 years and it sounded just as good as i bought it new and it blows me aways still.
@NickNorton6 жыл бұрын
You have a fascinating record collection.
@rogerwillams28146 жыл бұрын
you could boost the low bass end by hooking up ceramic output through a mixer or equaliser .
@ChristianKoehler774 жыл бұрын
Ceramic cartridges may sound surprisingly good when you run the signal through a guitar amp or a mixer that has a guitar input (often called "hi Z"). Guitar amps have high input impedance (like 1 Meg).
@gerff017 жыл бұрын
HEY! It sounds just as good as the KZbin digital compression algorithms! How strange...
@steveamies49974 жыл бұрын
Great vid, love your work, it seems to have the same tracking as dj turntables, I think the numark ttxusb one I had ran at 4 to 4.5 grams, I think the elcheapo stylus sounds good for the price, very surprised,
@SuperShecky6 жыл бұрын
I have one of these on a Numark PT01. Sounds fine plugged into an external amp. Most of my records I've had since I was a kid in the 70s, and were played on equipment about as good/crappy as the Numark. They sound about the same as they always did, which is to say, not bad. Considering most of the records were treated the way a dumb 10 year old in 1977 might have treated records. FWIW, I just ordered one of these cartridge/stylus combos from China by way of ebay, for the princely sum of $1.30 USD. Alas, it's going to be used for a vibration sensor experiment rather than playing records. So the sapphire stylus will likely suffice many years without wearing out the vibrations. ;)
@LordSandwichII7 жыл бұрын
4:20 Well that's what you get for buying ONE DIRECTION on vinyl! >.< I mean, WHY?!!!
@jamescollins60856 жыл бұрын
Lord Sandwich Well, it was an example of a low quality cartridge, so why not use a low quality band?
@fhoenixellis93976 жыл бұрын
I was thinking "This guy seems like he's in his thirties why does he have one direction"
@fhoenixellis93976 жыл бұрын
You can't go back to school on a saturday. Gosh. Common sense.
@TheJoebus6666 жыл бұрын
Lord Sandwich - I mean, he does have Westlife in his username...
@simonhangan25715 жыл бұрын
@@jamescollins6085 you're crazy, aren't you?
@mspysu797 жыл бұрын
Might put one of those on my Marantz TT-4000 and connect it to the Allied 395/Pioneer SX-1500T when I get it restored, since it has a switchable Ceramic/Magnetic phono input.
@florianlassnig97693 жыл бұрын
I‘ve had the same turntable for over three years. Except it was a „Soundmaster“ brand and it had a built in AM/FM radio
@robertgaines-tulsa7 жыл бұрын
My SA-155 is branded as RCA. I got it from RadioShack in the early 2000s. I have used it as a phono preamp in the past, but I've mostly used it as a television amplifier. I currently use an ION turntable that I got from RadioShack around 2010. That uses either USB PCM at 44.1kHz or a line level output which I either use to listen to the turntable directly or record through my computer's soundcard at much higher sound qualities. The turntable seems to have a very stable speed that I noticed when I took a 45, recorded both sides (regular and instrumental) onto my computer, and successfully synchronized them. The deviation from the start to the end was very slight. The audio pickup from the original stylus and cartridge seems to be decent with a flat frequency range. I imagine that some people have gotten better results with different cartridges, I guess. I mostly use it for digitizing records. I've gotten pretty accustomed to the convenience of the digital audio file. If I had more room in my bedroom to move around, things might be different, but at least I'm limiting the wear on my stylus.
@Antenian7 жыл бұрын
Keep up the great work.
@radiotubes Жыл бұрын
Not bad for $1.72 I've had to pay much more for the white or gray chrystal fork style stylus for my portable battery operated phonographs from the 60s
@olds88816 жыл бұрын
Bloody hell! Tried the left/right soundtake on my Panasonic SC-PMX70B via Bluetooth on my phone. It was spot on!
@bob78727 жыл бұрын
Thanks for the info. I got a Numark cheapo 3 speed and it came with the red stylus, claiming it was for 78, and the white one was for LP/45. I have an AT like yours and want to get an extra headshell for a cartridge for 78s (I have a lot of those.)
@curtchase37305 жыл бұрын
Great job! Your descriptions and terminology was spot on. Wow! Has much less sylbillan distortion than my Peak n' Ring mag cart! LOL. Now, mount up that $15,000 beauty so we can hear the difference! Difference? What difference? They both sound the same! LOL.
@mcramp207 жыл бұрын
I have one of my turntables set up the same way. The Realistic amp works well as a preamp
@richardcline13376 жыл бұрын
On Sid Ramin's Nola...when it hit those horns at the end it left my ears ringing! That was painful. That Admiral test record reminded me of a three record set Allied Radio used to sell to help set up and adjust sound systems "back in the day". I still have one.
@chrishalle19826 жыл бұрын
Hi i bought a amplifier with phono and changed the ceramic cardridge with Audiotechnica AT 3600L and its a way better sound now. It was very simple because my recordplayer had a half inch standart mount. The ceramic cardridge got 4 pins so i could just switch to MM because these cardridges got also 4 pins.
@sammy611875 жыл бұрын
Really great video I just bit the bullet and got an Audio Technica stylus and the head shell but very interesting to see what $1 gets you
@Musicradio77Network4 жыл бұрын
I have my GE Wildcat that has the original C660 cartridge and it plays well, and I had this for a long time, but this would be a great idea for an improvement. I hope that one day, I will replace the original C660 ceramic cartridge with a better one which is the Chu Denchi ceramic cartridge and it can fit very well and it will improve much better.
@smartroadbiker6 жыл бұрын
I've noticed just how much static most modern records gain. I have to clear off my records before I play them most of the time.
@Metal_Groove457 жыл бұрын
I'm not an audiophile even though I upgraded to a Project Debut Carbon DC with an Ortofon 2M Red, but the cheap cartridge didn't sound that bad with the AT-LP 120.
@jessery4757 жыл бұрын
Thats a pretty darn expensive set up for a non audiophile.
@Metal_Groove457 жыл бұрын
Jon Luci While I do agree that older pressings of albums do sound better, you would be suprised that not all new vinyl albums and remasters sound bad. I have Foo Fighters Wasting Light on vinyl and that album was recorded analog and the LP mix sounds different than the cd mix. There is a youtube video proving that. I also have the 200 gram remaster of 2112 by Rush and it sounds awesome.
@jefferyjones83996 жыл бұрын
A lot of modern artists use mixes specifically made for vinyl. Jack White for example
@JohnnyKronaz6 жыл бұрын
Supposedly anything from Third Man is all analogue and never compressed, so you'll probably get more of that old-school sound out of them.
@ATthemusician5 жыл бұрын
Audiophiles are very full of themselves. You can't get much better than an ortofon red and anyone that argues the "night and day" difference between that and something as expensive as the bronze is a fucking liar. There's elitists with everything, these idiots think they have the ears of a dog.
@SianaGearz5 жыл бұрын
I think what's really missing from most of modern electronics to make best use of these cartridges is a JFET input stage - something as cheap and as ancient straight from the 70ies as TL072 (still in production by TI, Diodes Inc, STM, JRC, Rohm) should do fine. This IC is out of fashion now because of its inherent noise, which will not be audible in this use. Thanks for your experiment, I want to follow up on it someday with a simple self-made preamp/buffer, though not too likely to get around to. After you published your video, someone published what seems like a suitable mount for 3D printing, look on Thingiverse for "Chuo Denshi CZ800 cartridge clip for 1/2 inch". It should come out dirt cheap, especially if you have a friend who's into that or can use a printer at a library or educational institution.
@vwestlife5 жыл бұрын
You can now get the mounting bracket for about $6 on eBay: www.ebay.com/itm/202362551207
@VapinViral7 жыл бұрын
I got a 1 by One el cheapo record player for Christmas from my wife... I don't think she remembered how badly I wanted an Audio technica AT120. The el cheapo has the same setup and cartridge as many of those crosleys. The stylus looks just like the one you ordered but with the Diamond tip. There is a massive lack of bass in the record player. Your video just answered many of the questions I had about trying to get better sound out of my record player. That said. It seems this 1 by One is a lost cause. I'll be saving my pennies for the AT 120, and put off playing my records for a while.
@01chippe2 жыл бұрын
I have a few different TEAC all in ones, with the plastic turntables. They sound surprisingly decent. They are, as you know, genuine Chuo Denshi carts. Using the Cerapreme blue for LP and the Cerapreme grey for 78s. I have since bought a Victrola VT-A80 (AKA The Jackson). Overall not bad sound, but the turntable sounds like total crap. I purchased 2 of the CZ800 carts from VOM. They listed them as genuine Chuo Denshi. I’m hoping this will improve the TT sound, even if only a little bit. By the way, I have that Admiral LP, it’s awesome.
@banomix7 жыл бұрын
foarte bun canal. am invatat multe lucruri de aici. buna treaba amice /// very good channel. I have learned many things here. Good job buddy
@shanekneeshaw34836 жыл бұрын
Just fitted my 99p stylus and omg impressed im going to stock up
@VochoTalacha6 жыл бұрын
I have an old Numark Pro TT2 turntable and it has that stylus, but I don't know if the cartridge is the same... It has a GT badge on is tip.
@vwestlife6 жыл бұрын
No, that's the Groove Tool cartridge, a.k.a. the Sanyo-Fisher / Pfanstiehl MG-09. That is a magnetic cartridge, and has nothing in common with the CZ800 ceramic cartridge except the stylus for it looks similar (but is NOT interchangeable).
@adampress97886 жыл бұрын
Really digging your channel man. Name is Adam, I am a guitarist from Queens NYC.
@hydorah3 жыл бұрын
05:24 "Obviously, that doesn't sound very good". True words! However, A better record player won't make One Direction sound good ;-)
@leukostad15926 жыл бұрын
Great video on this, very clear. For the price it's doing the job rather well, but I do hear a big difference compared to the usual moving magnet cartridges. I'm referring to lack of bass and treble response, also harsh sounding mids. I can imagine portable record cheap players, like shown at the beginning of this video pair well with such a cartridge.
@vwestlife6 жыл бұрын
It sounds a lot better with an upgraded stylus: kzbin.info/www/bejne/npyyXqmdfJxsnpI
@leukostad15926 жыл бұрын
That's indeed an upgrade for the ceramic cartridge!
@Musicradio77Network7 жыл бұрын
If I still have my GE Show N' Tell Record player and viewer, I have to replace a dead crystal cartridge with a same exact cartridge as seen here is a Chinese made phono cartridge. it is compatible with my GE Show N' Tell and it has four sockets. I have terminal leads to fit snuggly and wired them using a soldering iron. The red wire goes on one side and the white wire goes on the other, and it is going to be bridge for mono.
@pikaporeon3 жыл бұрын
I love that the diagram is an SL1200
@ABCEasyas--4 жыл бұрын
You played Kodaline! I love it!
@joeysarmiento19254 жыл бұрын
Thanks men. Thank you. I will watch it again aftet breakfast.
@christianjohnson72283 жыл бұрын
?
@Musicradio77Network7 жыл бұрын
Nice info! I've seen better ceramic cartridges such as my GE C-660 phono ceramic cartridge which is mounted onto the tonearm of my Wildcat. The magnetic cartridge is for my rebadged BSR from Fisher turntable, and my latest equivalent is my GE Show 'N Tell which is a kiddie record player with a viewer that has a screw-type stylus which is either a diamond or sapphire. Diamond looks good, but the sapphire looks okay, but it gets wear out after how many plays. I did broke the needle from my Show 'N Tell a few days ago, so I did ordered another one from eBay and I'll put another one in. This GE Show 'N Tell also had an original GE crystal cartridge which is not that bad, if not, maybe someday I have to replace the cartridge with a cheaper one like the one you showed me which is not stereo, so I did saw "seeburgsrock's" video on how to install a phono cartridge onto an RCA 45 player. Take two leads from a capactor, insert into two holes at both top and bottom, solder the leads for red on the bottom and white on top, and BAM! you've got a better phono cartridge. Same thing goes to all kiddie record players as well as the GE Show 'N Tells.
@lurkersmith8104 жыл бұрын
That is encouraging news, because I have plans to put one of those cartridges in an RCA 45 changer, and I was afraid it might sound as bad through my Realistic SA-155 as it did through the Crosley from whence it came. (Actually it came from eBay, because it has the metal cantilever.)
@senorverde097 жыл бұрын
Interesting video. I believe the cheapest half inch moving magnet cart you can get is the Pfanstiehl MG-09 for $19.95, shipped with a conical stylus on eBay. Would be interesting to see how that cheap cart holds up in a video. I know that cart was featured in your Teac TN-100 and Ion Professional turntable reviews, but I'm interested how it would perform on your 120. BTW: I've seen the AT95E as low as $35 in some places.
@ikarosalpha87833 жыл бұрын
this preamp solution would also work on a good turntable like a Zenith microtouch 2g assuming you only have the record changer and not the console that goes with it.
@pcallas666 жыл бұрын
Great video. Still not crazy about the sound of the cartridge, but it sounded way better than I thought it would. Still like the Quasar that you have the best. That floored me the first time I heard it. That would stand up to some magnetic cartridges in my opinion.
@vwestlife6 жыл бұрын
The genuine Japanese-made Chuo Denshi CZ800 cartridge sounds much better than these
@ct16606 жыл бұрын
Hey, do you happen to have Earth, Wind & Fire - September on an LP, or as a 45rpm single? Wonder if you want to do a collab comparing the audio quality of the AT3600, MG-09DE (aka GrooveTool), and the CZ800 (aka P-188/P-190)? I just need a recording of that song played with the CZ800 WITH the proper input. Planning on doing a video comparing the 3 most popular entry-level cartridges that we commonly find in budget turntables.
@PearComputingDevices2 жыл бұрын
That band sounds a lot like the afters, I love that band..
@THEtechknight7 жыл бұрын
If they use a JFET based op-amp with the correct input impedance matching network, a ceramic cartridge could sound very well.