Sonic traits of high-compliance carts?

The usually have very light VTF. I'm actually considering some Soundsmith moving irons right now; but not the 28cu model (1g), rather the 23uc model (1.3g). My take is they are great trackers and provide lots of resolution due to maintaining better and intimate contact with the groove.

Dear Doctorcilantro: This is a great alternative to Soundsmith:

http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Box-Bang-Olufsen-MMC2-Phono-Cartridge-Superb-/180555891783?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a09f84447#ht_772wt_1137

Regards and enjoy the music,
Raul.

09-01-10: Doctorcilantro
The usually have very light VTF. I'm actually considering some Soundsmith moving irons right now; but not the 28cu model (1g), rather the 23uc model (1.3g). My take is they are great trackers and provide lots of resolution due to maintaining better and intimate contact with the groove.

I would have thought the opposite; in a high compliance cartridge, the needle is freer to follow the grove without having to carry the cartridge body and tonearm with it. On the other hand, a low compliance cartridge would require that the cartridge body and tonearm more closely follow the motion of the needle.

That said, the question asked by the original poster is a good one and one that is probably best answered by an actual cartridge designer. I've often wondered what the relationship was between the output voltage level of a cartridge and audio fidelity (do low output cartridges offer better fidelity and why?). I don't know that one would want to answer such a question because it gets into design philosophies and the tradeoffs that are made in any cartridge design.

Based on my experience with the Shure V15 on an SME 3009, I think the doc is right. Superb tracker, great detail.

A hell of a cart for $125, that's for sure.

09-03-10: Paulfolbrecht
Based on my experience with the Shure V15 on an SME 3009, I think the doc is right. Superb tracker, great detail.

To determine tracking ability, I suspect that in reality you have to look at more than just the compliance of the cartridge but would have to consider how well matched the cartridge is to the tonearm. The factors that you would have to consider would primarily be the compliance of the cartridge, the mass of the cartridge and the effective mass of the tonearm.

Paperw8,

Right, of course. Cartridge/arm matching is pretty much a given - no cart can perform at it's best (or anywhere close) if mounted on arm with an inappropriate effective mass. Or the wrong bearing type - they say that these high-compliance carts like the vintage arms with someone "lose" bearings, right? It seems to be true.

I think of it this way: the stylus is attached to the cantilever and the cantilever is attached to a suspension in the cartridge body (which allows the cantilever to follow the groove). I think of the suspension as being a spring and the compliance is a measure of how "stiff" or "loose" the spring is. Low compliance corresponds to a stiffer spring and high compliance corresponds to a looser spring. I think what I am calling a "spring" you are calling a "bearing" but it's the same idea.

SHURE ULTRA 500 and V15V-MR with 30+ cu´s on 5 g effective mass wand of SME III  track 100 microns (when very accurately adjusted) at 1.0-1.2 mN VTF.
IME since 1987 superlative sound quality, especially the ULTRA with nuances and dynamics to die for. HC SHURE with vintage very low mass SME III or 3009 works perfectly.

Harold
Is that with the Silicon damping trough?

Yes. I never tried without, might be even better ? Its silicon oil reservoir is easy to adjust/remove.