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The Arm/Cartridge Matching Myth

When I began my journey in high-end audio 36 years ago….no-one ever wrote about arm and cartridge matching nor tonearm resonant frequency…?
Over the last 10 years or so…this topic has become not only ubiquitous, but has mutated beyond its definition, to THE guiding principle of matching cartridge to tonearm….❓❗️😵
The Resonant Frequency can be calculated using a complex formula relating Tonearm Effective Mass to the cartridge’s Compliance….or it can be simply measured using a Test record of various frequency sweeps.
The RECOMMENDED Resonant Frequency of any tonearm/cartridge combination is between 8-12Hz.
But WHY is this the recommended frequency and WHAT does it really mean…?

The raison d’etre of this Resonant Frequency…is to avoid WARPED records inducing ‘resonance’ into the tonearm…..
Say what…❓😵
WARPED records….❓❗️
Yes…..ONLY warped records❗️😎
But doesn’t it have any meaning for NORMAL records…❓
None whatsoever…..😊👍
Let me explain….🎼

A badly warped record induces the tonearm to rise and fall rapidly on the ‘sprung’ cantilever of the cartridge.
Depending on the severity and frequency of this warping…..a subsonic frequency between 2-5Hz is induced so if your tonearm/cartridge Resonant Frequency dips into this frequency range….it will begin resonating and thus miss-track and/or induce hum through your system.🎤
Keeping the lower limits of your tonearm/cartridge Resonant Frequency to 8Hz simply insures against this possibility.🎶

So what about the 12Hz upper limit…❓
This simply insures against the possibility of any ultra low-level frequency information which MAY be on the record, also inducing this same miss-tracking or hum. For instance if your tonearm/cartridge Resonant Frequency was 18Hz and you had an organ record or one containing synthesised bass going down to 16Hz…..your tonearm may miss-track or you MAY develop a hum❓😢

So how many badly WARPED record do you possess…❓
I have three out of a thousand or so……and have NEVER experienced miss-tracking or hum even on these three…❗️😍

Yet these days….everyone (without exception it seems)…even tonearm and cartridge designers….happily follow the dictum of this Arm/Cartridge MATCH as if it affected sound quality…..❓
This Resonant Frequency has ZERO affect on the sound quality of a particular tonearm/cartridge combination and I have proved it hundreds of times with a dozen different arms and over 40 cartridges.

The best match for ANY cartridge ever made….is simply the very best tonearm you can afford…whatever its Effective Mass…😘
128x128halcro

Showing 7 responses by atmasphere

atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
12,009 posts
 
Being an amplifier designer and manufacturer.....you would have all the electronic gear available to show us exactly how a cartridge's Frequency Response Plot changes with Arm/Cartridge Resonant Frequency?

Here's your chance to put me out of my misery and prove me WRONG!!!!
I believe I already did. As you saw in the paper I linked (presented to AES, and so was reviewed by the members- it is bona fide IOW) incorrect mechanical resonance can result in excess rumble.


**Again**: this gobbles up amplifier power and results in greater intermodulation on account of the amplifier itself. There is no way around this simple fact as without an amplifier and transducer, you cannot play the LP. Now this to me seems like a fairly simple fact. There are several threads on how to reduce woofers from flopping about when playing LPs on this site. and with a lot of loudspeakers if you play material that is too low, the woofers will not sound right as they flop about. Clearly, it affects the
SOUND
-as you put it.


Now the paper I linked stated that the mechanical resonance do not affect the audio band 20-20KHz. Despite this, it makes clear that artifacts will arise, and for the reasons I stated (and that many here have experienced) eliminating those artifacts by getting the setup right does indeed affect sound quality. So we can draw only a limited number of conclusions!

1) you don't actually play LPs so would have no idea of what I'm talking about

OR

2) you are trolling.

In either case, the premise of this thread is debunked. Knock it off.




atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
12,009 posts
 
But not one single Peer-Reviewed Scientific White Paper demonstrating the relationship between Resonant Frequency and SOUND...🤯
This statement is false and blatantly so.

If the mechanical resonance ('Resonant Frequency' per above) is too high, the cartridge may not stay in the groove or may simply mistrack with complex material. This creates distortion and is certainly affecting the 'SOUND'.

There are papers on the topic. Didn't take long to find either:
http://www.laudioexperience.fr/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Bruel-Kjaer-Audible-Effects-of-Mechanical-...
Pay attention to the references and you will see further papers on the topic.


The perception of wow and flutter, as well as rumble all affect the 'SOUND'. Rumble goobles up amplifier power and you can bet that increases IMD, which affects the 'SOUND'


The whole premise of this thread is patently ridiculous! knock it off.







atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
12,009 posts
 
Halcro is off on his own planet somewhere where the laws of physics are strangely different. I suggest we all ignore him from now on. On this planet he makes no sense.
Agreed! This entire topic is ridiculous. I've reported this thread as trolling. This is the last post I will make to it; I suggest others do the same.
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
12,009 posts
 
Henry, Its more than being about warped records, if you read inbetween the lines of Kirkus's post above- if the effective mass is incorrect, you can actually have the stylus jump out of the groove of a perfectly flat, concentric LP.

An excellent example is a Grado on a Graham 2.2- does the well-known 'Grado dance' shortly before exiting stage left (IOW, jumps out of the groove).

The other issue is you won't be able to get the cartridge to track complex material correctly. So its a big deal and not just about warp.
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
12,009 posts
 
^^ the above seems to read as if there is confusion between the resonance of the arm tube with the mechanical resonance of the arm mass combined with the cartridge and its compliance. The two are different.

The adage that rules are made to be broken is in itself a generalization.

The reason the 10Hz target is desirable is not a rule- its a recommendation for best results. If you spend a lot of money on an arm and a cartridge only to have it mistrack by ignoring this recommendation, it is money poorly spent.
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
12,009 posts
 
Halcro, I think I see where you are having difficulty. The FR-66 is not a "very high-mass" tone arm- although its on the high side for sure, but not 'very' high. Additionally, its tracking weight method uses a spring, which can reduce the effective mass somewhat. Since the counterbalance is part of the effective mass, the result here is that the actual effective mass is probably lower than you imagined.

What is the highest compliance cartridge that you have used with this arm?
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
12,009 posts
 
Many arm manufacturers provide a dubious figure for their arm's Effective Mass whilst a large number provide no figures whatsoever....😷
The cartridge manufacturers simply provide a 'design target' for their compliance figures which can vary significantly from unit to unit....and also possibly changes over time...

'Effective mass' is the combination of the cartridge and arm, as seen in the post from Tonywinsc. As a result an arm manufacturer can't really publish an actual figure, unless they know the mass, compliance and tracking force of the cartridge (since the position of the counterweight will have an effect).

Harry, I don't think you need any more numbers. Take the grills off of your loudspeakers and see how much woofer excursion you are getting. If its a problem- for example if that is how the amplifier power is being gobbled up, you have a problem. If not- maybe you're in the right window.

If the cartridge can track through anything without breakup then you're fine. If not this is something to look at. Some torture tracks:

'Paranoid' by Black Sabbath - Vertigo white label LP (bass energy brings many systems to their knees in a heartbeat)

Village Music of Bulgaria - Nonesuch LP (massed females voices should sound clear)

Verdi Requiem side 1 track 2 - RCA Soria series LP (wide daynamic range with big bass drum whacks)

'Garden of Worm', side two of 'In the Wake of Poseidon' by King Crimson, pink Island LP (heavy Mellotron tracks tend to break up)

All of these recordings should sound really clean and undistorted in any way.

If you can track these without breakup you are in the window.
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