Simple Halcro, because you are dead wrong. Which indicates that you do not have enough experience to know what you are talking about and are adversely influencing others because you think you do. People like Ralph, Raul and myself feel the need to make sure people who are new to the art understand cartridge/tonearm matching correctly. You on the other hand are trying desperately to make sure they fuck things up. Your ego and you should be ashamed of themselves.
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…😘
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…😘
Showing 13 responses by mijostyn
The rumble and low frequency resonance also causes Doppler distortion of every other frequency being produced by the woofer. Halcro you obviously can not hear or observe the difference between a properly set up turntable and an improperly set up one. I have come to understand Halcro now. He is both blind and deaf. Go figure. |
Thanks Ralph. I just wanted to point out that there are two ways to view the tonearm cartridge "system" From a sonic (electrical) point of view the system is a high pass filter. But from a mechanical point of view it is a low pass filter. It moves at low frequencies and is rigid at high frequencies. the cross over point is at the resonance frequency. Kirkus, if you are still watching. If a suspended table is tuned correctly, the tonearm mounted to the suspended platform along with the platter and the tone arm/cartridge are set up correctly outside forces within reason will have no effect on the system. If I provide a mechanical input the system just bounces around together and the record continues playing like nothing happened. |
Halcro, you are intentionally misleading people. There are many myths in Hi Fi. This is not one of them.
https://www.ortofon.com/support/support-hifi/resonance-frequency/
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Halcro, it is fortunate for you most cartridges and tonearms fall in the middle of the road now so it is much harder for you to screw up. Resonance frequencies do not occur at sharp points. They are most pronounced at specific frequencies but ramp up and down over 1/2 an octave or so. The effects of a tonearm cartridge combination with a vertical resonance of 16 Hz will occur well into the audio range the result being sustained feed back. This would be like putting a Koetsu in an Infinity Black widow tonearm. On the other hand if you put a Shure V15 in a Kuzma 4 Point the slightest warp will start the tonearm bouncing merrily towards the spindle. Now I have routinely said that I try to keep the resonance frequency below 10 Hz as close to 8 as I can get it because it does make an audible and palpable improvement in low bass performance. In most systems it would not matter much because they do not have any significant output below 40 Hz. I do and I can promise you there is a significant difference even between 12 and 8 Hz (1/2 octave) Everyone should get a test record and watch what happens when the stylus gets to the right resonance frequencies. The tonearm starts visibly shaking. Atmasphere, anyone who likes "In the Wake of Poseidon" is OK by me:) Forget about manufacturer's specs. There is always a degree of variability. The best way to deal with this is play a test record and add or subtract weight until you get the resonance frequency where you want it. If you get between 8 and 12 Hz you are done. Put the record away until you change cartridges. |
noromance, that is very nice and I am sure Halcro loves music however people looking to learn read these posts and might get the impression that you can put any cartridge in any arm which all of us with experience know is a bad and sometimes disastrous thing to do. For the absolute best performance out of a turntable it is critical that the tonearm and cartridge be tuned correctly. If you use subwoofers it is super critical. Many experts here have testified on this point but Halcro refuses to admit that he is dead wrong. What exactly does that make him? |