As I understand it, the tracking ability of a cartridge is the ability of the cartridge to maintain the stylus in the groove of a record in order to extract the maximal information. Lower tracking forces prolong the life of your stylus and reduce record wear, but make the cartridge more susceptable to tracking error (stylus literally being transiently thrown from the groove during playback). Shure used to make an evaluation (test) recording that demonstrated, among other things, tracking ability, and one could actually see how well their own particular setup tracked the Shure "torture grooves" of the test record. Others please join in and let me know if I have it wrong.
tracking ability definition
i am a little confused as to what the term "tracking ability" means when referring to a cartridge/stylus and how this translates to percieved sound? could anyone explain?
reason i ask is i recently received an response from KAB regarding my question about the difference between the Trackmaster II AE and the ortofon pros40, saying that the Trackmaster II AE has "fuller midrange and best tracking ability" while the Ortofon pros40 has "more transparent treble and punchier tighter bass"
would i be right in assuming that this means the stylus makes good contact with the groove therefore better reading the recorded sound and playing it more accurately, with more detail?
reason i ask is i recently received an response from KAB regarding my question about the difference between the Trackmaster II AE and the ortofon pros40, saying that the Trackmaster II AE has "fuller midrange and best tracking ability" while the Ortofon pros40 has "more transparent treble and punchier tighter bass"
would i be right in assuming that this means the stylus makes good contact with the groove therefore better reading the recorded sound and playing it more accurately, with more detail?