Ikeda 9GSS cartridge compliance

Compliance measured at 100Hz:

10cu @ 100Hz is about 17cu @ 10Hz

I own a 9GSS and it works perfectly with my Ikeda IT 407 CR-1 tonearm.

The best sounding cartridge I own

Chakster

Thank you for your response.

I thought (and have been told & read) the difference between compliance measured at 10hz vs 100hz is doubled. If a cartridge measured at 10hz has a compliance of 5 cu then that same cartridge when measured at 100hz would have a compliance of 10 cu. Is that not correct in reverse. It kills me when a manufacturer doesn’t state this important spec.

Jperry

Thank you for your response 

I am also considering an Ikeda 9GSS cartridge. Do you use a step up transformer or do you go into a active phono preamp? It’s amazing how some people swear by step up transformers and wouldn’t be without one and other people don’t believe in them and prefer going directly into a phono pre. Also, what cartridge were you using before the 9GSS? 

Thank you you both for your opinions and help, it’s greatly appreciated. Take care.

Scot

@scothurwitz 

Scot, I have a number of cartridges I used before the 9GSS. Benz LPS, EMT JSD 75, etc. You can see most on my system page. Just click on jperry at the top of the post.

Ikeda sells a SUT so I would assume that is preferred over an active step up. I use the internal SUT in my Luxman CL-38Uc.

If you are in Phoenix, AZ let me know

Good Luck with your search.

Jim Perry

You have that reversed Scot. If a cartridge has a compliance of 5 um/mN at 100 Hz it will be around 9 um/mN at 10 Hz. Not quite doubled. A cartridge with a compliance of 17-18 um/mN at 10 Hz will work in just about any medium mass tonearm. You might have to add a little weight. 

A word on cartridge performance. It has been shown that shorter lighter arms outperform longer heavier ones. The big arms have a much higher polar moment of inertia which means it takes more force to get them moving. There are always irregularities in the surface of a record. You do not hear them because they are at a very low frequency. But just like flapping woofers they cause distortion at higher frequencies that you do hear. Lighter arms follow these irregularities better filtering out the irregularities even with more compliant cartridges. The heavy arms don't move so the cantilever winds up following the irregularities creating the distortion previously mentioned. 
It has been hypothesized (not proven) that this is the reason some straight line trackers sound better because they are short and light.