A magnetic cartridge , more commonly called a phonograph cartridge or phono cartridge or (colloquially) a pickup , is an electromechanical transducer that is used to play phonograph records on a turntable .
31-401: Ortofon is a Danish manufacturer of electronic audio equipment. It is the world's largest producer of magnetic cartridges for phonograph turntables, with 500,000 cartridges sold annually. Engineers Arnold Poulsen and Axel Petersen founded Ortofon in 1918. Initially focusing on sound film technology, Ortofon began to diversify into gramophone record playback and cutting equipment towards
62-416: A moving magnet cartridge, the stylus cantilever carries a tiny permanent magnet , which is positioned between two sets of fixed coils (in a stereophonic cartridge), forming a tiny electromagnetic generator. As the magnet vibrates in response to the stylus following the record groove, it induces a tiny current in the coils. Because the magnet is small and has little mass, and is not coupled mechanically to
93-412: A removable or permanently mounted stylus , the tip - usually a gemstone, such as diamond or sapphire - of which makes physical contact with the record's groove. In popular usage and in disc jockey jargon , the stylus, and sometimes the entire cartridge, is often called the needle. As the stylus tracks the serrated groove, it vibrates a cantilever on which is mounted a permanent magnet which moves between
124-575: A separate axis. Moving magnet cartridges are more commonly found at the 'lower-end' of the market, while the 'higher-end' tends to be dominated by moving coil designs. The debate as to whether MM or MC designs can ultimately produce the better sound is often heated and subjective. The distinction between the two is often blurred by cost and design considerations - e.g. can an MC cartridge requiring another step-up amplification outperform well made MM cartridges that need simpler front-end stages? MM cartridges generally have output of 3-6 mV, compatible with
155-512: A separate pre-phono amplification stage before input to an MC or MM preamplifier stage. The Decca phono cartridges were a unique design, with fixed magnets and coils. The stylus shaft was composed of the diamond tip, a short piece of soft iron, and an L-shaped cantilever made of non-magnetic steel. Since the iron was placed very close to the tip (within 1 mm), the motions of the tip could be tracked very accurately. Decca engineers called this "positive scanning". Vertical and lateral compliance
186-538: A subjectively better performance. The MMC design was invented and patented by Bang & Olufsen . The MMC cartridge is a variation of the Moving Iron (MI) design. Magnets and coils are stationary while a micro cross moves with the stylus, thereby varying the distances between the arms of the cross and the magnets. It is claimed that the MMC design allows for superior channel separation , since each channel's movements appear on
217-541: Is Ortofon Microtech, that manufactures custom-made high-precision TPE and Technical Rubber components and components for Hearing Aids industry. In the year 2013 Ortofon Microtech consequently got certified for ISO 13485 . As recently as August 2024, an article for the Wall Street Journal called out Ortofon's cartridge, the piece that holds the needle, as a key reason for recommending record players that include it. Magnetic cartridge The cartridge contains
248-557: Is only a few hundred microvolts, and thus more easily swamped by noise, induced hum, etc. Thus it is more challenging to design a preamplifier with the extremely low noise inputs needed for moving-coil cartridge, therefore a "step up transformer" is sometimes used instead. However, there are available many "high output" moving coil cartridges that have output levels similar to MM cartridges. Moving coil cartridges are extremely small precision instruments and are therefore generally expensive, but are frequently preferred by audiophiles due to
279-507: Is produced in different versions until today, for example SPU Meister in 1992, SPU 95th Anniversary in 2015. When Ortofon turned 80 years old, the MC Jubilee was introduced; first time Ortofon used a metal housing manufactured with Metal injection molding . In 2000, on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the death of the composer Johann Sebastian Bach , a MC-Series " Kontrapunkt " was presented. The models were named b, a, c, and h, wherein
310-432: The 1950s, a new generation of small, lightweight, highly compliant magnetic cartridges appeared and quickly found favor among high-fidelity enthusiasts because of their audibly superior performance. The high compliance also reduced record wear. They soon became standard in all but the cheapest component audio systems and are the most common type of pickup cartridge in use today. The cartridge consists of several components:
341-666: The 1980s too. In 1979 Ortofon presented the DJ-pickup Concorde in a new unusual design. 2007 Ortofon introduced the moving magnet-series 2M. Its design of the housing remembers facets of a diamond; it was created in collaboration with the Dane Moeller Jensen. 2018 the 2nd generation of the Concorde was released. DJs currently account for three-quarters of Ortofon's cartridge sales, the remainder being sold for audiophile and consumer audio use. Low-cost Ortofon cartridges, such as
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#1732895120012372-635: The MM inputs of preamplifiers. MC cartridges come in two varieties, low output (usually < 1.0 mV) and high output (more than 1.5 mV); there are also some with very low output (0.3 mV or less). High output MC cartridges are a concession to compatibility with older preamp MM inputs; low output MC cartridges may generate excessive noise or have insufficient preamp gain to drive amplifiers to their rated output if used on MM inputs. Most solid state preamplifiers have separate high gain, low noise MC inputs to accommodate these. Cartridges with very low output need
403-537: The OM-5E, are often supplied as standard on budget-priced consumer turntables, including the Pro-Ject Debut range. The Ortofon OM series stylus assemblies are interchangeable, allowing users to easily mount a more expensive stylus on a cheaper cartridge. The 2020 presented Revox Studiomaster T700 is delivered with an Quintet Bronze MC. In 2004 the company was taken over by a group of private investors. Since 2010 there
434-603: The b has a cantilever made of ruby . For the frame of the housing stainless steel was used. Successor of these pickups became the Cadenza-series in 2009. In 2019, a new cantilever appeared, the Anna Diamond, with its cantilever is made of diamond. The first Moving magnet -pickup M-15 was launched in 1969; here Ortofon used first time the Variable Magnetic Shunt (VMS) generating system which is patented and used until
465-433: The comparatively lightweight piezoelectric crystal pickup type,.however the use of short-lived disposable metal needles remained standard. During the years immediately following World War II, as old record players with very heavy pickups were replaced, precision-ground and long-lasting stylus tips made of sapphire or the exotic hard metal osmium were increasingly popular. However, records made for home use were still made of
496-415: The crystal and ceramic pickups, the magnetic cartridge usually gives improved playback fidelity and reduced record wear by tracking the groove with lighter pressure. Magnetic cartridges use lower tracking forces and thus reduce the potential for groove damage. They also have a lower output voltage than a crystal or ceramic pickup, in the range of only a few millivolts, thus requiring greater amplification. In
527-501: The end of World War II . The firm pioneered the use of moving coil technology in phonograph equipment; the first cutting head based on this technology was introduced in 1945. Ortofon's first moving coil magnetic cartridge, the AB model, was launched in 1948, and similar variations of that product are still manufactured today due to demand from enthusiasts. In 1959, the first Stereo Pick-Up SPU , which aimed at professionals, appeared. This pick-up
558-427: The first magnet that could lift more mass than the magnet itself when the seven-ounce magnet was able to lift nine pounds of iron . Sturgeon showed that he could regulate the magnetic field of his horseshoe magnet by increasing or decreasing the amount of current being run through the wires. This would lay the groundwork for development of the electrical telegraph and the future of world-wide telecommunications for
589-414: The generator (as in a ceramic cartridge), a properly adjusted stylus follows the groove more faithfully while requiring less tracking force (the downward pressure on the stylus). Moving iron and induced magnet types (ADC being a well-known example) have a moving piece of iron or other ferrous alloy coupled to the cantilever (instead of a magnet), while a permanent, bigger magnet is over the coils, providing
620-477: The magnetic field. The shape of the horseshoe magnet also drastically reduces its demagnetization over time. This is due to coercivity also known as the "staying magnetized" ability of a given magnet. Coercivity is weaker in disc or ring shapes, slightly stronger in cylinder or bar shapes, and strongest in horseshoe shapes. To increase the coercivity of horseshoe magnets, steel keepers or magnet keepers are used. A magnetic field holds its strength best when
651-434: The magnetic fields of sets of electromagnetic coils in the cartridge (or vice versa: the coils are mounted on the cantilever, and the magnets are in the cartridge). The shifting magnetic fields generate an electrical current in the coils. The electrical signal generated by the cartridge can be amplified and then converted into sound by a loudspeaker . The first commercially successful type of electrical phonograph pickup
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#1732895120012682-454: The most widely recognized symbol for magnets. It is usually depicted as red and marked with 'North' and 'South' poles. Although rendered obsolete in the 1950s by squat, cylindrical magnets made of modern materials, horseshoe magnets are still regularly shown in elementary school textbooks. Historically, they were a solution to the problem of making a compact magnet that does not destroy itself in its own demagnetizing field. In 1819, it
713-444: The necessary magnetic flux. The MC design is again a tiny electromagnetic generator, but (unlike an MM design) with the magnet and coils reversed: the coils are attached to the cantilever, and move within the field of a permanent magnet. The coils are tiny and made from very fine wire. Since the number of windings that can be supported in such an armature is small, the output voltage level is correspondingly small. The resulting signal
744-405: The need to remove and replace the entire cartridge when the stylus has become worn. Coupled to the tonearm, the cartridge body's function is to give the moving parts a stationary platform so that they can track the groove with precision. In high-fidelity systems, crystal and ceramic pickups have been replaced by the magnetic cartridge, using either a moving magnet or a moving coil. Compared to
775-467: The new styli came installed in smaller, lighter piezoelectric crystal or ceramic cartridges of the general type found in inexpensive self-contained portable record players throughout the phonographic era. Ceramic cartridges continue to be used in most of the "retro" and compact record players currently being made, in part because they are comparatively robust and resistant to damage from careless handling, but mostly because they are inexpensive. However, during
806-411: The next century and more. The shape of the magnet was originally created as a replacement for the bar magnet as it makes the magnetic field stronger for a magnet of comparable strength. A horseshoe magnet is stronger because both poles of the magnet are closer to each other and in the same plane which allows the magnetic lines of flux to flow along a more direct path between the poles and concentrates
837-438: The same abrasive shellac compound formulated to rapidly wear down the points of steel needles to fit the groove. The introduction of the 33 1 ⁄ 3 rpm record LP "album" in 1948 and the 45 rpm record " single " in 1949 prompted consumers to upgrade to a new multi-speed record player with the required smaller-tipped "microgroove" stylus. Sapphire and diamond then became the standard stylus tip materials. At first,
868-639: The stylus, cantilever, magnets, coils and body. The stylus is the part that, when in use, is the interface with the record surface and tracks the modulations in the groove. It is typically made of a small polished diamond or other industrial gemstone. The cantilever supports the stylus, and transmits the vibrations from it to the coil/magnet assembly. The former is typically made of boron or aluminium, and previously beryllium although some manufacturers market models with exotic gemstone cantilevers. Most models of moving magnet cartridges have detachable stylus–cantilever sub-assemblies that allow for their replacement without
899-429: Was controlled by the shape and thickness of the cantilever. Decca cartridges had a reputation for being very musical; however early versions required more tracking force than competitive designs - making record wear a concern. Horseshoe magnet A horseshoe magnet is either a permanent magnet or an electromagnet made in the shape of a horseshoe (in other words, in a U-shape). The permanent kind has become
930-495: Was discovered that passing electric current through a piece of metal deflected a compass needle. Following this discovery, many other experiments surrounding magnetism were attempted. These experiments culminated in William Sturgeon wrapping wire around a horseshoe-shaped piece of iron and running electric current through the wires creating the first horseshoe magnet. This was also the first practical electromagnet and
961-423: Was introduced in 1925. Although electromagnetic, its resemblance to later magnetic cartridges is remote: it employed a bulky horseshoe magnet and used the same single-use steel needles which had been standard since the first mechanical transfer disc record players appeared in the 1890s. This early type of magnetic pickup dominated the market well into the 1930s, but by the end of that decade it had been superseded by