On Tue, 02 Sep 2003 15:20:01 -0700, James Boyk
wrote:

Doughboy wrote: ...my Gemini PT-2000 has a tonearm mass of 9g...

[cartridge mass & compliance]
OM 5E: 5g, 20 µm/mN
510MK II: 5g, 25
520MK II: 5g, 25
OM DJ E - 5g, 9
Grado DJ100 - 5.5g, Compliance not given


**
Assuming

(a) the compliance units are the same as the old-fashioned one,

(b) I remember the formula correctly:

Res. Freq. = 1000 / 2* pi * [sqrt [M*C)],

then---



OM 5E: 1000 / [6.28 * sqrt (14*20)] = 9.5 Hz


510, 520: 1000 / [6.28 *sqrt (14*25)] = 8.5 Hz


OM DJ E: 1000 / [6.28 * sqrt (14*9)] = 14.2


Grado DJ100: can't calculate w/out compliance figure.


Comment: The ideal range varies according to commentator, but no one puts it outside the range 10-14 Hertz. My preference is for 12-14. None of these quite fall in that range, but the OM DJ E is probably the most usable as getting the farthest from record warp (ca. 8 Hz) and footfall vibrations. I would not use the 510 or 520.

Much depends on the isolation of your turntable. If it's not isolated from sound fields of the music its playing, then run the monitor level way down or use headphones.

Of course there's more to a cartridge's performance than just this aspect. For instance, you might get a Shure V-15V/MR and use its damping brush. Even though it has high dynamic compliance, you might get better overall results with it than with any of these.

Thanks for the useful info. It does seem that the OM DJ E is my best
bet. The Shure V-15V/MR (or even the M97xE) is too expensive for me.
As for the isolation issue, I'll just use headphones to monitor when
recording to avoid any complications, although I think the turntable's
feet offer quite good isolation.

At some point you used the word "transcription." In the old days, this implied super-duper quality. If that's what you want, I doubt that any of this gear will give it.

I probably shouldn't have used that word. I was just trying to convey
that I want to purchase a cartridge suitable for making reasonably
high quality recordings.



Doughboy