Customer visits can take many directions, and we’ve been known to wear folks out with long sessions. We’ve had 8-10 hour days, performing multiple arm and cartridge swaps – far beyond that of a typical “demo”.
Resonant frequency calculations are a good guideline for arm/cartridge compatibility, but the numbers can also steer you wrong. Don’t discount a setup from consideration because it is slightly “wrong by the numbers”.
According to AJ Van den Hul, 16 grams effective mass is the limit for this cartridge, and this is what we set out to verify with the 4Point-9’s 13 g. effective mass.
The theoretical goal is to arrive at a resonant frequency in the 10-12 Hz range, although some manufacturers will tell you that as low as 7 is fine.
Unsuspended turntables are more flexible in this regard since there are no spring resonances to take into account.
Compatibility needs to be taken on a case by case basis. Resonant frequency is one thing, but listing to real music is the acid test.
We’ll listen to a broad range of music and observe the bass response. Is the timing right? Is the band playing together, or do they sound as if they spent a long, sleepless night traveling to the concert?
Test tones and resonant frequency are only a starting point.
With one cartridge in particular, we heard shifts of 0.5 Hz make a huge difference in the presentation (tuning mass with headshell weights). Most cartridges are not balanced on such a sensitive knife edge, however.
As we mentioned above, the 4Point-9 (with its 13g. effective mass) was predicted to be a good match. The combination sounds marvelous.
On the HFN&RR test record, the lateral resonance was between 8 & 9 Hz, and the vertical was closer to 8.
So, when AJ Van den Hul tells you that his cartridges will work with tonearms as massive as 16g, I’m confident his advice translates well to real-world applications.
Update (after the demo): against our advice, the customer opted for a 4Point-11 (18 grams) for his Crimson.
Fortunately for him, the two components mated beautifully as well.
Related Posts
click to expandWith apologies to Wayne Gretzky …Wayne Gretzky was quoted as saying: “you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take”. With respect to cleaning machines, the best machine is the machine you actually use.I’m reminded of cameras, where a similar rule applies: it doesn’t matter how good your camera is if your rig is
Read More(click to enlarge)Shipping a mounted Van den Hul …Preparing a mounted Van den Hul cartridge for shipping is not for the faint of heart.We recently prepared a Van den Hul Colibri XGW Signature Stradivarius, and these photos are the result.In a perfect world, cartridges would have stylus guards that actually work, but other design considerations
Read More5-pin DIN ConnectorThat, is the question … For years, we bought into the common knowledge that tonearms wired with a straight run from the cartridge clips to the connectors (RCA or XLR) are superior to arms with plug-in cables employing a 5-pin DIN connector. Then, we put the theory to the test. The ExperimentWe compared two 4Point, 11″
Read MoreWind RiverCan we talk? Quite some time ago, we published photos of a well-maintained stylus, and followed up with a post describing various stylus cleaning methods. It’s time to have a serious conversation about our connectors …Audio HygieneMaintaining a high-performing audio system requires a minimal amount of work, and one chore involves periodically cleaning and re-treating our
Read MoreNever miss a good story!
Subscribe to our newsletter to receive a sample setup report we created for a customer.
Subscribers also receive discounts on all accessories, including Audiodesk, Feickert and AnalogMagik.
This report is in 3 sections:
Documentation of the customers's setup and QC
30 pages packed with general setup information - tricks you may not have seen before
An appendix with a guide to tools and other setup tips, including how build your own azimuth gauge
Click the photo below, to subscribe.