Question: How do I know if a moving coil phono cartridge is compatible with my turntable?

Answer: Besides the obvious requirements being met, such as the weight of the cartridge being within the acceptable range specified by the turntable’s manufacturer and ensuring that the compliance of the cartridge is a suitable match for the tonearm when the tonearm’s effective mass is taken into consideration, one aspect which is often overlooked when selecting a moving coil (MC) type cartridge is whether the turntable’s noise floor is low enough to withstand the additional gain (amplification) required. Note that this article applies to low-output moving coil (LOMC) type cartridges (those whose output level is less than 1 mV) only, not to high-output moving coil (HOMC) or moving magnet (MM) types. In addition to the gain provided by a typical stereo amplifier or receiver’s built-in moving magnet (MM) phono stage (usually 35 to 40 dB), LOMC-type cartridges require more gain to drive the associated stereo amplifier or receiver to an acceptable listening level while maintaining a good signal-to-noise ratio at the same time. If the noise floor of the turntable (the residual noise generated by its circuitry) is too high, it will be amplified along with the signal and make for a less than desirable listening experience.

So how do you know if your turntable has a low enough noise floor? First, consult your turntable’s documentation for any reference to MC-type cartridge use. Some may state that the use of a low-output MC cartridge is not recommended; others may note that when a low-output type is used, additional amplification is required and therefore it should be safe to assume that the cartridge is compatible. If you can find neither of these in the documentation, a call to the manufacturer may be in order. For Audio-Technica turntables, the following models can accept low-output moving coil cartridges: AT-LP3, AT-LP5X, AT-LP7, AT-LP120XUSB, AT-LP120XBT-USB (but NOT the prior versions of the turntable, the AT-LP120 or the AT-LP120-USB), AT-LPW30TK, AT-LPW40WN, and AT-LPW50PB. All our current stereo moving coil cartridges are low-output designs. Please note that we do make a couple of mono models that are high-output: the AT-MONO3/LP and the AT-MONO3/SP cartridges.

A word about the low-output MC design. Chances are, if you know enough about phono cartridges to be considering an MC type, you probably know that their performance is generally considered superior to higher output MM designs. But why should you consider a low-output design which may require the additional investment in a moving coil phono stage or step-up transformer (SUT), when you can avoid that cost by choosing a high-output design that will work into the built-in moving magnet phono stage that you already have? This is a good question, and the answer is low-output designs typically provide a higher level of performance. There is a trade-off in the high-output design. For a cartridge generator (the coils and associated magnets) to produce a higher output level (signal level), the magnetic field created by the generator must be strengthened. This is typically done by increasing the number of turns for the wire used to form the coils. Increasing the number of turns usually means more wire and thus more weight. The additional weight slows the speed at which the stylus assembly as whole can react to the quickly changing modulations contained within a record’s groove. The slower speed will have an adverse effect on the cartridge’s transient response, its high-frequency reproduction characteristics, and its tracking ability.

If you have further questions about any of our phono cartridges or need assistance selecting the model that best suits your needs, please feel free to contact the Audio Solutions Department for assistance.