Cartridge Sound

shankyys

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Hello

When you all define a cartridge or compare with the other cartridges, terms often used are coloured sound,warm sound,very detailed sound.
Now what do they actually mean? I know its difficult to explain them as with experience develop an ear to identify these,but still is there any definition?

One more thing I want to enquire about is,whatever cartridge one might use,I mean however expensive it might be,there will still be noise in between tracks (the silent phase) or the regular hissing sound. Isn't it?
 
Hello

When you all define a cartridge or compare with the other cartridges, terms often used are coloured sound,warm sound,very detailed sound.
Now what do they actually mean? I know its difficult to explain them as with experience develop an ear to identify these,but still is there any definition?

One more thing I want to enquire about is,whatever cartridge one might use,I mean however expensive it might be,there will still be noise in between tracks (the silent phase) or the regular hissing sound. Isn't it?
Warm sound is a bit rolled off in the higher frequencies, i.e., the higher frequencies are slightly less prominent and the overall sound is comfortable to the ears for long listening sessions. In very detailed sound, all the frequencies are prominent and possibly distinct, but can cause ear fatigue. Coloured sound can mean many things, in which the original sound character is not as it is but colored. One can exactly understand all these, only by listening.

Noise in between the tracks depends upon the record condition. A clean record will have negligible to no noise in between the tracks.
 
Hello

When you all define a cartridge or compare with the other cartridges, terms often used are coloured sound,warm sound,very detailed sound.
Now what do they actually mean? I know its difficult to explain them as with experience develop an ear to identify these,but still is there any definition?

One more thing I want to enquire about is,whatever cartridge one might use,I mean however expensive it might be,there will still be noise in between tracks (the silent phase) or the regular hissing sound. Isn't it?

That means you currently do not have any experience with a turntable?
 
I do have. But I am trying to understand how these terms are defined.

Thanks for your reply, I was asking specifically to what was highlighted. All records, new or old will have some sort of surface noise and or be affected by static and dust at the very least. Hence you will most definitely find some pops/cracks and other noise related to vinyl playback at some point of the record being played, it cannot be completely eliminated in entirety. If you prefer to not have those sounds, then vinyl is probably not your ideal source of music. So you will have to expect some sort of the above noise in playback either in some portions of the record or continuously if the record is dirty, worn out & generally in a not good condition to begin with. For what its worth, most people also enjoy some of these artifacts/noise to varying level of degrees, for them it is also part of the vinyl playback charm.
 
Like Jayaraa stated, all records have surface noise to a varying degree. However this can be minimized by
1. Using new/mint/clean records.
2. Using better cartridges/stylii. For example a microline stylus( AT 440mlb) will ride deeper in the groove thereby bypassing defects/scratches at the very top, resulting in a quieter listen. The Nagaoka mp110 is also supposedly very good for minimizing surface noise.

Having said that, I for one hate loud pops and clicks but actually prefer a light crackle that is a part and parcel of vinyl.
 
Thanks for your reply, I was asking specifically to what was highlighted. All records, new or old will have some sort of surface noise and or be affected by static and dust at the very least. Hence you will most definitely find some pops/cracks and other noise related to vinyl playback at some point of the record being played, it cannot be completely eliminated in entirety. If you prefer to not have those sounds, then vinyl is probably not your ideal source of music. So you will have to expect some sort of the above noise in playback either in some portions of the record or continuously if the record is dirty, worn out & generally in a not good condition to begin with. For what its worth, most people also enjoy some of these artifacts/noise to varying level of degrees, for them it is also part of the vinyl playback charm.

I think u have completely got it wrong in your perception as why I am asking this question.
My query is related to understanding the different connotations thats been used while defining the sound. It ahs nothing to do with pops and cliks as thats an inherent feature in Vinyl and without that I miss out the essence of vinyl listening.
 
I think u have completely got it wrong in your perception as why I am asking this question.
My query is related to understanding the different connotations thats been used while defining the sound. It ahs nothing to do with pops and cliks as thats an inherent feature in Vinyl and without that I miss out the essence of vinyl listening.
I see, but if that is the case then those will apply to every part of the gear in the set up including cables, so just singling out one component(in your case cartridge) will not really give a correct analysis without knowing the rest of the components in your set up. It is the sum of the total parts that will give on the true picture of what will or won't work in a given set up.
 
Actually in my opinion, there is no specific terminology for vinyl playback but most of it has been adopted from words or phrases used by hi-fi enthusiasts and hi-fi reviewers to describe several sound-related situations. Those who are into online or printed hi-fi resources will come across these terms invariably in a broad context. For example, when a person hears the word "hiss" he/she associates it with a snake, while a hi-fi enthusiast would immediately know that one is talking about tapes :)
 
Pops and clicks can be minimised if the alignment of the arm and cartridge are as per the specifications. Specially inner groove distortion.
 
I would say about the sound nature of the Warm sound as Roasted Almond Chocolate with Golden taste. Just can't say 'no'.:)
 
Without the slightest pops and clicks, we would miss the nostalgic feel of the analog sound of vinyl playing.
 
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