Magnetic cartridge for 78 rpm records

vmscbe1974

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Dear friends

Could we able to source magnetic cartridges for 78 rpm records in India kindly help to get the cartridges.

Regards
Srinivas
 
Hello Srinivas, no one sells 78 RPM magnetic stylus here in India. But you can source it from ORTOFON
Ortofon has moviung coil & moving magnet cartridges for 78 rpm records, the MM cartridge appears to be highly cost-efficient.

Here is the link for 78 RPM stylus Ortofon 78
Hope this helps.

Regards,
Anil



Dear friends

Could we able to source magnetic cartridges for 78 rpm records in India kindly help to get the cartridges.

Regards
Srinivas
 
Last edited:
sushil anand of nova audio deals in these. i remember he was mounting one such cart on a turntable for a customer.
 
Hello,

I think SHURE is having the model exclusively for 78 rpm records, pl refer their website for details.

Thank you,

N Murali.
 
Hi !

The Shure option for playing 78 RPM records is here.
Shure - M78S Phono Cartridge

Most 78 RPM records do not follow the typical RIAA equalisation curve, hence your regular phono pre-amp shall not be suitable for playing 78 RPMs with a MM cart. During the 78 era, many of the record manufacturers had their own unique equalisation standard, so this shall require a different pre-amp than the RIAA equalisation pre-amp that we use for LPs.

Regards,

Analogadikt
 
Just wanted to revive this thread. I recently got a new headshell for my Lenco L70 and I wanted to buy a 78rpm Cartridge. I have Sachin's DIY phono stage, so that would not work with a 78 RPM cart? What is the best way to play 78's on my Lenco?
 
Tek, in the olden times, especially before RIAA standards came to be adopted universally, record labels used their own equilization standards. When you look from a 78rpm record perspective, record production can be divided into 2 eras namely the gramaphone era and the phonograph era (amplified sound). The early 78rpm records needed to sound loud and as shrill as possible with a lot of emphasis on the upper mids. This is as they were usually played on the old gramaphones which had a steel needle protruding out of a diaphram-based sound box or a diaphram that transferred vibrations to a horn. The more the vibration, the louder the sound. The clearer the sound, the louder it could be heard and the less distortion it had. The records manufactured during this era were equalized accordingly. After amplified sound came into the picture, tonal control over playback was possible and hence, the equalization standards evolved accordingly. The resut is that you'd end up with different equalization in recordings between these 2 eras. Also, during the phonograph era, different lables used they own equalization, each one claiming that their's was better than the others. This complicated the situation even further. My advise to you is to forget about equalization and just focus on your rig, the turntable running at 78rpm with a 78rpm compatible cartridge and stylus. The safer approach would be to just listen to what is on the record rather than to expect audiophile quality from it. 78rpm records can never live up to expectations from a quality perspective (especially the older ones). If you take this approach, you will end up being surprised at times, when you listen to some outstanding 78rpm recordings. From my experience, recordings of the Ventures released on the Columbia label (78rpm) are outstanding pressings. On the other hand, if the 78s you own have been played on needle gramaphones at some point, they will definitely have a lot of groove noise and distortion due to the wear caused by the steel needle. Again, it is better to focus on the content rather than on the quality.

Interestingly, some old radio and amplifier manufacturers tried to overcome these differences by including an equalization selector. I recall my father actually made one of these, if I remember correctly, his had RIAA, Columbia, Decca, London and HMV as the options. What he attempted to do was to switch equalization feedback loops within his phono stage to neutralize the sound difference (to the human ear) between the different record lables, using RIAA as the benchmark (attempted to make all the different labels sound like LPs played using RIAA equalization). Interesting concepts.

Sachin's CNC phonostage would be a great start. If you want to take it to the next level for 78rpm playback, you could possibly build yourself a noise filter (hi-pass) and rumble filter (low-pass) to make your 78s sound pleasing.

On a final note, I always through 78s sounded better using old mono ceramic cartridges with sapphire needles. Magnetic carts are quite sensitive and tend to pick up more noise on playback (many may argue with this statement but this is my personal opinion).
 
Phono pre amp with 78 RPM equalisation for various labels are available. Another option is to use a 10 band equaliser.

Regards,

Analogadikt
 
Srini,

I have this one
anilkumar-albums-yesteryearstools-picture481-shure-e251-78-rpmneedle-f.jpg
 
I have one of sachu's cnc phonos. Will it be possible to tweak it to work for 78s? If so, what do I need to do?

Cheers!
 
My Shure 78 rpm cartridge is en route frm Bajao! Can't wait to spin some of these very old gramaphone records. I received about 50-60 of these ones, I even spotted one that has an Edison-Bell label! Hope they are ok though, as they have been stacked horizontally without covers for a few decades...Not expecting audiophile quality, but more of a nostalgic value. For audiophile I have several 45 rpm mastered Jazz and Rock LPs :)
 
I have one of sachu's cnc phonos. Will it be possible to tweak it to work for 78s? If so, what do I need to do?

Cheers!

If you are planning to use a magnetic 78rpm cart/stylus, no tweaks are really needed (keeping in mind, audiophile listening is not possible with 78rpm records). A good inclusion could be a scratch filter (additional to your phonostage).
 
My Shure 78 rpm cartridge is en route frm Bajao! Can't wait to spin some of these very old gramaphone records. I received about 50-60 of these ones, I even spotted one that has an Edison-Bell label! Hope they are ok though, as they have been stacked horizontally without covers for a few decades...Not expecting audiophile quality, but more of a nostalgic value. For audiophile I have several 45 rpm mastered Jazz and Rock LPs :)

All the very best, enjoy your collection.

78rpm are made of a wide array of materials. The one thing they have in common is that all 78's are very fragile: they will peel, crack, mold, warp, shatter, and suffer just about any type of damage due to improper handling or storage. So the first tip is: Handle all 78's with EXTREME CARE.

78's should not be stored in their original packages. Each recording should be rehoused in acid-free liners made of 35 pound kraft paper. The original wrapping should probably be kept for the historical information it contains. A more sophisticated wrapping consists of four layers of different materials laminated together: the exterior layer is kraft paper, followed by polyethylene, aluminum foil, and a final layer of polyethylene. The polyethylene and foil act as vapor barriers, while the polyethylene inner layer protects the surface of the record from abrasion and damage.

About cleaning: be very careful what cleaning solution you use. Most cleaning solutions that are used for vinyl contain some form of alcohol (or other solvent) that will dissolve your 78's! Do not use ANY cleaning solution that is not specifically made for 78rpm's.

Pure water is also BAD for 78's. I know of collections that have been ruined only after a brief exposure to water (a flooding, the records were immediately dried, but in time they were all destroyed).

Mold, mildew and fungus KILL 78's. The damage is irreparable (the little fungus fellers actually eat the grooves. The record becomes whitish, and you can't feel the grooves any more because. . . they ain't there! They have been eaten). Therefore, you must avoid conditions that favor mold, mildew and fungus: heat and humidity. you must store your precious 78rpm's in a climate and humidity controlled room.

Be very careful what needle and weight you are using. There are many types of 78rpm's and what may work for one type of record may not work very well for another. Do your homework and find out what works for your specific record. Otherwise, even one play with the wrong needle can create irreparable damage to the record. (info courtesy: Preserving your 78rpm records - how to)

There's some more interesting info on 78rpm records at these sites:

78rpm Frequently Asked Questions

How to Take Care of 78 RPM Records | Lori Spencer
 
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