Moving Coil or Moving Magnet?
- Thread starter Golucid
- Start date
audio.bill
Active member
That is a totally subjective question, but I tend to prefer MCs. Of course it doesn't just come down to MM vs MC cartridges as the choice, since there are examples of each that sound similar to some designs in the other category. It is generally thought that MCs have a bit of a brighter presentation, and are more revealing of detail than MMs. MMs are often thought to have a smoother or richer sound quality. Keep in mind that there are always exceptions to these generalizations. Another factor influencing their sound is due to the additional gain that low output MCs require. Whether that gain is provided by an additional active stage or a step up transformer, that will also influence their ultimate sound quality.
If you find multiple cartridges that you really like, you could have a separate table for each. Another way to accommodate multiple cartridges (i.e. a MM and a MC, or a stereo and a mono cartridge), is with multiple arm tubes if you have an arm that supports interchangeable arm tubes. VPI arms are one example of such a design, so you can keep a cartridge mounted on each of two separate tubes and switch them as desired. There are also tables that support multiple arm mounting, so that either can be used at any time without having to change anything during use. So many decisions!
If you find multiple cartridges that you really like, you could have a separate table for each. Another way to accommodate multiple cartridges (i.e. a MM and a MC, or a stereo and a mono cartridge), is with multiple arm tubes if you have an arm that supports interchangeable arm tubes. VPI arms are one example of such a design, so you can keep a cartridge mounted on each of two separate tubes and switch them as desired. There are also tables that support multiple arm mounting, so that either can be used at any time without having to change anything during use. So many decisions!
Multiple tables and cartridges is good :celebrate008_2:
Variety is the spice of life.
I prefer MC carts as the vast majority of the world class MM carts are old vintage cartridges so somewhat hard to get a hold of. When you do get hold of some, they are extremely good.
Variety is the spice of life.
I prefer MC carts as the vast majority of the world class MM carts are old vintage cartridges so somewhat hard to get a hold of. When you do get hold of some, they are extremely good.