Glossary · Cartridges
Compliance
How springy the cantilever suspension is.
Compliance measures how easily the cantilever suspension moves. It has to match tonearm mass: high-compliance cartridges want light arms, low-compliance ones want heavier arms. A bad match puts the resonant frequency in the wrong place, causing woolly bass or mistracking.
Terms on the same stage
Cartridge
The transducer that turns groove wiggles into a signal.
Moving Magnet (MM)
A cartridge with a moving magnet and a replaceable stylus.
Moving Coil (MC)
A low-output cartridge prized for detail; needs an MC stage.
Moving Iron (MI)
A hybrid generator — MM-like output, MC-like low mass.
Stylus Profile
The tip shape — conical, elliptical, microline, Shibata.
Cantilever
The thin arm carrying the stylus to the generator.
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Original groove, tonearm and VU artwork — made to order.
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