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A turntable cartridge is an electromechanical pickup device that reads a record and sends the signal to your speakers. The cartridge contains the stylus, or needle, which has a tip usually made from a small, polished gemstone such as a diamond or sapphire.
Once it’s attached to the player’s tonearm, the cartridge provides a safe and steady place for all these moving parts to track the modulations in the record’s grooves, with the result coming out as the music you hear.
It’s an intricate and instant process. Even if your turntable came with a cartridge pre-installed, it’s best to take a look at it and make sure it’s aligned properly, or upgrade to a higher quality cartridge to really bring out the best in your records.
What Are the Different Parts of a Turntable Cartridge?
Head-shell: A head-shell is a piece that attaches to the end of your turntable’s tonearm, and the cartridge is often bolted to it. The head-shell holds the cartridge, and the cartridge holds the needle. If you’re looking to specifically prevent skipping, look for a head-shell that lets you add variable weights, which can be extremely helpful especially when scratching.
Turntable Arm/Tonearm: Another deciding factor is which type of cartridge your turntable arm will accept. There are generally two types: standard mount and P-mount. Standards are held together with screws that are about a half-inch apart, and thread through the cartridge’s body, securing it to the head-shell. P-mount cartridges have four plugs and are designed to be plugged directly into a head-shell. Standards are more common, but be sure to check which one you’ll need before buying.
Weight:A weightier cartridge can bring out the best of the bass and make old records sound new again, but also increase the wear on your vinyls. Consider where you’ll be playing too – a crowded area where your turntable might get hit would do better with a weighty cartridge built for anti-skipping. Calibrating and balancing your tone arm with its counterweight on the back will help regulate the tracking force of your cartridge, and prolong the life of your stylus too. There’s typically a recommended range for cartridges specified by the manufacturer, but since balancing weight with the tonearm alone isn’t always perfect, you can also get yourself a small scale called a stylus pressure gauge, which will show you exactly how much weight is bearing down on your vinyl.
Stylus Shape:Most commonly, a stylus will have a diamond tip to cut down on skipping, and spherical needles are better for back-cueing and scratching. The stylus is supported by the cantilever, and is in charge of transmitting the vibrations. Some cartridges even offer the feature of a removable stylus, so you won’t need to replace the entire cart when the needle eventually wears out. If you’re only a casual listener though, needles will last years; professional DJing wears them out significantly faster.
Music Genre: It may seem like what’s actually on your records really doesn’t matter here, but different cartridges can be specially formulated for different types of music. Some can be softer on the low-end of the sound scale, and others heavy in the mids. For example, if EDM is your jam, you’ll want something with a full frequency range: deep bass and shining highs. For hip-hop, good bass is really important, along with a cartridge and needle that’s built for scratching, anti-skipping and back cueing. A wider stylus can help minimize wear as well, also known as “cue burn.”
Replacing your cartridge can completely revitalize your records. We’ve selected three to get you all cued up.
