Due
to the current fluctuations in exchange rates and the
impact of the recession on manufacturers, please regard the
prices on this page as ‘guide’ only. If you are interested
in the equipment you must contact me for a current
price.
The
MusicMaker Classic Phono Cartridge
£1200
The MusicMaker cartridge is the product of a steady
programme of refinement, it has taken approximately fifteen
years of development to create the Mk III version.
We have now moved on and made a rather dramatic change;
enter the MusicMaker Classic which takes us another step
closer to the original performance.
Instead of the high purity copper coils used in the Mk III
we have substituted very pure silver (99.99%) coils
and incorporated other changes; the result is a major step
forward in analogue viny replay.
Specifications:
- Variable-reluctance stereo phono cartridge with line-contact stylus and silver coils.
- Output: 4.0 mV output
- Loading: 47K ohms (not capacitance sensitive.)
- Tracking Force: 1.6 grams.
- VTA/SRA Alignment: Front face of cartridge perpendicular to record surface (viewed from the side).
The
'MusicMaker' Mk III Phono Cartridge
The 'MusicMaker' Phono Cartridge is a high-performance
variable reluctance device, employing a proprietory
extended contact diamond stylus.
Specification:
- Output voltage: 4mV
- Frequency response: 10Hz - 50KHz
- Stereo separation:>25dB across 10Hz to 30KHz range
- Loading requirement: 47K Ohm (standard moving magnet)
- Cartridge weight: 6.2g
- Stylus type: proprietory extended contact area diamond
- Tracking force: 1.58g +/- 0.05g (critical)
- Arm requirement: medium to low mass (13g or less)
- Bias (anti-skate) requirements: minimal
The
Conductor Air Bearing Tonearm
£1500
The playback of a record should imitate the cutting of the
lacquer as closely as possible.
During
the cutting process the cutter diamond makes an angle of 90
degrees at all instances from the beginning of the groove
to its end. Obviously, the best way to read a record groove
is by using an arm which follows the groove in a similar
fashion as in the cutting process.
A
parallel tracking tonearm has the least distortion because
the tracking error is minimized to practically zero. The
cartridge stylus reads the two groove walls at the same
time without any delay. Furthermore, a parallel tracking
tonearm does not need bias compensation (anti-skate
settings), as there is no centripetal force, unlike in
pivoted arms.
Pivoted
arms, on the other hand, are the most commonly used
tonearms. These can be further subdivided into unipivots
and non-unipivots, as well as pseudo-unipivots.
With
common pivoted arms (also called radial arms), there is
zero tracking error only in two instances. At other points,
there is tracking error. This is minimized by giving
the pivoted arm the familiar offset angle. The skating
force is not eliminated, however, but instead
increases. This can be corrected, of course.
Unfortunately,
the skating force depends on the friction between the
record groove and the stylus tip, as well as the cut of the
stylus. It also depends on what is recorded on the record,
even the quality of the vinyl. As one can see,
correcting anti-skate is always not perfect, technically.
All this ceases to be an issue with a tangential tonearm,
as there is no skating force.
Basically,
setting up pivoted arms properly with the various tools
around is essential to minimize these tracking errors, as
well as controlling the skating force.
Designing
and manufacturing a parallel tracking tonearm is not as
simple as it may seem and only thorough engineering can
result in a good functioning device. Precise and accurate
geometrical proportions are essential to get it right. As a
result, prices of the high-end parallel tracking arms are
in most cases far beyond the budget of most audiophiles and
music lovers.
And
this is where The Conductor comes in. Simplified, but
without sacrificing the benefits of tangential tonearms,
sonically high-end, and most importantly offered at a saner
price than the other high-end competition. Emphasis is
on high-end.
The
Cartridge Man Isolator
£85
The isolator is, in effect, a two way filter. Its
purpose is to break the mechanical feedback loop that is
made as soon as the stylus touches the record.
In tests, the isolator has been shown to reduce
the noise floor level by 3dB (a cut of 50%). This reduction
allows far more low level information into the audio
picture, improving sound stage, imaging and resolution, not
to mention the overall timbre of instruments.
The isolator has attracted praise in the Hi Fi
press, in spite of the generally accepted philosophy
about cartridge mounting being the
complete opposite of that which its
use advocates.
The Isolator will make a good arm a great arm, but it will
not make a poor arm a good one.
The
Cartridge Man Digital Stylus Force Gauge
£225
Users
of vinyl are well aware of the importance of being able to
accurately set their cartridge tracking down-force.
Failure
to do this can result in anything from degraded sonic
performance, through to mis-tracking and even damage to the
record and stylus.
The
only readily available method of setting the down-force has
been the Shure Force Balance - fine value for money, but
suffering from only 0.1g resolution, somewhat fiddly set-up
and a slightly non-optimum measurement height.
The
Cartridge Man has now introduced a highly accurate,
enhanced measurement range, easy-to-use and competitively
priced all-electronic Digital Force Gauge. The unit will
prove itself indispensible when requiring an absolute and
consistent tracking force reference.
Specification
and features:
- Measurement range: 0.2g to 4.0g.
- Accuracy: better than 0.05g over full measurement range
- Resolution: 0.02g
- Useable period: 30 minutes per full charge
- Display: 3-digit LED
- Status indication: Display test, battery, nulling, overload
- Recharge cycle: ~ 14-24 hours
- Useable temperature: 5°C to 35°C
- Weight: 150g nominal
- Dimension: 45mm h x 87mm diameter
- Construction: Non-magnetic, anti-slip feet
- Charge unit: 9V D.C. @ 100mA output supplied
The
Cartridge Man Digital Levelling Gauge
£225
It
is a well known fact that for optimum performance, a
turntable should always be precisely levelled.
Whilst
bubble-levels have always been used for the levelling
procedure, best accuracy is not always guaranteed and it
can certainly be frustrating to centre the bubble. The
Cartridge Man has now introduced a highly accurate,
easy-to-use and all-electronic Digital Levelling Gauge.
This
unit presents a digital read-out of both planes
simultaneously to a resolution and accuracy of 0.1°. Four
quadrant LEDs give an unambiguous indication of which
side(s) need lowering or raising.
Specification
and features
- Measurement range: +35° to -35°
- Accuracy: better than 0.1° at level
- Resolution: 0.1°
- Useable period:> 10 hours continuous
- Display: 2 x 3-digit LED and 4 x 3mm LEDs
- Status indication: Display test, nulling
- Cell type: 2 x AAA
- Useable temperature: 5°C to 35°C
- Weight: 195g nominal
- Dimension: 62mm h x 69mm diameter
- Construction: Non-magnetic, anti-static treated
