Hi Barrie.
I’ve been waiting for you to report back. The deck looks awesome! Four channels? Must be from the era when “Quadrophonic” sound was touted to be the big thing, didn’t seem to last long though!
Spend the rest of your weekend playing with your new acquisition!
Thanks Roger, yes, Quadrophonic, that rings a bell This TT didn’t come new with a cartridge of any description, was up to you to provide separately, so no specs to compare with the AT95.
Barrie
That’s right Barrie, “Quadrophonic Sound”, don’t confuse it with the “Quadrophenia” album by The Who!
A long time since I even owned a turntable but I do seem to remember there were moving coil (MC) and moving magnet (MM) cartridges. Think MC was the run of the mill and MM were the upmarket ones that needed a different input and had a lower output.
There is a very high probability that some, or all of what I’m saying is BS.
** Edit **
The one thing I got right was the reference to BS.
Google tells me that MM are the mid to high output ones, MC has better response but a low output that needs a special input stage.
Hi Paul yes that’s right. The AT95 is a MM cartridge, bit of a puzzle as to why such a low output, the other MM’s I have tried, really do give significantly more.
The chap I bought it from was running a pair of active speakers through a main amp, it sounded fine on my test before I bought it. Who knows
Barrie
The MM pick-ups generally produce about 6mV signal at the reference level, and the MC generally less than 0.3mV. Of course there are variations higher and lower for both, but this is a general rule of thumb.
The MM usually specify a load of about 47K Ohms, and a total capacitance including the leads of about 680pF (varies depending on manufacturer and cartridge). We used to have a 500pF trimmer capacitor and lead capacitance between 300pF to 400pF, and then tweaked the top end response from a test record to be flat or slightly drooping at 15KHz and definitely slightly drooping at 20KHz and not peaked. We also went a little bit higher on the DC resistive load to take account of the real life input impedance of the amplifier for a net impedance of 50K Ohms.
The MC often had a step-up transformer to match this, or an esoteric low input impedance current driven amplifier. In the late 1970s or early 1980s I built such an amp (inspired by a Wireless World design) for a friend at work (the one who later had the Krell amp and Quad speakers), and we tweaked it and played with it, but somehow he was never satisfied with the sound and went back to his V15 IV MM pick-up. He was using the Technics 1200 direct drive turntable (no belts or rollers). I could not be bothered with MC for my own set-up because I could not tell the difference, both sounded excellent and the MM was much less hassle.
It might simply not be wired correctly. Check the pins on the back of the cartridge have the correct wires going to the head-shell pins.
Thanks Richard, the amp and preamp I’m using (AIWA 22 series) as seen in the pictures, is suitable only for MM cartridges according to the handbook. The AT95 supplied with the turntable just doesn’t perform. The other 3 MM cartridges I tried yesterday, are great in terms of volume, I can’t have the volume up anywhere near half way with the others but even fully turned up with the AT95, it’s within normal (for me) listening levels. It’s not distorted, just not powerful if that makes sense. I had a quick look at the pins and wiring colours, compared to one of the other cartridges, yesterday, but confess that I only looked at the pins on the cartridges, not at the connector plug end. Quite possible that wires have been transposed. I will check and report back.
I bought ‘sold as seen’ I suppose and don’t particularly want to challenge the seller, however the TT has been in the hands of a HIFI shop for refurbishment, including the supply and fitting of the cartridge, amongst other things. I would have thought it would have been tested by them prior to passing it back on to the seller. They’re not an expensive cartridge and it certainly wasn’t a deal breaker for me. I might (a first for me) invest in a better cartridge/stylus combo further down the line
Barrie
The output of the AT-VM95 cartridge is typical of most moving magnet cartridges at 4.0 mV so it should be compatible with your system. The fact it works with the other cartridges suggest that the cartridge is not wired correctly as Richard has advised. Not all cartridges have the same connection layout though. I have had different models of cartridge of the same make (Ortofon) with different connection layouts. My AT-VM95 cartridge connections are (looking from the rear of the cartridge):
Top right cartridge connection - white headshell wire.
Top left cartridge connection - red headshell wire.
Bottom right cartridge connection - blue headshell wire.
Bottom left cartridge connection - green headshelkl wire.
Interesting Thanks First Rider Off
If I’ve read this correctly, I have the headshell fitted with the AT95 in my hand, with the four pins on the tonearm connector pointing towards me and the stylus pointing down, this is what I see at the back of the cartridge.
Top right = Red
Top left = White
Bottom right = Green
Bottom left = Blue
If I maintain that position and effectively look through the tonearm connector pins, this is what I see on that connector.
Top right = White
Top left = Red
Bottom right = Blue
Bottom left = Green
Obviously, if I turn the headshell around and look at the tonearm connectors, then it mirrors what’s coming out of the cartridge. (reversed).
Again, if I’m looking the same way as you, then my top and bottom pins are the wrong way around? So, do you think these wires need swapping around?
This image shows from the Internet, a AT95 wiring and mine is like this.
Barrie
I think I have got what you mean Barrie and I think that your connections are different to what I have. Basically on my set up the red and white wires (the top pair of wires on the headshell connections facing the cartridge) actually cross over each other before connection to the cartridge (ie they are transposed) and the blue and green (bottom pair of wires on the headshell connections) cross over each other before connection to the headshell. It seems counterintuitive I know especially seeing as the detachable headshell is also Audio Techica but that is the way it works! I would have a go at swapping them round. The connections on my Ortofon cartridge to the same headshell type are different to the Audio Technica cartridge. I will try to take a picture if that would help?
Not the easiest thing to get a picture of but this is mine at the moment.
Barrie
Looks different to mine Barrie. Have attached mine.
Barrie. My previous post 390 (as crossed out) was incorrect (apologies ). My connections are not transposed but yours appear to be. Basically the wires should not cross over connections in any way and each wire should directly connect the cartridge pins and headshell pins directly opposite each other. I would not disconnect the wire connections from your headshell as these are correct and follow the correct wire colour coding convention. It is the connections at the cartridge connections that are seem to be incorrect.
As I stated before, looking at the rear of the cartridge where the connection pins are and with the stylus pointing down my connections are:
Top right cartridge connection - white headshell wire.
Top left cartridge connection - red headshell wire.
Bottom right cartridge connection - blue headshell wire.
Bottom left cartridge connection - green headshelkl wire.
The connections above are the same in mine.
Barrie - really enjoy reading and following this topic. In my loft I have a 1970’s system but can’t remember the make but seem to think it includes a record deck. I do remember that the speakers are Mission 700S and sounded great at the time. Very tempted to venture up there to try and reinstate after reading this thread. Good luck with your continuing set up.
Right folks, I’ve swapped the wires from the back of the cart to be straight across from tone arm connector pins as below,
Unfortunately it’s not made a difference The power output indicator lights on the AIWA main amp start with ‘ON’ in green and then a series of red lights in the following sequence
0.1 w
1w
6w
30w
60w
With my other carts connected, a good listening volume has the first 3 lights on with the 6w light just flickering. With the AT95 cart fitted, all lights displayed so 60w with volume control fully on and it’s not quite as loud as the other carts at 6w.
Must be the cart itself I guess.
Barrie
According to my handbooks for Rega/SME/Shure, on the cartridge, tone arm, amps etc., the LEFT channel is always WHITE, RIGHT is always RED, LEFT EARTH is always BLUE, RIGHT EARTH is always GREEN. So just connect like with like and everything will be fine. If the pins on the cartridge aren’t colour coded or marked their spec/instructions sheet should identify which is which.
Found this in the handbook for the TT.
T
Which is how the AT95 cartridge is fitted and connected so who knows? Must be an issue with the cartridge itself. Not had chance to dig out the HITACHI to try it on there and it also means rewiring the 2 pin DIN plugs for the speakers so a bit of a faff. Connections are correct as per handbook and as you guys have been good enough to quote too
so thanks to all.
Barrie
Barrie. It could, but should not be the AT cartridge itself, especially if it is a brand new one. There is the possibility that it is the through connections on the headshell itself. Have you tried the AT cartridge in one of your other headshells? If it doesn’t work in the alternative headshell then you know for definite that it is the cartridge that is at fault.