Cartridge/Armtube Combination List
PREC./red can be used for “green”, “red” and “yellow”. PREC./blue for “blue”. There is only a small difference in effective mass between “red” and “yellow”. For 12” armtubes “yellow” should be used also for “green” and “red”.
Recommended armtube
green green-red red or yellow blue-PREC/blue PREC./red-red green blue-PREC/blue red yellow-red blue-PREC/blue red red yellow green yellow-red-PREC/red yellow-red-PREC/red green-red-PREC/red green-red-PREC/red yellow-red-PREC/red yellow-red PREC. Red/green red or green green green/red red/green red red red red Precision/red green yellow/(blue) blue green yellow green red/green yellow PREC/blue green/red gren-PREC/red green yellow yellow green green-red red-PREC/red yellow-PREC/red green-PREC/red red-green green red yellow green-PREC/red blue
Manufacturer
Acoustic Signature Ace Allerts Audio Note
Audio Technika
Audioquest Bang & Olufsen Benz-Empire Benz-Micro
Cardas
Cartridge Clearaudio
Crown Jewel Decca
Denon
Dynavector
EMT
Model Weight (g)
cartridge armtube combination list.doc
Manufacturers of high quality Audio Equipment
Challenger 8.3 8.8 10.0 11.0 11.0 18.0
Soara IO IO II AT-F5/OCC AT-OC5 AT-OC7/OC9 AT-95E AT-ART 1 ART 1
MC-5 MMC 1 MC-1000 MC-2/3 Reference H 2.0 Glider MC-Gold/Silver Ruby
Ruby 2 LP L2, M2, H2, Ref2 Ace ACEL Myrtle Heart Myrtle Silver Heart Music Maker III Gamma S / Insider Accurate Concerto Sigma Signature Stradivari Insider Victory Speciel Edition Super Gold Jubilee London Jubilee DL-1000 A DL-103 D DL-110 DL-304 DL-S1 17 D2 Mk II 23RS Mk II XX-1 XX-2 Mk II DRT XV-15 DV-20X H/L DV-10X5 HSD 6 JSD 5
5.0 8.0 7.8 5.7 8.5 9.5 6.0 1.6 7.5 7.5 8.6 8.6 5.6 5.7 8.2 9.6
10.7 9.0 8.8 8.8 9.1 9.5 6.2
10
4.0
4.5 12.0 4.4 12.0 8.0
8.0 6.7 10
6.0 7.5 4.8 7.0 7.0 5.3 5.3
12.0 8.9 12.6
8.6
6.6 12.0 11.0EMT Empire
Garrot Glanz Goldring
Grado
Grado v.d.Hul
Kiseki
Koetsu
Lyra
Linn Madrigal
Monster
My Sonic Lab Mørch Ortofon
Phase Tech Shelter
JSD 6 11.0 MC-1000 7.5 MC-Silver 5.7 P-77 5.8 10 LX 4.8 Eroica 5.5 Electro 2 9.0 MM 042 6.3 All SIGNATURE models 5.0 Ref. 6.0 Reference Master 6.5 Statement Sonato 6.5 Frog 8.2 Grashopper 12.2 Grashopper IV GLA 8.6 Grashopper V 8.6 MC 10 7.5 MC 1 B
MM-1/2 6.5 Colibrie 6.0 Colibrie XCP Myabi 12.3 Black Beauty SPX 8.5
Purplehart 7.5 Purplehart Sapphire 7.5 Blue Gold Spot 11.4 Miltek Aurora 9.6 BLACK 9.5 EMC 1B 9.0 Urushi 11.5 Onyx 12.0 Rosewood 9.5 Rosewood Signature 6.7 Argo 4.6 Clavis 11.0 Dorian 6.4 Lydian Beta Blue 8.0 Helicon 8.0 K9
Carnegie One 6.5 Carnegie Two 9.0 Alpha 1 6.5 Alpha 2 6.8 Alpha Genesis 1000
Alpha Signance 2000 4.2 Eminent 9.0 DACAPO 6.8 Jubilee 10.5 MC 1 Turbo 4.1 MC 15 Super II 7.0 MC 20 Super II 10.0 MC 30 Super II 10.0 MC 30 Supreme 10.7 MC 2000 Mk II 9.5 MC 3000 Mk II 9.5 MC 7500 11.0 MC Windfeld 13.0 Rohmann 9.0 SPU Royal 12.8 OM 10-20-30 5.0 Kontrapunkt A+B 10.0
12.0 501 8.1 901 9.1
blue yellow-red-PREC/red yellow red blue-PREC/blue blue-PREC/blue red green red-green green green green-red green PREC/red green/red green/red yellow-PREC/red blue-PREC/blue green green-red green green green
blue-PREC/blue blue-PREC/blue (yellow) yellow blue-PREC/blue PREC/blue-blue PREC/blue-blue red red green-red yellow yellow red-PREC/red yellow yellow/PREC/blue green yellow-PREC/blue yellow-red yellow yellow-red red yellow yellow yellow yellow-PREC/red green/red blue red-yellow green-red PREC/red-green green-PREC/red PREC/red only PREC/red only PREC/red-green green-PREC/red PREC/red-yellow blue green red-PREC./red green/red red red
Manufacturers of high quality Audio Equipment
Shelter Shure Shutter Stanton Sumiko
Supex Transfiguration
Tsurugi Xuzura ZYX
S 9000 11.0 red M97HE 6.6 901 9.1 red 881 5.8 green-red Celebration 7.0 yellow Black Bird 9.6 red/yellow Blue Point 6,0 red
Evo III 8.3 yellow-red Blue Point Special 9.0 red/yellow SDX-1000 4.7 blue-PREC/blue Spirit 7.8 PREC/blue-blue Temper 7.5 PREC/red-yellow Fria 7.8 red Esprit 7.8 red
9.0 PREC/red-yellow KC-REF 9.0 blue
RS 10-20-30 4.2 blue R 100 4.2 blue R 1000 Airy 3 5.0 blue R 1000 Sigma S-X 5.0 blue Universe 5.0 blue
Also the below formula can be used to find which armtube to use for any cartridge.
Fress = 159 Hz (MA +Mcar)⋅C
Fres is the fundamental resonance of cartridge compliance and the total mass of cartridge and arm. The best armtube is the one that gives a figure of Fres=11-12 Hz or as close thereto as possible.
Fres can be found by inserting MA, Mcar and C into the formula, where MA is the mass of the arm, Mcar is the mass of the cartridge and C is the compliance of the cartridge in μm/mN. Should the compliance be stated differently, it is always the first factor to be used (ranging from about 5-40).
The masses of the arms are green= 4 g, red= 6 g, yellow= 8 g and blue= 14 g.
Thus if the cartridge has a weight of 7 g (Mcar), and the “red” armtube of 6 g (MA) is used, the total mass of cartridge and arm is 13 g. If above mentioned factor of compliance is 14 (C), then 14 should be multiplied by 13 and the square root extracted. This makes 13.5 which is then divided into 159 and the fundamental resonance (Fres) will be 11,8 Hz.
Thus in above example the armtube was ideal. But for instance if the above figure (Fres) was too low the same calculation could be made with the “green” armtube, etc.
There is one snag about it. The manufacturers of cartridges do not always state a useful value for C. (It should be started at 10 Hz). Figures of C coming from Japan usually are measured at 100 Hz, so they should be multiplied by 1.5-2. Figures of C coming from USA often are static values, so they should be halved. Most figures of C coming from Europe are OK (stated at 10 Hz)
Also the tracking force could be used, as this usually is a function of the compliance. For instance with a tracking force of 1.9 g the compliance would be around 14. With a cartridge mass of 6 g the “yellow” armtube would do. With a cartridge weight of 10 g (and the same C) the green armtube should be used.
