#phono

A practical post from a former record store owner

(pt. 1: WHERE THE RUBBER MEETS THE ROAD)

The first thing you need to check when examining a record player for purchase is the type of needle and cartridge used. There are two types, ceramic or magnetic. (You probably want magnetic) You can usually spot a ceramic cartridge a mile away. The cheaper, more robust, but ultimately, long-term more damaging needle and cartridge style that so prevalently covers the market for the past 30 years is the Pfanstiehl P-188D. They're everywhere.

You probably want to avoid this. This cartridge and needle style is better suited for:

Digging: Battery powered "field testing", IE your own personal listening station for flea markets, yard sales, record stores or what have you. You don't want to drag a nice needle through a filthy find.

78's and 16's : those brittle heavy lacquer shits that are old as balls. BALLS.

Clumsy casuals and children. If you look hard you can find them for less than $10. So if a kid breaks it it's no biggie. Also it's not like you're going to turn him loose with a collection of priceless sun ra singles.

Weird stuff: "glue-in" vintage repairs and experiments. Go ahead. Drag that turd across a tortilla.

Walmart/recently manufactured major label releases: Fuck you, your impracticality, and your funkopop-ass bitchdiscs.

You don't want to use this for repeated listening of "nice" records, because compared to the very small groove, the needle on these is often technically oversized, thus putting much more wear than necessary. The ability of the ceramic pickups inside of the phonographic head to capture sound is also not as good their magnetic big brothers. Aside from the p188d, they can also look like this, as well as an infinite # of variations.

AUDIOPHILE MAN - HiFi REVIEW: ACCESSION MC FROM GRAHAM SLEE

If you know this company, you will know that phono amplifiers are its ‘chef’s special’, so to speak. Paul Rigby selects Moving Coil off the menu. Yum.