PLATTER & PLINTH

Cartridges & Care

The cartridge is the part that actually reads the record. How to choose one, when to replace the stylus, and how to keep records clean.

The cartridge is the little device at the end of the tonearm, and its stylus — the tiny diamond tip — is the only part of your entire system that actually touches the record. That makes it the single component where a modest spend changes the most: a better cartridge pulls detail out of the groove that a cheaper one simply skates over. For most people it’s the first upgrade worth making.

Two things define a cartridge. The type is either moving magnet(MM) — higher output, affordable, replaceable stylus, and what almost every deck ships with — or moving coil (MC), which is lighter and more detailed but far quieter and needs a special preamp. Our MM vs MC guide covers which is right for you (for most, it’s MM). The stylus shape is the other: a conical (spherical) tip is the budget option, an elliptical tracks more of the groove and sounds clearly better, and microline/Shibata tips go further still.

The smartest move at the low end is to buy into a family with a shared body. Audio-Technica’s VM95 series and Ortofon’s 2M series both let you upgrade just the stylus later — snap out the conical, snap in an elliptical or microline — with no re-alignment and no new cartridge. Start affordable, upgrade the tip when you’re ready.

Cartridges and styli also wear out. A stylus lasts roughly several hundred to a thousand-plus hours depending on type; a worn one sounds dull and, worse, can damage records. Keeping records clean is the other half of the job, which is why record care lives in this hub too — see how to clean vinyl records.

Everything in Cartridges & Care

Before you buy a cartridge

Check your tonearm.A better cartridge needs an arm with an adjustable counterweight and anti-skate to set tracking force correctly — the fixed arms on the cheapest automatics can’t take full advantage. If your deck has no tracking-force adjustment, upgrade the deck before the cartridge.

Match the mount. Most cartridges use the standard half-inch two-screw mount, which fits the great majority of decks; some entry automatics use a proprietary snap-in mount instead. Confirm yours before buying.

Set it up right. A great cartridge in a badly aligned arm sounds worse than a cheap one set up correctly. Our setup guide covers tracking force, anti-skate and alignment step by step.

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