Is there an inexpensive CD-4 cart out there?

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ChopperCharles

Well-known Member
Joined
Sep 2, 2010
Messages
101
Location
Durham, NC
Not sure if I'm going to enjoy this format or not quite yet. I have a decoder, but I need a cartridge. I'm not wanting to drop a lot of cash on a cartridge... is there anything available in the $50-$75 range that will work well?

Charles.
 
http://www.edsaunders.com/quad.htm

I am afraid that this is the cheapest new option I have seen. I haven't tried it, but reviews on QQ vary. CD4 is not a cheap option unfortunately. Even used or New old stock CD4 carts are starting around the $200 mark. If anyone out there has better options, I'd like to know too.
 
No, but you can get an excellent cart for around $168.00 on Amazon. Still cheap, just not as cheap. It's the Audio Technica AT440MLa. Now I know what you're thinking. "That cart is only spec'd out to 20KHZ". You'll have to trust me on that one, or better yet, ask other quaddies on this board. The ones who have one will tell you. Like mine, it performs well. Good Luck,

The Quadfather
 
And if you don't trust the Quadfather, you can trust me.

Just kidding. :D

The AT440MLa does work well.

And about the only other option is to keep an eye on ebay for CD-4 cartridges. I got some that way. I kind of took a chance on the styli not being too worn and I guess I have a knack for deciphering seller wording and I got some good deals like an XUV-4500Q, with a perfect stylus, for 70 bucks. You may too but these days they usually will probably cost you close to what the AT costs.

Doug
 
And if you don't trust the Quadfather, you can trust me.

Just kidding. :D

The AT440MLa does work well.

And about the only other option is to keep an eye on ebay for CD-4 cartridges. I got some that way. I kind of took a chance on the styli not being too worn and I guess I have a knack for deciphering seller wording and I got some good deals like an XUV-4500Q, with a perfect stylus, for 70 bucks. You may too but these days they usually will probably cost you close to what the AT costs.

Doug

So, with a Sansui QRX-9001, and a Rega RP-1 turntable, all I would need is a an AT440MLa cart? I assume the modern Rega would meet the low-capacitance requirements?
 
Well, I would never want to assume anything. I think I would contact Rega and ask them about cable capacitance.

But to answer your question, in general and assuming (there's that word again) the equipment is all working properly, yes, you should get CD-4 with those. And four speakers, of course. :D

Doug
 
Has anyone ever tried the AUDIO-TECHNICA AT-150MLX? It seems like an upgrade to the 440.
 
Has anyone ever tried the AUDIO-TECHNICA AT-150MLX? It seems like an upgrade to the 440.

I was going to ask about this also. I'd love to have some newer options for CD-4, since new styli for the vintage cartridges can be hard to get. I have an AT-440ML (not the a variant) which works quite well. I do think that the 150MLX would be a good upgrade, if it would work.

Charles, Grado claims that their Prestige line of cartridges have response to 50kHz, and the Black version is in your price range. I have a Black which I've used for stereo only, and have never tried to use it for CD-4, but I did have a Blue model, which did track the carrier signal okay, but not perfectly, especially in the inner grooves. The biggest drawback to Grado cartridges is that they use elliptical styli, which I feel present a wear issue for the carrier signal.
 
Not for the faint of heart, but the latest Elusive Disc email shows they have a stock of Japanese "Hana" brand Shibata cartridges......for those with deep, deep pockets, they are $649.95.
 
http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-AT440MLB-Phonograph-Cartridge/dp/B00OQUJ1QO?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00

Well, I finally bit the bullet. I bought the AT440MLB from Amazon at a price that only got me in a little trouble with the other half. Thanks to Doug G. and The Quadfather for pushing this cartridge. I had CD4 after setting up the cart on my headshell to the Technics gauge, pulled out The Best Of The Doors and had quad right off the bat. No setting up of the demodulator in my JVC receiver. My copy of The Doors is well worn and not worth the 4 bux I paid at a record show. The cart played right past the wear, gave a steady signal all the way through, but did emphasize the scratches. That was yesterday. Tonight I played a coupe A&M titles and they were a bit splatty. So I decided to get out the set up LP and do it right. I never had such good CD4 from a magnetic cart or a strain gauge cart. My strain gauge cart was decent, but I feared the replaccement styli of unknown origin might be less than ideal, causing distortion. Tonight I played my favourite Quadradisc, Rockin' Soul by th eHues Corporation. It played through without any distortion, splattyness or any noise showing the age and use of this disc. I am sold, it was worth the money and flack I got from the other half. Now I need to find more time to try the rest of my favourite Quadradiscs. I am really looking forward to this now. I hope the price stays this low so any otherr Quaddies can get into it. The only thing I fear is the stylus cantilever seems fragile and I have to use the cueing lever on my Technics 1200, which I am not used to. Another note, I set it up to Audio Technica guidelines, 1.4 grams tracking force. Thanks again guys for the push, I have spent way too much time playing with vintage carts and styli and almost gave up on CD4.
 
Not for the faint of heart, but the latest Elusive Disc email shows they have a stock of Japanese "Hana" brand Shibata cartridges......for those with deep, deep pockets, they are $649.95.

And steady hands. I fumbled a high priced cartridge the first day I had it and broke the stylus.
 
Hey Circular Vibes:
It only gets better from here. As the stylus gets broken in it will track better. 4 or 5 plays ought to do it. You can use stereo or SQ records for this if you like. I always clean my records with my Discwasher brush every time I play them. If the records have deep down grime in them, you might have to clean the stylus after each play. The stylus will do a good job of getting it out. As the record gets cleaner, it will play better. I rarely hear splatter anymore. By the way, I don't use the Discwasher liquid. I think the brush does a fine job without it. I then back wipe the brush on the leg of my jeans. The AT440MLa is a great cart. (what I have) I suspect the AT440MLb will be also. I got many years off of my first stylus. I'm still on my second. I always use the cueing lever. It not only prevents breaking a cantilever from clumsy (drunk) handling, it also keeps your records from getting all those pops and clicks from the same rough handling.

The Quadfather
 
Hey Quadfather! I am on about my 6th LP now. The biggest probem I had before was records cut loud, especially with horns. I have Art Blakey on and it shows the wear, but it isn't splatty. I am gonna have to find a better copy. I know I have it good when I can get through Moanin' without trouble. It even forgives the small, sharp warp in the rim. I haven't had to do more than blow on he stylus so far. I use a Nitty Gritty on most used records and resleeve them after cleaning. If I get desperate, I still have 3/4 of a bottle of Lou Dorren's cleaner. I have a carbon fiber brush for daily use. As to using the turntable while imbibing or eating, that is what dirgital is for. As a former, um, er, night club DJ, I learned not to accept free drinks while working, and to keep spare styli on hand. The only disc I have had issue so far with is Cat Steven's Greatest Hits. I will try it agan later. My next one to try is Barry Manilow II. This has been a big problem for me and it is very differrent from the stereo mix. I wish I had gone this route about 2 years ago instead of buying four vintage CD4 carts. I would have been up about two spare styli by now. My Victor carts will be ornaments now.
 
There are two AT12SA cartridges on e-bay that are reasonable priced. There is a AT15S at a good price also.
 
The Cat Stevens is a known bad recording. But even it can be played. As you play more records, it will get better. Not familiar with the Barry Manilow. Not a fan of him. Incidently, why is it that every depiction of a turntable you see of a turntable on TV involves putting something on it that doesn't belong there? It's always the case.
The Quadfather
 
Incidently, why is it that every depiction of a turntable you see of a turntable on TV involves putting something on it that doesn't belong there? It's always the case.
The Quadfather

Is this in reference to Barry? I got through it with no breakup on the horns. I am undecided on the mix. I lose the vocals but the instruments are much clearer. I am so used to the stereo mix that the 4 channel mix is so foreign to me. It changes the music so much. I like this particular album for the jazz vocals. Today's LP was Hot Butter's Popcorn and it played without so much as a dust click. I was surprised as the disc has a few handling marks and I used it for testing so much. I will get back to Cat in th next week. As much as I like him, I can't take him too often. He was so overplayed in my youth. I might get brave tomorrow and play some classical RCA Quadradiscs. So far I haven't found anything the cartridge can't handle as well as any previous cart. For anyone else, it is still on sale at Amazon. Now, if they can just get the replacement styli to drop in price to below this sale price. I am thinking I should have a spare, just in case....
 
I think what the Quadfather is referring to is, in one recent TV ad, they show what I believe to be a Dual TT and they do have a record on it with the arm tracking it but they also have something else plopped on top of the record which doesn't belong there. I can't remember what the product or company is right now.

I'm glad you discovered what a great cartridge the 440ML(a,b) is for CD-4 and it does get even better as it breaks in. Splatter is a thing of the past for me too and playing CD-4 records is just like playing any other type.

"Rockin' Soul" is great album. I guarantee that if "Rock the Boat" comes on the sound system at a bar, at least half the people at the bar will start moving to it, to this day. One of THE best songs of the Disco era.

Doug
 
No, it has nothing to do with Barry. While he doesn't belong on my turntable, he will play correctly if he was ever to be put there. I was referring to several different TV commercials where turntables are improperly used. But to be fair I did see one where every thing was being done right. But that was only after I posted the comment. The annoying commercials usually involve having some object on the turntable, or worse, an animal on a record on the turntable. It would give the impression that records are rugged and can be treated any old way. But I digress. It's not important enough to worry about. After all, I know how records should be treated, and I have lots of 40 year old records that just sound fine in quad because of it.
The Quadfather

Is this in reference to Barry? I got through it with no breakup on the horns. I am undecided on the mix. I lose the vocals but the instruments are much clearer. I am so used to the stereo mix that the 4 channel mix is so foreign to me. It changes the music so much. I like this particular album for the jazz vocals. Today's LP was Hot Butter's Popcorn and it played without so much as a dust click. I was surprised as the disc has a few handling marks and I used it for testing so much. I will get back to Cat in th next week. As much as I like him, I can't take him too often. He was so overplayed in my youth. I might get brave tomorrow and play some classical RCA Quadradiscs. So far I haven't found anything the cartridge can't handle as well as any previous cart. For anyone else, it is still on sale at Amazon. Now, if they can just get the replacement styli to drop in price to below this sale price. I am thinking I should have a spare, just in case....
 
You are right about turntables depiction on TV. I still remember Sony's ads for CDs with the dog chewing them. MuchMusic here in Canada (like MTV) had an anniversary a few years ago where the main prop was a Technics table on the coffee table in front of the hosts and various toys spinning on a record. Things only get worse as the younger generation romanticise the turntable as a cool retro thingy. Tow or three years ago my local news broaddcast had 5 vintage items not seen in current culture and asked teenagers what they were. One of the objects was a yellow 45 insert (center) and i| forget the guesses, but not one got it right. The announcer proceeded to manhandle a promo Joe Coccker single to insert the ccenter into the disc. My Dad found a center on the street a few years ago and put it on a chain as a necklace to make it seem cool. Noow, I will digress and let the topic get back on track.
 
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