Gabriel Santos
Member
Can a turntable with a ceramic cartridge be used to play a SQ record then decoded into 4 channels?
Ceramic Cartridge.
- Thread starter Gabriel Santos
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quadsearcher
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Literally, I suppose so. (I don't know if there are modern ceramic cartridges) But typically ceramic cartridges are old technology (I think?) with not-too-great styli and stiff suspension. To my knowledge, they require a much higher tracking force. I wouldn't recommend playing a record that is worth anything with one of those. Also, old ceramic cartridges often go bad over time producing weak or no sound.
However, if there is a ceramic cartridge I don't know about that is of comparable quality to a decent magnetic cartridge, to use it you must be aware that it may have a higher output than a magnetic cartridge phono preamp can handle without severe distortion.
However, if there is a ceramic cartridge I don't know about that is of comparable quality to a decent magnetic cartridge, to use it you must be aware that it may have a higher output than a magnetic cartridge phono preamp can handle without severe distortion.
A ceramic will put out a larger signal and will require you to plug it into a line level input, not a phono input. Will you be able to route a line level input to the SQ decoder in your system? IIRC most receivers of the time wouldn't do this because there was no high level SQ source.
That is incorrect. I can't think of an SQ decoder that doesn't require a line-level source. Most stand-alone decoders connected to tape monitor loops (that is how my Tate works), and many inexpensive 'quad' systems with turntables built-in came with ceramic cartridges. There were also commercial SQ cassette tapes.
Soundfield
1K Club - QQ Shooting Star
A ceramic cartridge has a much higher output (typically 200-300mv or so) than a mm cartridge but it's still a bit low for a standard line input these days. Further, a ceramic cartridge only 'roughly' approximates to the RIAA curve so it wouldn't provide anything like hifi reproduction used "raw" (not an issue in the el-cheapo 'record players' from China that still seem to use them!!!) One could make a fairly simple little pre-amp with some appropriate equalisation - but only if you knew the freq response characteristics of the particular cartridge to work out what was necessary. Not sure it would be worth the effort when you can buy an infinitely superior mm cartridge for next to nothing!
Soundfield is spot on. Unless you are playing beat up children's records from the thrift store, toss that ceramic cartridge in the garbage. You can buy a brand new entry-level magnetic cartridge for twenty bucks.
I stand corrected. But still, I seem to remember having a Marantz receiver where the SQ decoder would only engage when using a phono source. Maybe I'm remembering it wrong. Its been quite some time since I've used vintage equipment.
I'm glad you guys set it straight.
Gabriel Santos
Member
Thank you guys. My plan is to make a pre amp for both: mm and ceramic, then connet the output in a decoder I made. The mm pre will have a RIAA filter and a gain that will provide about 500mV, the ceramic pre amp will act just as an impedance matcher, probably a unit gain, since the ceramiccartridge gives out 400mV, according to the data sheet.
