Goldring Support

Q. Which cartridge should I choose between the 1006, 1022GX and 1042?

Answer:

The 1022 is much easier to set up than the 1042. The diamond is a fine line vital type with a very low effective tip mass which gives it just as good agility and trackability as the 1042, at the expense of slightly larger playing radius, but it is much easier to get aligned in the groove. That being said, the 1042 with it's Gyger S tip will give lower distortion at high frequency when compared to the 1022 (which itself is world class), but that is when you get the alignment absolutely perfect. 

Compared to the 1006, the 1022 and 1042 are in a different league. The 1006 is a basic bonded elliptical which is a cinch to set up, but will only ever give a satisfactory performance. You may notice that the sibilance on vocals can be more pronounced (although not obvious like it would be with a spherical diamond), whereas both the 1022 and 1042 deal with this without issue right the way across the LP.

The Vital PH is such a good tip that it is used in our flagship Ethos model, and in any case, you could opt to replace the stylus with the 1042 next time, if you are still looking for an upgrade in the future, as all the 1000 series styli are interchangeable.

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