General
Q. How can I achieve the best stereo separation (Eroica H in particular)?
Answer: First the cartridge must be correctly aligned for overhang and zenith using a good quality stylus protractor. Then it must be adjusted for VTA by raising or lowering the arm height. This will ensure the lowest distortion figure possible as it ...
Q. I have a Kenwood KD-990 with original arm and head shell, which cartridge would you recommend?
Answer: Through our research of the KD-990 it has lead us to believe that the effective mass is nearer 20g for this arm so, one of our stiffer cartridges is required. We believe in this particular case, our recommendation would be the Eroica H. This ...
Q. I'm using E3 cartridge together with a Pro-Ject Phono Box DS2, what gain setting should I use?
Answer: The Pro-Ject Phono Box DS2 when used in conjunction with an E3 cartridge, the gain should be set to 40dB.
Q. I have a vintage Goldring Lexus Gramophone, but the screw that holds the needle is bent, what size is it?
Answer: The thread size is an 'M2' type, and we'd suggest a starting length of 6mm.
Q. I have a Sumiko Van den Hul Blue Point Special, can this be re-tipped via your 'Cartridge Repair' service?
Answer: Unfortunately due to the manufacturing process of the Sumiko Van den Hul Blue Point Special, it is not possible to re-tip it.
Q. I have a Clearaudio Symphony MC cartridge, can this be re-tipped via your 'Cartridge Repair' service?
Answer: Unfortunately due to the way this cartridge is manufactured it is not possible to re-tip.
Which Goldring cartridge produces the most natural sound?
Ultimately, the smaller the playing radius of the stylus and the lower its effective mass, the more potential it has to correctly extract the signal recorded in the record groove. All Goldring cartridges are designed to have a flat frequency response ...
Q. I've lost the allen key used to fasten the fixing screws of my cartridge to the headshell?
Answer: The allen key is a M2 (ALLEN KEY - 2mm SHORT ARM HEX) these are supplied with all Goldring cartridges and all are the same size, they can be sourced at most hardware stores or online.
Which cartridge can I use with my vintage Thorens tonearm?
Please kindly note that the Thorens arm is from an era where the standard type of fitment was to screw the cartridge in from below into the headshell. As such, unfortunately this is not compatible with bottom entry screws like the E3. In this case, ...
Q. What is the difference between static and dynamic compliance?
Answer: As an example, the 1000 series features a rubber damper suspension combined with a tie wire. The rubber damper gives it a quite high static compliance of 24 mm/N in the horizontal plane, and the tie wire gives it a lower static compliance of ...
Q. Which Goldring cartridge is suitable for mono recordings?
Answer: All Goldring cartridges are suitable for both stereo and mono recordings.
Q. Which Goldring cartridge is better for treble and high frequency clarity?
Answer: Our recommendations would be to use either the Eroica LX or Elite. Goldring cartridges are designed to be flat, however all moving magnet (MM) cartridges, from any manufacturer, suffer from high frequency roll off due to the high input ...
Q. Which Goldring cartridge can I use with my DJ record deck with a straight tonearm?
Answer: In order for any cartridge to track a record properly, without causing distorted sound or damage using a tonearm with a single pivot point (most turntables have this unless they are linear tracking), the arm must have two things; overhang and ...
Q. What size are the contact pins on Goldring cartridges?
Answer: The contact pins we use on our cartridges are 1.2mm in diameter.
Q. Which phono pre-amp do you recommend?
Answer: We very much like the sound of Musical Fidelity phono pre-amps. They measure very flat which is important and have low noise and distortion – in short, they won’t get in the way of the sound of the cartridge at all. Budget dependant, we would ...
Q. Which Goldring cartridge suits second-hand records the best?
Answer: Our recommendation for a well looked after but heavily played recording is to buy the most expensive stylus profile you can - so a 1042 or an Ethos, as they can reach parts of the record groove that have rarely been before. For absolutely ...
Q. How do I mount my cartridge in relation to my tonearm?
Answer: It is only necessary to adjust the arm height until the arm tube is parallel with the record surface, in order to set the correct stylus rake angle (SRA). Therefore the written instruction is correct and the diagram, although a bit ...
Q. Which cartridge would I need for vinyl manufactured in different regions?
Answer: The specifications for LPs was laid down by the RIAA in the 1950s, so each cutting and pressing plant should be following the same rules. However, that being said, there are differences between the VTA of records produced during different ...
Q. Why is my cartridge skating out?
Answer: The natural tendency for the stylus and therefore the arm to be deflected towards the centre of the record seems counter intuitive, but it is caused by the off-set angle of the headshell. This offset angle, combined with the correct amount of ...
Q. Why am I getting distortion/tracking problems at the inner grooves?
Answer: If the cartridge is mounted too far forward or backwards in the headshell of the arm then it will produce this exact phenomenon. Also if the cantilever is not aligned exactly tangential to the record groove it will cause this problem too. You ...
Q. Which Goldring cartridge can I use with my Pro-Ject X2 turntable?
Answer: The Eroica LX is a good cartridge, and is perfectly compatible with the Project X2. We would also recommend considering the Pro-Ject Phono Box DS2, as it features great adjustability for gain and cartridge loading for you to experiment with.
Q. What is the importance of the VTA (vertical tracking angle)?
Answer: Although the record player stylus’ job is to faithfully trace the record groove, this is made more difficult because it is not the same size or shape as the cutting stylus which originally made the groove in the first place. Partly, this is ...
Q. Which Goldring cartridge can I use with my Linn LP12 with Ittok LVIII tonearm?
Answer: As far as the Linn arm goes, we cannot think of a better partner for it than the Ethos. We developed the Krystal specifically for Linn and the Ethos shares quite a lot of components with that cartridge, so it will be a great match as far as ...
Q. Which Goldring cartridge is best for making digital recordings of my vinyl?
Answer: The smallest diamond profile which you can afford will be the best option, as it can trace the highest frequency grooves without distortion, in comparison to cheaper (and larger) diamond profiles. In this regard, you would need to look at ...
Q. Which Goldring cartridge is suitable for my Rega tonearm?
Answer: Rega tonearms do not have a facility to easily adjust VTA (vertical tracking angle). The 2000 series has a height from diamond tip to mounting point of 18.5mm which is within the typical range for most cartridges, however we believe that this ...
Q. How do I know when to replace my Goldring stylus?
Answer: We usually say that a Goldring diamond/stylus should last for about 500-1500 hours of listening (shorter for spherical diamonds, longer for line contact), but this varies depending on the condition of the vinyl being played. Another way of ...
Q. Which Goldring cartridge can I use with my Linn Basik tonearm?
Answer: The E series cartridges are perfectly compatible with the Linn Basik arm at 12g eff. tonearm mass, however for a turntable of this quality, we would recommend considering opting for the 1006 (nude elliptical) or 1012 with its G2 diamond – you ...
Q. Do I need to 'Break-In' or 'Run-In' my new Goldring cartridge?
Answer: We expect cartridges to sound a little better after approximately 25 hours of use.
Q. What are the dimensions/height of my Goldring cartridge?
Answer: Here are the approximate dimensions of diamond-tip to mounting-point height & distance, important for VTA and overhang adjustment respectively:
Q. Please could you explain Cartridge & Phono Pre-Amp load capacitance?
Answer: If your phono pre-amp does not have any adjustment for loading capacitance, then there is nothing that can be done in this regard. The best advice in this instance would be to use the lowest capacitance cables possible. A cable capacitance of ...
Q. Can I play my vinyl wet?
Answer: This is quite a controversial topic, but we would not recommend playing records wet. When we tried it, the record became ruined (unless it was always played wet). We had water all over our record player and the cartridge, which was not good ...
Q. Is the offset angle and VTA (vertical tracking angle) the same thing?
Answer: Please be aware that these are two different parameters. The offset angle of the arm is the angle between the straight line joining the arm pivot and the stylus tip and that parallel with the sides of the headshell or mounting point on the ...
The History of Goldring Since 1906
For Goldring's journey through time, please see the attached documents.
Q. How do I clean a stylus?
Answer: We do not officially recommend any cleaning methods for cleaning your diamond stylus. The safest method would be to use a soft artist brush (size 000) to very gently remove any dust/grime from the diamond. Please note that extreme care should ...
Q. Do you supply stylus protractors with Goldring cartridges?
Answer: We do not supply stylus protractors, as this is something which is used to correctly set the overhang and offset according to the turntable manufacturers recommendation (and this is something which we do not have any control over). You can ...
Q. How do I know when to replace my Goldring cartridge?
Answer: There is no real limit on the cartridge body and it should last for many years if properly looked after, as there are no internal parts that can deteriorate.