![]() ![]() This one's very high compliance would put the arm resonance well below 20Hz with the lightest tonearm, and if the preamp equalizes down to the resonance point, the pickup will produce its full output down to this frequency. As for the 6Hz lower-range claim, this is not as remarkable as it looks, for any magnetic cartridge will reproduce at constant velocity down to the point where its compliance resonates with the mass of the tonearm. We did, however, find the cartridge to be within ☑dB from 20Hz to 15kHz, which is excellent. We had no way of testing the pickup's response with any accuracy out to 30kHz, and as far as we're concerned, response beyond 15kHz isn't very important anyway. With a reasonably well-shielded phono motor, inductive hum pick up was well below the limit of audibility. Needle talk was exceedingly low, being on a par with that from the PS-11, and hum sensitivity was acceptably low. At 10kHz, we started getting readings of less than 20dB, and were measuring about 15dB at 15kHz, where we don't trust our test records anyway.Ĭhannel balance on our sample was off by a little less than 1dBenough to cause a barely perceptible shift in balance when switching from stereo to blended monophonic operation. The best reading we could obtain was around 25dB, but sweep tests (visually monitored on a 'scope) suggested even better separation at all but the highest frequencies. ![]() Like the Weathers PS-11 system (reported in Vol.1 No.2), this one's separation was so high that measurements were swamped by turntable rumble and surface noise. ![]() Preliminary tests showed the 880P to have as high channel separation as any pickup we have encountered. The pickup seemed to perform best at 1.5 grams, so subsequent tests were run at this force. The pickup did trace some lightly cut discs at this force without significant breakup, but the wiry, spitty high end, the persistent troubles with wax buildup on the stylus, and the shattering distortion on heavily cut discs suggested that the 0.5-gram figure may have been a figment of somebody's overoptimism.Īt 1 gram, tracing was tolerably clean on most discs, but some rising high-end response still added spits and ticks to surface noise and imparted a harsh, grating quality to whatever breakup did occur during loud passages. We tried the 880P in Empire's own Model 98 arm, adjusting the stylus force initially for the manufacturer's lowest recommended force: 0.5 grams. The 8mV output, too, is about ideal for nearly all preamps. It has standard ½" mounting centers, and the pickup requires the 47k ohm termination provided by most preamplifiers. The 880P is a moving-magnet stereo cartridge for use in transcription arms and the few high-quality record changers now available, such as the Garrard Model A and the Lesa units. ![]()
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