moving coil – Goldring Newsroom

World-renowned analogue audio specialist, Goldring, introduces Ethos SE – a special edition of its award-winning Ethos model. Sitting at the very top of Goldring’s range of moving coil cartridges, Ethos SE combines uncompromising engineering with unique new features to produce a cartridge of exquisite sound reproduction capabilities.

Thanks to a raft of exclusive and carefully engineered upgrades – including pure silver coils, low reluctance pole shoes and a black anodized, aircraft-grade aluminium body – Ethos SE sets entirely new standards in terms of detail retrieval, channel separation and low colouration. Even when judged against cartridges costing a great deal more, this new special edition cartridge delivers a totally immersive, thrillingly complete musical experience – which has always been the Goldring ethos.

Key features at a glance

New pure silver coils feature fewer windings with higher conductivity, reducing the effective tip mass and internal impedance of the pick-up for improved tracking and greater transient response.
Low-mass cross-armature core made from Swedish iron improves channel separation and produces a more realistic soundstage.
A vital line-contact diamond stylus features a narrow, low tip-mass, large contact-area that enhances high-frequency response and minimises distortion and colouration.
New low reluctance pole-shoes ensure smooth and extended frequency response via an exclusive process.
Low-resonance, aircraft-grade aluminium body is selected for its low density and superior rigidity.

New pure silver coils

Reducing the effective tip mass of any phonograph pick-up will enhance its performance. The Ethos SE relies on Ag 9999 pure silver coil windings which have very low internal resistance and lower mass because fewer windings are used. The coils therefore have a significantly lower mass than our standard copper windings. This means the Ethos SE is better able to negotiate or ‘track’ the record groove without losing contact. The upshot is greater transient response, a reduction in resonance throughout the audio band, and flatter overall frequency response.

Low-mass cross-armature

By using high permeability Swedish iron in a low-mass cross-shape, rather than the conventional (and heavier) square alternative, Goldring improves channel separation and delivers an armature assembly that can produce an extraordinarily realistic stereo soundstage. High frequency detail levels are improved, distortion is reduced, and mis-tracking is all-but eliminated.

Vital line-contact diamond stylus

In order to retrieve the highest frequencies in a recording, Ethos SE uses a narrow, low tip-mass, large contact-area diamond stylus. This vital-shank, nude design has a polyhedral, line-contact diamond profile, and is connected to the armature by a stiff-yet-lightweight alloy cantilever tube. So, as well as having a remarkably good high-frequency response, distortion, resonance and colouration are minimised.

GOL-1 generator

Originally developed during vinyl’s initial rise to ubiquity, the GOL-1 generator ensures a smooth and extended frequency response. It’s still handmade by Goldring, and here it is presented as an example of the company’s ongoing dedication to refinement of every aspect of its design and assembly. Exclusively for the SE version, the pole shoes have been subjected to a new process, which enhances the permeability of the metal, creating a lower reluctance magnetic circuit. This serves to flatten and extend the frequency response, especially in the upper registers where musical detail resides.

Aircraft aluminium body

The GOL-1 generator is fitted into a precision-milled 6082-T6 aircraft-grade aluminium body shell. This material was carefully selected for its low density and superior rigidity – and thanks to its anodised black finish it’s as good-looking as it is durable.

The Goldring Ethos SE moving coil cartridge is available in November priced £1,299 / €1,599 / $1,999

To buy the Goldring Ethos SE moving coil cartridge and discover other Goldring products please visit www.goldring.co.uk (UK) www.goldringusa.com (US)

Specifications

Frequency Response 20 Hz – 20 kHz ± 2 dB

Frequency Range 12 Hz – 32 kHz

Channel Balance within 1 dB @ 1 kHz

Channel Separation better than 30 dB @ 1 kHz

Sensitivity 0.35 mV ± 1 dB, 1 kHz @ 5 cm/sec

Static Compliance 28 mm/N

Trackability 90 um (@ 315 Hz)

Equivalent tip mass 0.34 mg

Vertical Tracking Angle 20 °

Stylus Profile: Vital line-contact

Stylus Radius 35 x 8 μm (0.3 mil)

Stylus Type Non-Replaceable (re-tip service available see website)

Load Resistance 100 Ω

Load Capacitance 100 – 500 pF

Internal Inductance 3.5 mH

Internal Resistance 4.2 Ω

Cartridge Mass 7.7 g

Cartridge Mass (inc. fixings)8.5 g (without stylus cover)

Fixing Centres 0.5 ” (12.7 mm)

Playing Weight 1.5 – 2.0 g (1.75 g nom.)

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World renowned analogue audio specialists Goldring, introduces the latest member of its moving coil (MC) cartridge family, the Eroica HX. Joining the award-winning LX model in the Eroica range (‘Eroica’ translates as ‘Heroic’ in Italian), this high output, high-performance cartridge makes upgrading from a moving magnet cartridge to a moving-coil model straightforward.

The demanding nature of moving coil designs often prevents a clear upgrade path for vinyl enthusiasts. With the Eroica HX, turntable owners can enjoy the greatest gains in performance of an MC cartridge without the hassle of a system-wide upheaval – this cartridge delivers a stunning moving coil performance from a moving magnet input.

Arriving at a price comparable to that of a good moving magnet cartridge, Eroica HX is designed to work straight from the box, and to slot into your existing system with no fuss whatsoever. Simply install it in place of your old moving magnet cartridge, and enjoy improved dynamics, enhanced stereo imaging and controlled, distortion-free high frequencies immediately, with no additional equipment or any system adjustments required.

Key features at a glance:

New, pure-iron cross-armature design for low crosstalk and reduced effective mass
Ultra-fine, enamelled-copper windings for higher output and correct impedance matching
Equipped with Gyger II diamond stylus that traces frequencies as high as 50kHz without distortion
Housing made from lightweight Pocan® composite material, chosen for its anti-colouration properties

Eroica HX manages to combine thrillingly accomplished performance with unheard-of ease of use thanks to Goldring’s engineering know-how. By using numerous ultra-fine enamelled-copper windings – so fine they literally float – Eroica HX has output sufficient to work with moving magnet phono inputs without compromising the low crosstalk that moving coil designs are prized for.

And by deploying a new pure-iron cross-armature, the copper windings have a permeable path for the parallel magnetic field in which to operate, resulting in greater output and correct impedance matching. In addition, the cross-shape design can separate left and right stereo channels far more effectively than the moving magnet alternative. Eroica HX’s Gyger II diamond stylus has a tiny five micron playing radius, which means it can trace frequencies as high as 50kHz without distortion, and thanks to the cross-armature’s low mass it can react to musical transients with absolute precision.

This is, unsurprisingly, a delicate mechanism. So Goldring has ensured it’s fully protected by enclosing it in a light, rigid and attractive housing formed from Pocan®. As well as the benefits of its light weight and stiffness, Pocan® has no input into the sound the cartridge makes.

Eroica HX is compatible with virtually all tonearms, no matter if they’re straight, S-shaped or J-shaped, and no matter if they’re made from aluminium or carbon-fibre. Its standard size fitment means it can be mounted using standard fixings, from above or below the headshell. And it’s among the most obvious and cost-effective upgrades you can make to your vinyl audio system.

The Goldring Eroica HX moving coil cartridge is available in June priced £549 / €699 / $899.

To buy the Goldring Eroica HX moving coil cartridge and discover other Goldring products please visit www.goldring.co.uk / www.goldringusa.com

Specifications

Frequency Response: 20 Hz – 20 kHz ± 3 dB

Frequency Range: 10 Hz – 50 kHz

Channel Balance: within 1 dB @ 1 kHz

Channel Separation: Better than 25 dB @ 1 kHz

Sensitivity: 2.5 mV ± 1 dB, 1 kHz @ 5 cm/sec

Static Compliance: 25 mm/N

Trackability: 85 um (@ 315 Hz)

Equivalent tip mass: 0.4 mg

Vertical Tracking Angle: 22 °

Stylus Radius: Gyger II

Stylus Type: Non-Replaceable (re-tip service available see website)