Ceramic Vs Moving Magnet

A moving magnet mm cartridge is the most common type of phono cartridge.

Ceramic vs moving magnet.

Moving magnet cartridge. In high fidelity systems crystal and ceramic pickups have been replaced by the magnetic cartridge using either a moving magnet or a moving coil. A moving coil mc design works in the opposite way by allowing the cantilever to vibrate coiled wires near fixed magnets. Moving iron cartridges are pretty much the same as moving magnet types except that a piece of iron or other similar material sits on the cantilever.

It has two magnets on the end of the stylus one for each channel located inside of the cartridge itself. On the other hand a stylus attached to a magnetic cartridge only needs to move the comparatively lightweight coil or its housing. Ceramic magnets are made of ceramic surprise. By making the ceramic magnets out of carefully created mixtures more powerful magnet fields than were possible in nature could be generated.

As the stylus moves the magnets change their relationship with the coils in the body of the cartridge which generates a small voltage. Hence the terms moving magnetic and moving coil. Ceramic magnets were less expensive and more powerful and quickly became popular. Ceramic magnets are also called hard ceramic magnets or ferric magnets.

By some players the ceramic magnets are given a bad reputation when compared to alnico which is probably due to their association with cheaper instruments. Moving coil a moving coil cartridge mcc uses. This allows for a greater freedom of movement of the stylus since it has less work to do. They are made from strontium or barium ferrite.

You see ceramic is easier to come by than alnico making it a cheaper magnet to make. Compared to the crystal and ceramic pickups the magnetic cartridge usually gives improved playback fidelity and reduced record wear by tracking the groove with lighter pressure. The two coils are attached to the cantilever and move within the field of a fixed permanent magnet to form the electrical generator. However the electric signal derived from a ceramic cartridge is of a much higher voltage than that of a magnetic cartridge.