HiFi 101·Cartridges·April 23, 2026 Cartridge Alignment Geometry Explained: Baerwald, Löfgren & Stevenson
Baerwald, Löfgren B, and Stevenson are not preferences — they are mathematical solutions to the same physical limitation. Here is what each one actually optimizes, where the null points fall, and how to choose between them.
HiFi 101·Cartridges·April 22, 2026 Moving Magnet vs Moving Coil: Which Cartridge Type Is Right for You?
MM cartridges are forgiving, affordable and easy to upgrade. MC cartridges go deeper into the groove. Here's how to choose between them.
HiFi 101·Tonearms·April 21, 2026 How to Install and Align a Phono Cartridge
Installing a phono cartridge looks intimidating — tiny screws, fragile stylus, four color-coded wires — but the process is methodical and repeatable. Here is every step, in order, with nothing left out.
HiFi 101·Tonearms·April 21, 2026 How to Use a Cartridge Alignment Protractor
A cartridge alignment protractor tells you exactly where your stylus tip needs to sit and which direction it needs to point. Understanding the geometry takes two minutes. Using one correctly takes five.
HiFi 101·Cartridges·April 21, 2026 What Is Stylus Shape? Spherical, Elliptical, Line Contact and Shibata Explained
The diamond tip on your cartridge isn't just a point — its shape determines how much information it reads, how cleanly it handles inner grooves, and how quickly it wears your records.
HiFi 101·Cartridges·April 21, 2026 What Is a Moving Iron Cartridge?
Moving iron cartridges are the quietly brilliant third option — ultra-low moving mass, MM-compatible output, and a musicality that Soundsmith and Grado have turned into a serious following.
HiFi 101·Cartridges·April 21, 2026 What Is a Moving Coil Cartridge?
Moving coil cartridges flip the design of a moving magnet — lower moving mass, lower output, and a ceiling that MM simply can't reach.
HiFi 101·Cartridges·April 21, 2026 What Is a Moving Magnet Cartridge?
Moving magnet cartridges are the most widely used pickup type in the world — forgiving, versatile, and far more capable than most people expect.
HiFi 101·Tonearms·April 20, 2026 What Is Cartridge Compliance? Why It Matters for Tonearm Matching
Compliance is the measure of how easily a cartridge's suspension deflects. Match it to your tonearm's effective mass and the system resonates in a safe frequency range. Mismatch it and the tonearm-cartridge system creates audible low-frequency problems that no amount of other setup work can fix.
HiFi 101·Cartridges·April 20, 2026 What Is Cartridge Loading? Impedance and Capacitance Explained
Cartridge loading — the impedance and capacitance your phono stage presents to the cartridge — is one of the most audible and most misunderstood settings in vinyl playback. Get it wrong and the frequency balance shifts; get it right and the cartridge performs as designed.
HiFi 101·Tonearms·April 20, 2026 What Is Cartridge Alignment? Baerwald, Stevenson & Löfgren Explained
Cartridge alignment sets the precise position and angle of the stylus in the headshell so it traces the groove at minimum distortion. Three geometric standards — Baerwald, Stevenson, and Löfgren — each place the null points differently, with real trade-offs depending on how you listen.
HiFi 101·Tonearms·April 20, 2026 What Is VTA / SRA? Vertical Tracking Angle Explained
VTA is the angle the tonearm sits relative to the record surface. SRA is the angle the stylus actually contacts the groove wall. They move together — but only one of them determines what you hear.
HiFi 101·Tonearms·April 20, 2026 What Is Azimuth? How Cartridge Alignment Shapes Your Sound
The stylus sits in a stereo groove cut at two 45-degree angles. Azimuth is the rotational alignment that keeps it reading both walls equally — and when it's off, stereo imaging is the first thing to go.
