Ceramic Phonostage

[reubensm]

Dear all, after one of my old threads on a record changer restoration came up, I started receiving a few requests for details related to ceramic phonostages. Yes I have tried a few of these and found this one to be my favourite and the best of all. Here is the circuit just in case you are on the look out for it:



Assembly notes:

• Use only metal cap BC109s for enhanced performance
• Ensure wiring of both channels do not inter-cross if mounting both on the same bread board
• Watch out for dry solder
• If using a PSU, ensure suitable filtering and regulation for optimal results
• If mounting in a separate cabinet, prefer a metal box with suitable grounding, avoid grounding loops

An example of one which I built (image courtesy FM Record Player):



Performance notes: Why did I finally zero in on this circuit despite trying many others, with FETs, OP Amps, etc? The answer lies in the bass response and overall quality, especially when used with an idler driver turntable. Also the gain is not too high and hence, has worked well with all the NAD amplifiers that I've used it with. The cartridges that I've used with this phonostage are (1) EEI CS2000 and (2) Sonotone 8T.

If you want to avoid the trouble of having to build one, you can even try out a passive network but with some loss of gain. I have always preferred the active version. Here is an example of a passive eq circuit (courtesy: sonotone ceramic cartridge brochure). The circuit on the left is for a regular aux input and the circuit on the right is for connecting a ceramic cart to a magnetic cart input.

 

[reubensm]

Received a few queries enquiring about ceramic cartridges, specifically for playing old worn LPs, 45s and 78s so thought I'll share some info:

There are Chinese ceramic cartridges readily available (the red plastic types) and sound ok but I've never come down to trusting its stylus on my records. The HMV stereo ceramic carts available in India are nice and EEI CS2000 of course was perhaps the best sounding and most popular of the EEI stereo ceramics. Another good model is the EEI CS2040 stereo cartridge which was allegedly rebadged and sold by Garrard as the Garrard KS40 featuring in portable Garrard record players and changers of the late 1960s and 1970s. The HMV and EEI cartridges can be commonly found in old radio shops, with dealers of vintage radios and record players, on olx, etc.

There are unfortunately a few myths associated with ceramic cartridges, the most common ones being: (1) they damage records and (2) they produce very poor quality sound. It is very important to understand vinyl culture and the evolution of record playing equipment of those times, to understand where these myths came from. Firstly some of the first cartridge types for playing 78s used gramophone steel pins with very heavy tracking. When vinyl microgroove records came on the scene, it was common to find an advisory on the record cover alerting the user to use light weight pickups. Also there was little awareness about stylus wear, etc when it came to regular users. Most ceramic cartridge styli in those times in India were Sapphire based which meant less life and hence, it was common to come across users playing records with worn styli. There was also little awareness about VTF. I recollect from my child hood days, our aunt at this habit of placing a 50 paisa coin on the head-shell if "the record did not sound clear". A lot of records previously owned in India by users in this segment come with some degree of groove damage. Then there is the opinion about quality. If a ceramic cartridge requires a high impedance input with a suitable EQ for it to sound good. Many ignore this fact and hence end up with a screechy and harsh sounding ceramic cartridge.

From my experience, the Sonotone 8TA, 19T2, 21TR and 22TR are great sounding ceramic cartridge. If you are really interested in ceramics and hope to acquire a really good one, look out for one of these. NoS versions of these come up on eBay every now and then but prices have gone up these days. More info on Sonotone cartridges is available here.

But by far, the best stereo ceramic cart which i have come across is the Philips GP390 with diamond needle. These are not easy to find and I was lucky to be gifted one. There are some unique aspects to this one, firstly it has an inbuilt network, so is a low output cart and cannot be connected to an amplifier without a proper phono stage (even for testing purposes). Secondly the stylus consists of just the cantilever and diamond tip. Thus It is not easy to replace the stylus but if you can find one in good condition, this is the ceramic cartridge to have. But sound wise, it is by far the best. Here are some pictures:




Note: all pictures are stock photographs, the last 2 pictures are of the replacement stylus and inbuilt EQ network

So why use these after all. Per my experience, while playing older records I have noticed that ceramic cartridges with about 5-6 g VTS track well and tend to have better engagement with the record groove. As they are not mighty sensitive, I have noticed that surface noise, ticks and pops tend not to be over exaggerated. Also one can save the wear on the stylus of one's expensive cartridge collection and still enjoy old records. When used with a good phono preamp, they can be made to sound very listenable. The debate of Ceramic vs Magnetic (MM) can be summed up in one sentence perhaps - Ceramic, plays everything with a simple phonostage, loud and clear, with kicking bass but marginally little thin across the mid ranges, Magnetics are all rounders with better frequency response overall but heavily dependent on the record condition, tonearm tracking, phono stage and of course, the stylus itself.

An example of the cartridge in action:

Disclaimer: all opinions are based on the experiences of the author
Notes: Based on my experience, all ceramic cartridges do not sound that great when using simple passive load balancing. It is always preferable to use a single or two stage phono preamplifier with EQ.

 

[General_sound]

Entirely agree with you. I have used atleast three GP 390 on my Philips GA 242 and still have the carts with me. Sadly they are not functional. Philips made an outboard phono stage specifically for GP 390 with settings Mag-GP390-Flat. Somehow sounded good with old Bollywood LPs. Thanks for the memories,R.

 

[reubensm]

A good read on ceramic pickup equalization

 

[Surjitsharmaph]

Dear all, after one of my old threads on a record changer restoration came up, I started receiving a few requests for details related to ceramic phonostages. Yes I have tried a few of these and found this one to be my favourite and the best of all. Here is the circuit just in case you are on the look out for it:

View attachment 63309

Assembly notes:

• Use only metal cap BC109s for enhanced performance
• Ensure wiring of both channels do not inter-cross if mounting both on the same bread board
• Watch out for dry solder
• If using a PSU, ensure suitable filtering and regulation for optimal results
• If mounting in a separate cabinet, prefer a metal box with suitable grounding, avoid grounding loops

An example of one which I built (image courtesy FM Record Player):

View attachment 63311

Performance notes: Why did I finally zero in on this circuit despite trying many others, with FETs, OP Amps, etc? The answer lies in the bass response and overall quality, especially when used with an idler driver turntable. Also the gain is not too high and hence, has worked well with all the NAD amplifiers that I've used it with. The cartridges that I've used with this phonostage are (1) EEI CS2000 and (2) Sonotone 8T.

If you want to avoid the trouble of having to build one, you can even try out a passive network but with some loss of gain. I have always preferred the active version. Here is an example of a passive eq circuit (courtesy: sonotone ceramic cartridge brochure). The circuit on the left is for a regular aux input and the circuit on the right is for connecting a ceramic cart to a magnetic cart input.

View attachment 63312

Dear all, after one of my old threads on a record changer restoration came up, I started receiving a few requests for details related to ceramic phonostages. Yes I have tried a few of these and found this one to be my favourite and the best of all. Here is the circuit just in case you are on the look out for it:

View attachment 63309

Assembly notes:

• Use only metal cap BC109s for enhanced performance
• Ensure wiring of both channels do not inter-cross if mounting both on the same bread board
• Watch out for dry solder
• If using a PSU, ensure suitable filtering and regulation for optimal results
• If mounting in a separate cabinet, prefer a metal box with suitable grounding, avoid grounding loops

An example of one which I built (image courtesy FM Record Player):

View attachment 63311

Performance notes: Why did I finally zero in on this circuit despite trying many others, with FETs, OP Amps, etc? The answer lies in the bass response and overall quality, especially when used with an idler driver turntable. Also the gain is not too high and hence, has worked well with all the NAD amplifiers that I've used it with. The cartridges that I've used with this phonostage are (1) EEI CS2000 and (2) Sonotone 8T.

If you want to avoid the trouble of having to build one, you can even try out a passive network but with some loss of gain. I have always preferred the active version. Here is an example of a passive eq circuit (courtesy: sonotone ceramic cartridge brochure). The circuit on the left is for a regular aux input and the circuit on the right is for connecting a ceramic cart to a magnetic cart input.

View attachment 63312

Sir, I have built this ceramic phono stage as per diagram using bc549c instead of bc109 sound good but when music gap i heard some annoying sound should i need to add rumble filters or change the transistor bc549c to bc109

 

[reubensm]

Sir, I have built this ceramic phono stage as per diagram using bc549c instead of bc109 sound good but when music gap i heard some annoying sound should i need to add rumble filters or change the transistor bc549c to bc109

When I used this phonostage, I mostly ran it on a 9volt battery and it was dead silent when turned on but with the tonearm resting on its stand. While playing the record of course, surface noise, ticks and pops and rumble could be heard as at the time I was using this phonostage with a Garrard RC210 changer and EEI CS2000 ceramic cartridge, playing old records. If you hear hum and noise with the tonearm resting on its stand, then you may have to look at your circuit layout, wiring, isolation and grounding. Another source of noise is the power supply, if you are running the circuit on a battery eliminator or wall wart unit.

 

[Surjitsharmaph]

When I used this phonostage, I mostly ran it on a 9volt battery and it was dead silent when turned on but with the tonearm resting on its stand. While playing the record of course, surface noise, ticks and pops and rumble could be heard as at the time I was using this phonostage with a Garrard RC210 changer and EEI CS2000 ceramic cartridge, playing old records. If you hear hum and noise with the tonearm resting on its stand, then you may have to look at your circuit layout, wiring, isolation and grounding. Another source of noise is the power supply, if you are running the circuit on a battery eliminator or wall wart unit.

My only problem is i heard some hum noise when play loud and between music gap no hum when the tone arm rest on the stand. I happen to find bc109 from the market so i change the transistor also but still hum between music gap and when play loud

 

[reubensm]

My only problem is i heard some hum noise when play loud and between music gap no hum when the tone arm rest on the stand. I happen to find bc109 from the market so i change the transistor also but still hum between music gap and when play loud

This actually does not sound like a problem with the phonostage, sounds like a feedback issue

 

[IndianEars]

A good read on ceramic pickup equalization

Can you please provide a link to the Specific article that you are referring to ?
The link indicated by you is to the Home Page : https://keith-snook.info/index.html which offers a sea of excellent info.

 

[IndianEars]

My only problem is i heard some hum noise when play loud and between music gap no hum when the tone arm rest on the stand. I happen to find bc109 from the market so i change the transistor also but still hum between music gap and when play loud

Unfortunate and it Must be addressed, since the hum noise is clearly there, masking detail and creating a turbid sound, when loud passages are being played.

As reubensm has speculated, it is probably acoustic feedback.

Slightly off topic (since you have mentioned Rumble) ... Ideally a Rumble filter should cut off remove Rumble (typically below 30 Hz) , without just killing all bass below the rumble frequency. Unfortunately, 99% of "Rumble Filters" are merely "Bass Filters" ... All Bass content is "Flitered" / removed. This is like "Throwing out the Baby with the Bathwater"

1. Rumble is caused by Vertical Movement of the stylus, and is out of phase for the Left & Right Channels
2. Bass music is Horizontal movement of the stylus, and the signal is the same in both, left & right channels. The wavelength of Bass music signals is very large ( 38 feet at 30 Hz, and even longer at lower frequencies). Hence both / all Stereo mics will pick up the same, in-phase Bass signal, since the mics are likely to be placed less than 38 feet apart.
Hence All deep bass music signals (below 30 Hz) are Mono.

An excellent Rumble Filter can be built by simply merging the Left+Right Channel signals below 30 Hz (or 50 Hz). (Many circuits available on the net, for this. I think this was first proposed by John Linsley Hood, who I Greatly admired.

 

[IndianEars]

The link for a simple Mono Bass rumble filter is:

RUMBLE_FILTER - Filter_Circuit - Basic_Circuit - Circuit Diagram - SeekIC.com

Used when rumble from cheaper turntable or record extends above 100 Hz, causing disconcerting out-of-phase loud-speaker signals, Circuit is based on fact that human ear is not sensitive to directional information below about 400 Hz, making it permissible to remove stereo (L – R) signal at low...

www.seekic.com

 

[IndianEars]

Dear all, after one of my old threads on a record changer restoration came up, I started receiving a few requests for details related to ceramic phonostages. Yes I have tried a few of these and found this one to be my favourite and the best of all. Here is the circuit just in case you are on the look out for it:

View attachment 63309

Assembly notes:

• Use only metal cap BC109s for enhanced performance
• Ensure wiring of both channels do not inter-cross if mounting both on the same bread board
• Watch out for dry solder
• If using a PSU, ensure suitable filtering and regulation for optimal results
• If mounting in a separate cabinet, prefer a metal box with suitable grounding, avoid grounding loops

An example of one which I built (image courtesy FM Record Player):

View attachment 63311

Performance notes: Why did I finally zero in on this circuit despite trying many others, with FETs, OP Amps, etc? The answer lies in the bass response and overall quality, especially when used with an idler driver turntable. Also the gain is not too high and hence, has worked well with all the NAD amplifiers that I've used it with. The cartridges that I've used with this phonostage are (1) EEI CS2000 and (2) Sonotone 8T.

IMO, one of he MOST Important factors for a good Ceramic phono amp is a VERY High Input impedance ... (Higher the better) but ATLEAST 2.2 Meg Ohms.

I have a bone to pick with the above circuit... It has a rather low Input Impedance of probably just above 0.1 Meg Ohms.
This is due to the reflected impedance of C-4 (Impedance of C-4 at the frequency under consideration) X 500 (hfe of the BC109)
Only the 100K R-1 provides some relief).

I have shared my thoughts on this topic in an older thread here:

Post in thread 'Garrard RC 210'

Jan 4, 2023

What a DELIGHTFULLY INFORMATIVE thread.

KUDOs to reubensm for painstakingly hand holding and sharing his in-depth knowledge not only with Josep1955, but all of us.

I would like to chime in with my 2 cents on Ceramic Cartridge Phono stages.

I can understand reluctance by Josep1955 to invest in a Ceramic Phono Amplifier.

Actually, Ceramic cartridges are generally simple & Much Mis-Understood.

They have been phoo-phooed due to Poor Bass (screechy sound, where the rest of the audio band gets highlighted.. due to lack of Bass).


In reality All they need is a High Input...

• IndianEars

• 

The Article by the revered John Linsley Hood provides some super info and recommended circuits. (Same article also attached, highlighting the portions relevant to Ceramic Cartridges).
The magazine - Wireless World that published the article is now defunct, so there are no copyright violations by attaching the article....

The JFET circuit is ideal.

Even the Bipolar circuit achieves very high Input impedance via bootstraping....

 

[reubensm]

The funny thing is ceramic cartridges have been so belittled and rubbished over the years and perhaps rightly so as there have been many really poor-quality ones doing the rounds. The history of ceramic cartridge usage in India has also added fuel to fire, especially as they came with very ordinary equipment, and in addition to this, mainstream Indian users from the 1960s and 1970s almost never changed the stylus, used the wrong stylus for playing microgroove records, etc. All of this fed the myth that ceramic cartridges are low end, damaged records and sounded awful.

A good ceramic cartridge like the EEI CS2000, Sonotone 8T and Philips 390 with a good stylus and the right tracking weight, with a good ceramic phonostage can sound really enjoyable (and I dare say, comparable with some of the lower end MM cartridges).

@IndianEars, unfortunately I have tried mostly ceramic phonostages using BC109. I have found the BC109 to be smooth and low-noise. Hopefully I can try the Lindsey Hood design soon, time permitting. Thanks for sharing.

 

[IndianEars]

IMO, one of he MOST Important factors for a good Ceramic phono amp is a VERY High Input impedance ... (Higher the better) but ATLEAST 2.2 Meg Ohms.

I have a bone to pick with the above circuit... It has a rather low Input Impedance of probably just above 0.1 Meg Ohms.
This is due to the reflected impedance of C-4 (Impedance of C-4 at the frequency under consideration) X 500 (hfe of the BC109)
Only the 100K R-1 provides some relief).

Apologies! reubensm,

I ran thru the calculations of the input impedance of the Ceramic Cartridge input amplifier suggested by you.

Al the critical Bass frequencies, it is over 1.5 Meg Ohms (limited by R-2)... No wonder you get good LF performance from the circuit.

Only at 900 Hz does it fall below 1 Meg Ohms & its down to (an unacceptable for ceramic cartridges) about 47 K ohms at 20 KHz. This probably leads to somewhat rolled off treble... but the overall sonics could be very system dependent.