Ceramic vs Crystal cartridges

[audiofeline]

Created this thread after seeing this post, thought I would keep this discussion separate. 

 

  On 13/03/2025 at 2:55 AM, Sir_Lunchalot said:

By the way, I have not been able to find a definite answer on the internet, but is there a difference between ceramic and crystal cartridges?

My sound engineer friend told me that they are the same thing, and I have no reason to doubt him, but then I read that crystal carts use rochelle salt crystals, while ceramic carts use some sort of ceramic element instead. I have no idea if that’s right or not, but I’m sure that either way it’s not quite as simple as a yes/no answer.

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I've quoted below the comparison found here : 

https://www.reddit.com/r/vinyl/comments/91mvxa/why_crystal_cartridges_and_ceramic_cartridges_are/?rdt=64496 ...

 

 

Why crystal cartridges and ceramic cartridges are NOT the same!

r/vinyl • 7 yr. ago    shadowkoishi93

 

Although both crystal and ceramic cartridges both work on the piezoelectric effect, they are both radically different, in its construction, and the applications it was primarily used for.

 

Crystal Cartridges:

• Often used Rochelle salt (sodium potassium tartrate) as the crystal element
• These do NOT AGE WELL and deteriorate, losing its output as the element dehydrates over the years. Once it loses output, it cannot be restored unless you rebuild it because the crystal structure has warped!
• It is relatively rare to find one that still has output, and the only reputable source I know of where you can get working crystal cartridges if you want to replace it for period-correct purposes is from V-M Audio Enthusiasts
• Regardless if the crystal cartridge still has output, another common problem, especially with Varco crystal cartridges is that the rubber bridge will harden, resulting in poorer compliance, and more prone to skipping as a result. If yours hasn't hardened and if it still has output, consider yourself lucky!
• Early versions used a steel needle and had a steel body. These tended to track at over 13g! These are completely unsuitable for playing stereo records as it will damage the grooves! Here is an Astatic crystal cartridge, which is dead, that was original to my PAL 3-speed record player
• Later versions were made to look like a standard ceramic cartridge, but the obvious way to tell if a record player was originally equipped with a crystal cartridge is more obvious than you think - lack of output when you poke the rubber bridge.
• Here is a Varco crystal cartridge, which is also dead.
• Here's another Varco crystal cartridge, which still has plenty of output and is still usable, which is original to my GE Swingmate
• The last of the crystal cartridges were made in the late 1970s, with Interstate's Emerson and Concert-Hall branded Swingmates being prominent users of crystal cartridges (BSR X5M) until the stereo version (Emerson/Concert-Hall Cobra Swingmate) replaced it, which instead uses a Chuo-Denshi CZ-680 ceramic cartridge.
• Crystal cartridges were more common with budget turntables, as a cost-saving measure. One widely known use was in kiddie record players and portables.
• In low-end tube equipment, the crystal cartridge itself would drive the single-tube amplifier stage (if stereo, one tube per channel). Here is a look at a typical single-tube amplifier on my PAL 3-speed record player. In the aforementioned turntable, the amplifier stage is wired in series with a 90-volt motor.
• Similarly, this was done in budget transistor equipment, such as the pre-Cobra Interstate Swingmates, to save on costs by not having to add a high impedance op-amp stage for a ceramic cartridge.
• Crystal cartridges were high output, as low as 1 volt, to as high as 4.2v. The average crystal cartridge used was a 3-volt one.

 

Ceramic Cartridges:

• Uses a ceramic element, which is NOT prone to the same issue that plagues crystal cartridges
• Cartridges by Micro-Acoustics were based on the piezoelectric effect, but is a refined version of the concept to allow them to be used on an RIAA preamp and to be of high compliance. These are VERY FRAGILE SO IF YOU HAVE ONE OF THESE, BE VERY CAREFUL WHILE HANDLING ONE!
• The quality of the ceramic element affects the resulting sound quality, from sounding too muddy, to sounding on-par with an entry-level magnetic cartridge!
• The only limiting factor of the cartridge's life would be the rubber bridge itself, as those can harden and deteriorate over time.
• Requires an additional stage, either by a secondary tube such as a 12AV6 (for tube equipment), or by a high impedance input stage or opamp if using a solid state amplifier.
• Can track as low as 1.5g (or 0.5g if you count the Micro-Acoustic carts which are a refined version of the concept), to as high as 10 grams, depending on the cartridge model.
• The output level can be as low as 0.35v, to as high as 1.3v. The average ceramic cartridge outputs at 0.5v. The Astatic 89T, a stereo-compatible mono cartridge, outputs at 1.3v and was commonly used in many classroom record players, and the Fisher-Price 825.
• The most popularly cloned cartridge is the Chuo-Denshi CZ-800 (P-188 clones) and the BSR SC 12H (Banpa BP2ATC and equivalent), with several Chinese manufacturers preinstalling them on budget turntables. Some do go the extra route and have a genuine Chuo-Denshi installed instead of a Chinese clone.

 

 

Edited March 13 by audiofeline

[audiofeline]

And an article (pdf) from 1953 describing the crystal cartridge: 

https://www.radiomuseum.org/forumdata/upload/the_crystal_phonograph_cartridge.pdf

 

And a webpage describing rebuilding a crystal cartridge: 

https://philcoradio.com/library/index.php/shop-talk/syls-restoration-topics/crystal-cartridge-rebuilding/

[Sir_Lunchalot]

Thanks for the links. Certainly a good idea to separate this discussion from the Kriesler thread, as that one was getting quite busy with all of the crystal/ceramic cartridge discussion happening alongside the main topic!

 

I had seen that Reddit thread when I was doing a bit of research into ceramic carts a few months ago, but I am sometimes wary of information on Reddit. I'll give it another read now that you've recommended it to me. 

[audiofeline]

I have very little to do with Reddit, so don't take my post as an endorsement of the site!  I'm sure it's like many internet sites, there is really good info and really bad info.  But sometimes there is little info, and you need to make your own evaluation of the usefulness of it.  The link I copied seemed to be well written and informed, but what do I know?

 

[ReliaBill EngR]

Many don’t know. Weathers produced a high compliance, HiFi ceramic cartridge stereo cartridge in 1962-1963. The LDM cartridge. I have one. An amazing cartridge! No rubber bridge, but had the cantilever directly mounted to the ceramic elements.