Classic Hifi Care

My recently completed, more or less, Magnavox Riviera Deluxe portable restoration (https://www.classichificare.com/viewtopic.php?t=3692) required replacement of its EV158 cartridge, so I bought a kit from VM which had the Phanstiel cartridge. I was disappointed in the sound, weak bass, somewhat shrill, and not loud enough. Playing the same music selection via the Bluetooth that I added sounded much better, so I suspected the cartridge. I measured the capacitance of the cartridge, it was about 1000 pF, but the original EV was around 4000 pF. This is a germanium transistor amp, so I wondered if it was perhaps an impedance mismatch issue. I wrote Gary at VM, explained the setup, and asked if an RC network on the phono input might fix the problem, he suggested experimenting with that, using various values, (he said that most of the newer carts are around 1000pF). Well, bottom line is, that approach didn't yield any decent outcome, just attenuated treble, and produced even lower volume.

So I set the Magnavox aside, and started on the Motorola SK29 console restoration (https://www.classichificare.com/viewtopic.php?t=4018). Unfortunately, it's original Sonotone 8T was shot, so this time I ordered a couple of Tetrad carts, with 1/2 mount and adapter plugs. I wanted to try that cart to see how it sounded, based on some past comments in this forum, especially from Brettzky99. Well, it sounded great, even just on my test speakers.

EXPERIMENTATION:
I took the changer with the Tetrad and hooked it up to the Magnavox transistor portable phono input instead of the Phanstiel. It sounded very good, much better volume and good bass compared to the Phanstiel. I measured the capacitance of the Tetrad, and it is also around 1000pF, like the Phanstiel. So, now I suspect that the Phanstiel is either defective, or just not a good performer. To confirm that diagnosis, I removed the Micromatic Phanstiel changer from the portable, and put it on my bench along with the VM Tetrad changer. Hooked up to the Motorola SK29 electronics, the Tetrad was significantly better sounding than the Phanstiel, though not as dramatic a difference as the comparison with the Magnavox portable. Plus, you have decent bass and treble controls to play with on the Motorola, compared to the more crude tone control design in the Magnavox portable.

I wonder if anyone has any thoughts about this issue. I may leave the Phanstiel in the Maggie portable and just fiddle with the negative feedback components to pump up the bass to compensate somewhat -- I have already messed with that some, so I know it can be done.

BTW, Gary has posted on the VM site that Phanstiel is discontinuing production of all their cartridges!

The discontinuance of cartridges to the phono guys will be like no more picture tube rebuilding to the TV guys. When CRT production ended 30-odd years ago, the death knell was wrung for the old TV hobby. Those guys learned to scrounge and adapt and are still going strong. I suspect a source will appear, probably with Chinese cartridges, that will prove quite adequate. I don't know how much of Gary's business is in cartridges, so I don't know what the effect will be on his business. He is a valuable resource and his going out of business would be a huge loss to our community.

Gary sent me an EV 5632 to replace the cartridge in my Imperial stereo. I find it to sound fantastic, at least as good as the original, maybe better.