A turntable cartridge does not just connect to the tonearm, it has to be first mounted. Here, we will be giving you two types of mounting systems:
Standard Mount: The standard mount is the most common cartridge type. And, usually, these cartridges need to be mounted to a headshell.
First, you would start with two small bolts, then, connected to the headshell with four color-coded wires, and, then, you screw into the tonearm. The color coding system for the cartridge wires is as follows:
- White: Left channel cartridge positive.
- Blue: Left channel cartridge negative
- Red: Right channel cartridge positive
- Green: Right channel cartridge negative.
The most common headshell style is called the H-4 Bayonet Mount. There is a good chance that when you see a headshell it is almost always an H-4 Bayonet Mount. You can also find that these ones that have been modified have a small weight screwed to the top. What this does is that it helps provide traction for scratch DJing and fast-paced mixing.
P-Mount: P-Mount cartridges are made for use of ease. What you need to do is to just plug it in and start rocking.
MUST READ: Best phono cartridge under $200
Best Time for a Stylus Replacement
If turntable music includes some creaking and noise, then it should draw your attention. The timely element replacement will remove the need to get a new record. The fundamental indicator is cartridge’s skipping or bouncing on records, production distortion, sibilance, hiss, and other rather unpleasant effects.
One more signal: a needle head becomes deformed or coated with dirt. The reason why it may be different, starting from the detail’s age and ending with the bad cleaning that it must have been getting from the user.
It is very vital that you choose the best phono cartridge and replace it as quickly as you can, if not, the records may suffer some serious damage and transform it into a very expensive trash.