I think it's a keeper by now...
I believe I paid about £90 for my 1042 back in the mid 90's, and fitted it to my Rega Planar 3/RB300. The improvement in my vinyl enjoyment sky-rocketed. That very same cartridge is still mounted on that very same turntable/arm today in 2022, and is still providing musical enjoyment for me. I admit I have dabbled with other cartridges purely out of curiosity, but always came back to the 1042 pretty quickly. Take time with the setup and you will be rewarded with clarity, foot-tapping drive & musicality and zero inner groove distortion.
Review By: Geoff
misterious compliance
Great cartridge, but I don't understand: specification included in my cartridge reports 24 mm/N, in the site reports 20... there are two versions?
Review By: Vincenzo
High End Bargain.....
Astounding MM cartridge, up there with top of the range Nagaoka, for a significantly lower price. Beautifully made and worth taking the time to set it up ‘exactly’ as specified. It’s small, so installation is fiddly, but keep the stylus guard on and all should be well. Patience on installation, and setup, is rewarded with the most balanced of reproduction I’ve heard from an mm cart; propulsive bass, a very balanced midrange and a sweet treble devoid of ting or sizz.....recommended without reservation and if you hunt about currently, there’s some deals......I’m one happy audiophile and it’s getting the best out of my Technics SL1200g.....(Technics ownsers.....headshell has top and bottom lead wires opposite to Goldring, so it was a tricky install)
Review By: Joe Smo
Outstanding Budget MM Cartridge.
As a music addict with a lifelong love for collecting and playing vinyl, I have kept myself aware of the audio scene for over 60 years. With only amateur funds available a serious foray into the domestic level of digital (CD) music reproduction has always left me emotionally starved. To me, a major trump card in the CD's pack is the much greater S/N ratio from even a low budget player. Now, however, comes a cartridge which makes a giant stride to close the gap; it is the Goldring 1042. The major decrease in background noise that this cartridge has produced leaves me sitting in front of my system with a permanent silly grin on my face as I listen to living, breathing music accompanied only by thrilling silence! As always, there is a caveat - the cartridge is a pig to set up, but worth every dropped nut and expletive.
Review By: David Cooper
Well controlled all rounder
Well balanced, all-round performer, on a Garrard 301/SME 3009 ii. Replaced an Ortofon mc cartridge, and I can't say I'm feeling short-changed. More energetic and controlled than a Shure V15 VxMR, and tracks just as well. (except on warped records, where the Shure's brush irons out the bumps.)
Review By: David Clewlow
A league of it’s own!
The Goldring 1042 is the best “upgrade” that you can do to your system. It is truly in a league of its own. The 1062 is head and shoulders above any other MM carts in its price range and even those costing numerous times more. .This cartridge easily competes with the likes of the usual LOMC suspects without having to deal with SUT’s or anything else that could possibly add unwanted extras to your signal path. The word “soundstage” was given new meaning to me through the use of this cartridge. Not to mention, cymbals sound exactly like cymbals, and guitars sound truly like guitars. You can hear room acoustics the instruments / symphonies played in. It gives the music a new “realness” for lack of a better word. The bass frequencies go deep and tight, mids cut through the mix in new and beautiful sounding ways, and highs shimmer without ever becoming fatiguing to the ear.
Thank you so very much, Goldring! You truly get it. You understand how to truly reproduce music, and the world needs to know this!
Review By: Nick
