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Goldring 1042

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£399.00
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cartridge
stylus
OVERVIEW

Goldring 1042

This is a cartridge for the audiophile who demands the ultimate sonic performance from their system, together with the convenience of a user replaceable stylus. The 1042 uses a nude, natural-diamond stylus with a Gyger S profile. This is a revolutionary line-contact type which is shaped to more closely resemble the record cutting head than any previous design. The stylus profile is the main factor governing overall sound quality in a cartridge and the shape of the Gyger S with its 6 µm radius allows it to trace the smallest groove detail with complete fidelity. Mid-range tonality is incredibly accurate and precise with high frequency sibilance banished. The extended side wall contact of the Gyger-S diamond also gives the 1042 unsurpassed resolution of the fine groove modulations, producing an exceptionally detailed, smooth and musical sound.

“…it provides a superb suite of frequencies that will engage and delight. This is one serious moving magnet design and one that you can buy with confidence.”
The Audiophile Man

FEATURES

Low Mass Pocan® Body

The 1000 series uses a strong one piece body which holds the fixed parts securely in place. Made from a special type of ultra-rigid, glass reinforced polyester called Pocan, the body can be tightly bolted to the head shell for maximum efficiency and optimum sound quality. The user replaceable stylus carrier slots tightly into the body with a locating pin preventing unwanted vibrations which would otherwise colour the sound. An integral mu-metal can keeps the generator parts shielded from hum-inducing stray magnetic fields. Because Pocan has a high strength-to-mass ratio, the overall mass of the G1000 series cartridges is kept below 6.5 g. Low mass and moderate compliance keep the natural arm/cartridge resonance within safe limits for easy matching to a wide range of tonearms.

High Efficiency Magnetic Circuit

Finely etched mu-metal is laminated to form the pole pieces around which are fitted two formerless coils of four thousand turns each. This unique design reduces mass and also makes for a very efficient magnetic circuit producing a higher than average output. This construction also reduces the loss at high frequencies inherent in conventional designs, making for a smooth and extended frequency response.

Reduced Moving Mass

The 1000 series uses a unique ultra-low-mass, micro-miniature Alnico V magnet made to a tolerance that can be achieved by no other manufacturer worldwide. Welded to the magnet is a gold plated nickel tie-bar which provides an earth path for vinyl static charge build up and stabilses the cantilever in unwanted vibrational modes. The whole ultra-low-mass assembly is then mounted in a special butyl rubber polymer with optimised damping characteristics.

Expert Adjustment

The correct setting of stylus azimuth (or horizontal tracking angle) is essential for the maintenance of a proper stereo sound stage. Azimuth is the term used to describe the angle that the vertical centre-line of the stylus makes with the record surface and this must be exactly perpendicular to the record groove. This is not usually a user adjustable parameter on most budget decks and so it is vital that the cartridge leaves the factory with the azimuth precisely set. Badly adjusted azimuth can cause uneven channel balance and increased crosstalk between channels which would severely degrade the stereo image.

SPECIFICATIONS
Frequency Response
20 Hz-20 kHz +/- 3 dB
Channel Balance
within 2 dB @ 1 kHz
Channel Separation
better than 25 dB @ 1 kHz
Sensitivity
6.5 mV +/-1.5 dB, 1 kHz @ 5 cm/sec
Static Compliance
24 mm/N (lat); 16 mm/N (vert)
Equivalent tip mass
0.45 mg
Vertical Tracking Angle
24 °
Stylus Profile
Gyger S
Stylus Type
Replaceable
Load Resistance
47 k
Load Capacitance
150-200 pF
Internal Inductance
570 mH
Internal Resistance
660
Cartridge Mass
6.3 g
Cartridge Mass (inc. fixings)
7.6 g
Fixing Centre
0.5" (12.7 mm)
Playing Weight
1.5 - 2.0 g (1.7 g nom.)
Replacement stylus
1042 - D42
REVIEWS

Customer Reviews

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

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SKUS: GL0025M, GL0150M
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