Model
Model of the pickup (cartridge) supplied with the player. The pickup is one of the most important parts of any vinyl player, the quality of the received sound largely depends on its quality. Knowing the name of the model, you can find detailed data on it and determine how satisfied you are with this particular cartridge.
Output level
The signal level at the output of the pickup supplied with the player is, in fact, the power of the signal coming from the pickup to the phono stage. This parameter is necessary, first of all, in cases where the player is planned to be connected to an external phono stage: such equipment must be designed for the corresponding power of the signal coming from the pickup.
Pickup weight
The weight of the pickup (cartridge) supplied with the turntable.
The weight of the cartridge determines the characteristics of balancing the tonearm to set the optimal tracking force. However, pickups in set are usually optimally compatible with the corresponding tonearms, so there are no problems with adjusting the turntable. But when buying a replacement cartridge, you should pay attention to this parameter: it is advisable that the new cartridge does not differ too much in weight from the old one, otherwise the tonearm adjustment range may not be enough for the correct balance.
Model
Model of the tonearm — the movable lever on which the pickup is attached — supplied with the turntable. The tone arm is responsible for the correct position of the needle and the accuracy of its movement along the grooves, which is critical for sound quality. Therefore, many music lovers try to clarify not only the general data on the tonearm, but also its specific features in each particular “turntable”; in order to be able to find this information, the name of the tonearm is given in the characteristics.
Material
The main material used in the construction of a complete tonearm.
—
Metal. Usually, in this case we are talking about an aluminium alloy. This is a fairly light and durable material with average characteristics in terms of sound quality: it does not dampen extraneous vibrations as well as carbon fibre, but for entry-level and mid-level turntables this is quite enough, in expensive models you can use other methods of eliminating interference, aluminium is much cheaper.
—
Carbon. A high quality material that is lighter in weight and has more advanced anti-resonance properties than the metal described above. The main disadvantage of carbon fibre is its rather high cost.
— Plastic. Plastic has a low cost, but this is perhaps its only key advantage: the performance of this material is quite modest. That is why it is used extremely rarely — mainly in retro-style turntables, where a plastic tonearm is a necessary part in terms of design.
Tonearm weight
Operating weight of the complete tonearm. It is believed that this indicator should be as low as possible — in order not to create excessive pressure and to minimize the wear of the needle and records. On the other hand, a rigid pickup on a light arm can bounce on uneven records, and in general, such a discrepancy does not improve the sound quality. However, complete tonearms are usually optimally compatible with complete pickups; therefore, you should only be interested in compatibility when buying a cartridge of a different model.
Frequency range
The range of frequencies that the player is capable of outputting when using a standard pickup.
The wider the frequency range, the more complete the sound picture will be, the less low and/or high frequencies will remain behind the scenes. However, from a practical point of view, it does not make sense to expand the range beyond the values \u200b\u200bof 16 – 22000 Hz — it is within these limits that the human ear hears the sound (and even then not everyone). In high-end audio equipment, including turntables, there are more extensive ranges; however, such characteristics are a kind of “side effect” of high-end technology that manufacturers use for advertising purposes.
In addition, we note that an extensive frequency range is not yet a guarantee of high-quality sound: the sound picture depends on many other parameters, from the amplitude-frequency response to extraneous interference.
Signal to noise ratio
The ratio between the useful signal and extraneous noise at the output of the player. It is also colloquially called "electrical noise" (although this is not entirely true).
The higher this indicator, the quieter the noise (it is impossible to completely eliminate them), the clearer the signal will be. In the case of turntables, the signal-to-noise ratio is considered to be at least 50 dB; and in the most high-end devices it can exceed 90 dB.
Note that this paragraph may additionally indicate the value of mechanical noise. Despite the similarity in name, this is a completely different indicator — it describes the volume of extraneous sounds produced by the motor, drive and other moving parts of the "turntable". Accordingly, for mechanical noise, the lower the decibels, the better. You can estimate its approximate level using special comparative tables.
Knock ratio
The maximum knock factor that the turntable is subject to under normal conditions.
Detonation in this case is called sound distortion associated with short-term periodic irregularities in the rotation of the disk. The lower the detonation coefficient, the lower the level of such distortions; it is believed that for audiophile-class equipment it should not exceed 0.2%, although in more modest models it may be higher.
Note that for different playback speeds, knock coefficients can also be different. Manufacturers in such cases may indicate the minimum value, despite the fact that it can be achieved not at the usual 33 rpm, but at 45 or even 78 rpm. Therefore, when choosing a high-end turntable, it's ok to clarify this point.
