Goldring
Ethos
Goldring Ethos
Ethos is a truly high-end cartridge featuring a vital-shank, nude-diamond stylus. This polyhedral, line-contact profile was chosen because it has a very low tip-mass and a large contact area whilst being very narrow from front to back; even enabling the undistorted retrieval of ultrasonic frequencies in a recording. In order to properly process this information, at the heart of the Ethos cartridge is Goldring's hand-built GOL-1 moving-coil generator. Featuring a hand-wound cross-shaped, soft-iron armature and married to a low resonance aircraft aluminium chassis, each one is precision tuned by our expert craftsmen to achieve our best ever level of performance. The result is that one becomes simply immersed in the musical experience ...and that's our whole Ethos.
Line-Contact Stylus The line-contact diamond profile provides a large contact area with the groove wall, improving the retrieval of high frequency detail and reducing groove wear. Its vital-shaped shank has a low tip mass giving the design exceptionally good trackability. |
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Alloy Cantilever The stiff and lightweight alloy cantilever tube has been tuned to the ideal length for cartridge stability and ride height. Its length has been optimised to reduce inertia in the suspension system and improve trackability. |
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Cross-Shaped Armature The coils are wound around a cross-shaped armature of pure, high-permeability, Swedish iron. The reduced unsprung mass improves the ability for the stylus to track the groove wall and the coil separation minimises cross-talk, improving the stereo image. |
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Optimised Suspension The new damper pad uses a bespoke butyl rubber compound to keep the system critically damped. Combined with an expertly tensioned tie-wire, the cartridge remains ultra-stable even during the loudest and most complex passages. |
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Neodymium Magnet A very light and powerful neodymium magnet is clamped between two pole shoes creating a perfectly uniform magnetic field gap, within which the cross armature is suspended. This gives Ethos its typically flat and extended frequency response. |
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Aluminium Body Shell The body is precision-milled from a low density, rigid, aircraft grade aluminium which helps to maintain a low effective mass and enables it to dissipate unwanted resonances into the tonearm where they are effectively 'grounded'. |
What is a Moving Coil Cartridge?
As its name suggests, instead of a moving magnet interacting with a stationary coil, this type of generator works the other way around. This still satisfies Faraday's Law because a conductor moving in a stationary magnetic field still experiences a changing magnetic flux. A large permanent magnet is fixed in position and creates a strong uniform magnetic field in the gap between two pole shoes attached to it. Suspended by a rubber damper in the gap is the armature which carries the generator coil and this in turn is connected to the stylus via the cantilever. As the stylus traces the record groove, the coil moves in the magnetic field and a corresponding e.m.f. is generated within it. Because its moving mass is much closer to the pivot point, inertia is reduced and so it has a superior transient response compared to MM types. At the same time it it is easier to accurately position stereo coils within the magnetic field and so there is the potential for improved channel balance and crosstalk figures.
To keep mass low, the coil contains only a few turns of wire - so it generates a much lower output than a moving magnet type (typically 0.5 mV). For this reason MC cartridges require a special high gain phono stage and a lower load impedance and so cannot be used with a normal MM phono input. Because it has both low inductance and internal resistance, the MC generator is not affected by the load capacitance presented by phono stage and interconnects, making for a flatter, more extended frequency response. MC phono stages usually offer a variety of loading options to tailor the sound of the cartridge to taste.
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“…as a long-term vinyl partner it is extremely adept and should be on any audition shortlist at the price.” “It sounds like the here and now, clear and balanced and full of beauty. If you haven’t considered a Goldring cartridge in a long time, you need to hear the Ethos.” |
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“The Ethos is a serious performer…It has the potential to unseat some of the more revered cartridges and give them a real run for their money.” “I’m deeply impressed by the Goldring Ethos.” |
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“When you buy the Ethos, you’re given a promise. A promise that your hi-fi life will improve slowly and steadily over time. The Ethos is for the long haul. Rejoice in the aural gains that you will hear, immediately. Then prepare yourself for new joys to come as a host of information is fed to you over a long period of time. The Ethos? It’s the gentleman’s gentleman of cartridges.” The Audiophile Man, 9/10, Deeply Groovy award |
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“Goldring’s Ethos is a moving coil cartridge unlike most else. It offers moving coil clarity and stage depth but has a lullingly smooth sound, as we know it from vinyl days of yore. A good performer all-round, with fine tracking, it’s an alternative to the more challenging sound of today’s current crop and worth considering. Outstanding – amongst the best.” Hi-Fi World, 5 Globes |
Specifications | |
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Stylus profile | Vital line-contact |
Cantilever | Aluminium alloy |
Replacement stylus | Factory replaceable |
Frequency range | 10 Hz - 32 kHz |
Frequency response | ± 2 dB (35 Hz - 20 kHz) |
Channel balance | <1 dB at 1 kHz |
Channel separation | >30 dB at 1 kHz |
Sensitivity | 0.5 mV ± 1 dB @ 1 kHz, 5 cm/s (rms) |
Static compliance | 25 mm/N |
Dynamic compliance | 15 mm/N |
Vertical tracking angle | 20° |
Load resistance | 100 §Ù |
Load capacitance | 100 - 1000 pF |
Internal inductance | 7.5 µH |
Internal resistance | 4 §Ù |
Cartridge mass | 7.7 g |
Total mass (incl. fixings) | 8.5 g |
Fixing centres | 12.7 mm (0.5 in) |
Playing weight | 1.5 - 2.0 g (1.75 g) |