Goldring E4 Moving Magnet Cartridge

The E4 features a ‘nude’ super-elliptical stylus of just 7.6 x 18 microns (0.3 x 0.7 mil), cut and polished from a single homogeneous piece of diamond. This makes for a lower effective tip mass of improved rigidity, which in turn means its ability to retrieve high-frequency detail is dramatically improved when compared to the ‘bonded’ elliptical stylus alternative. It’s far less likely to ‘mis-track’ or overshoot when tracing high-frequency groove modulations, and because of its finely polished 7.6-micron profile it can more effectively fit into closely packed inner grooves. Lower distortion, improved transient response and a flat frequency response all contribute to superior fidelity when compared to any price-comparable alternative.

Hollow aluminium cantilever

To complement its low tip-mass stylus, the E4 features a hollow aluminium cantilever tube. The light weight and superior stiffness of the material allows the stylus to trace medium-to-

high frequencies with greater accuracy, while simultaneously reducing distortion and mis-tracking.

Stereo information is contained in a single ‘V’-shaped groove that has perpendicular sidewalls angled at 45 degrees. Conventional cartridges, which use a single large magnet interacting with two vertically mounted coils (one for left-channel information, one for right) to extract a stereo signal from the groove, can permit high levels of crosstalk - and consequently only a modest amount of left- and right-channel separation. E4 uses Goldring’s Magnetic Duplex Technology™ that positions two low-mass magnets at the same angles as the coils - so each magnet interacts only with its partnering coil. This allows the E4 to transcribe the information in the groove more accurately, and results in greater stereo separation and a more accurate soundstage.

‘Azimuth’ describes the angle that the vertical centre line of the stylus makes with the record’s surface - it must be exactly perpendicular to the groove. Owners of budget and midrange turntables usually have no facility to adjust the azimuth, so it’s vital the cartridge has been precisely adjusted before it’s fitted to the turntable’s tonearm - badly adjusted azimuth can cause increased crosstalk and uneven channel balance. E4 is designed to allow micro-adjustments to be made during the production process, ensuring each cartridge leaves the Goldring factory needing no further azimuth adjustment.