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Ortofon
The company started manufacturing cartridges in 1948 when they introduced the A and C Mono moving coil pickups, the technology for these was borrowed from a cutter head that the company had introduced in 1946 to a great critical acclaim. The difference between those models was in the tracking weight, the A type was intended for consumers and had a 7 gram tracking weight while the C type was intended for professionals and had only a 3 gram tracking weight, these carts had for the time an almost unbelievable frequency response of around 20kHz, the B variant is enclosed in a case of the same material as the later SPU units but smaller and square, it is I believe the first pickup to have the ortofon tonarm connector, note that all these are marked Fonofilm on the bottom rather than Ortofon (sometimes the Ortofon name is on the top of the cart). The company introduced a MC stereo cutterhead in 1957 and followed this with the introduction of the "Stereo Pick-Up" or SPU designed by Robert Gudmandsen in 1958. Mono MC's from the company that were sold in the 60's and 70's are housed in a case with an ortofon tonarm connector similar to the older B units but slightly smaller (the same cases as the modern Classic A models but fully closed and not open at the bottom like the modern designs), I am not sure of the name but I don't think they were called SPU as the modern variants are, it had the stylus type written on the side of the case in white letters, the (DIAM.25 for pickups used with mono LP's and DIAM.63 for pickups for 78 playback). Note that modern SPU's hava a case made out of aluminium. The SPU line has an erroneous cult following and while the almost all models from the range are still available to this day there have been improvements in the materials used, the SPU GME is for instance very popular in Japan, often the older models are more sought after there because of the top end is less pronounced and considered to have a a "more musical" character, also SPU's are more popular with classical fanatics than with those listening to rock etc. Amongst their older standard mount MC models are the ST15-T, the T stands for a built in matching transformer, this makes the design rather heavy and better suited to broadcast arms and suchlike than for home hi-fi usage (I think there was a transformerless version of this pickup, the ST 15 but I am not sure on this so don't quote me on that), another variant of the design from the early 70's was the SL 15E a transformerless design with an elliptical stylus, this design later morphed into the MC-15 series including the super models, those are all nice sounding low/mid priced carts BTW. and while worthwhile sonically the current Super MkII version can be had for such a nice price that it's doubtful that it's worth going for a second hand model unless the stylus has some life left in it, the MC 20 and the MkII variant however were nice sounding units in their day and are a fine buy if they can be had cheaply. The X3 is a high output predecessor to the MC3
The MC 20 Mk-II technical specification are : Frequency response: 20Hz~40KHz (probably at 3db not sure about this). Output @ 5cm/s: 0,2mV @ 45°. Channel separation: 25dB @1KHz or better. Tracking force: 1,6 to 2 grams. FIM Distortion: less than 1% at recommended tracking force.
You can get a stylus for any old MM pickup from the company so if you see any of their older designs at a neat price they are quite usable, note that the current OM series products are called OM XX Super in some markets but just plain OM in others, this can be a bit confusing when purchasing older products from the company as the OM line from the company was replaced with the OM Super line recently, as for buying a older models of that lineage I would not go after anything less that a OM 20 second hand, the current versions can be had so cheap that it's doubtful that it's worth hunting down any of the lesser models. The same goes to a certain extent for the 500 series of pickups although the older 540 can in particular be a cracking good buy, but the current lineup is only available in standard mount configuration but the 510P, 520P, 530P and the 540P were p-mount variants of the original 500 line and might be worth investigating for those of you out there with P-mount arms and are looking for something better. Other MM pickups from the company include the FF 15 XE MkII from around 80 or so and the VMS3 MkII from a similar time frame, the TM 7U was a budget MM from the 80's that is common on the second hand market but not interesting unless you manage to get it NOS.
Note that the Ortofon company retips and repairs all of their products regardless of age and I have been very happy with the service, both with the quality and price, this is often an excellent introduction to the SPU cult, get an old broken down unit and have it retipped/repaired by the company, this can be quite a bit cheaper than a new one. The company also offers an exchange service whereby you get a new pickup at a discount when you trade in one of a same type.
Osawa
Made a few MC pickups in the 80's including the OS-70L Mirage that featured a Boron cantilever and a Vital line contact stylus (tracking 1,5 to 2,1g), also had a MM line that included the MP-15 "moving permalloy" cart, it was also available with a integral headshell as the MP-15H, this cart may be an OEM Nagaoka MP15.
The MP-15 technical specification are : Frequency response: 20Hz~20KHz. Output @ 5cm/s: 4,5mV @ 1KHz. Channel separation: 24dB @1KHz or better. Channel balance: Less than +-1,5dB @ 1KHz. Tracking Force: 1,5 to 2 grams. Recommended Tracking Force: 1,8g. Dynamic Compliance: 8 x 10-6 cm/dyne. Static Compliance: 20 x 10-6 cm/dyne. Stylus Tip: Nude Elliptical 0,3 x 0,7 mil 0,15°. Load Capacitance: 100 pF. Impedance: 4300ohms. Cantilever: UT58 Taper. Load: 47Kohms. Magnetic Circuit: Laminated Super permalloy 0,1+0,2mmT. Cartridge Frame: Injection moulded PPS. Shield Case: Super permalloy shielding.Weight: 7,8 grams (MP15H : 18,7 grams).
Permax
Made high quality mono pickups in the 50's, these were at the time considered the best of the Japanese models and were the accepted standard amongst many Asian broadcasters including NHK up until the introduction of the Audio Technica Moving Coil models in the early 60's (Although the model NHK used was either made especially for them or modified by them, it was not a 100% original/standard part).
Philips
While some of their later models appear to have been OEM designs it appears that the company made at the least some of their pickups themselves including the 400 MM design from the early 70's.
Pierre Clement
A high end MC pickup by the name of EB 25 has been seen, it's a model with an integrated headshell that is a cantilever less design actually manufactured for the company by Ikeda Sound Labs.
Pickering
Has made a variety of pickups through the years, the most commonly seen unit is the NT/AC it's sometimes advertised as a DJ cartridge but in actuality it's just a budget cart with a spherical stylus and fairly high output which means it will work fine in such a situation, I belive there were members of the same family with elliptical stylii such as the NP/ATE and the NP/AME. The TL 3 was a more upmarket model from the 80's.
RFT
Apart from the VEB line of pickups they sold MM models that appear to have been made by Tesla including the MS25 SD.
Rega
Sold the R100 cart from ca. 1980 to 85 when it was replaced by the RB100 that continued in production until 1988 when the company introduced the MM cartridges that they currently manufacture (those are actually made in-house), these were MM's that were designed by the company but manufactured in Japan. Stylii is only usually seen sold for the R100 but should also fit the RB100.
Royal
These were OEM Shure Inc. pickups sold under this name to turntable manufacturers, the RM91DE was for instance the Shure M91DE.
Sansui
Sold a line of low/mid range MC pickups in the 70's (and 60's ?) such as the SR-4040KT, but I have not been able to find any info on them.
Satin
Had a range of MC pickups like the M117G and the M18E in the 80's, these were fairly keenly priced and are not difficult to find, you could also get a damper for the pickup (the SR-60 if I remember it correctly), useful this for difficult tonearms.
Shelter
The company replaced the original 501 with the current MkII model recently (2001 or so), the specifications are very similar to the current model.
Shure Inc.
The company introduced it's first crystal carts in the 30's and was one of the major manufacturer of such in the 50's with models such as the W26B although the most famous was the ML44 introduced in 1955. Shure made their first MM cartridge in 1957 the mono M1 Studio Dynetic Cartridge but that model was only produced by special order and is very rare, the same goes for the stereo M3D that followed in 1958. Introduced the classic V15 in 1964, that cart is named after it's VTA of 15° and a decendtant of it is still manufactured to this day, it featured a biradial elliptical stylus (0,0002x0,0009) and was replaced with the V15 Type II in 1966, main improvements were in trackability according to the Shure website. The Type II Improved was introduced in 1970 and had a slightly improved element and a better stylus, the V15 Type III was introduced in 1974 and it had a new pole piece and that amongst with other improvements meant that it had a 25% less effective mass than the Type II, you could also get it in a more expensive version called V15-IIIHE with an Hyper elliptical stylus. The V15 Type IV was introduced in 1978 and it has a better stylus than the previous model (an hyper elliptical as the IIIHE had), it's also the first in the line that has the "Dynamic Stabilizer" damper that we have come to associate with classic V15's, the V15 Type V version had a Beryllium cantilever and a differently cut stylus, the year after that the company introduced a more upmarket version called V15 Type V-MR that was identical to the V but featured a Micro-Ridge line contact stylus. The only other model from the company that we can recall that had any high end pretensions was the Ultra 400, dead expensive at the tome (80's ?) and came in a huge & lovely wooden box that you would rather associate with Koetsu than Shure. Alas the last version of the V15 was the V15VxMR that was introduced in 1997 and it had an improved magnetic generator that was introduced partly in responce to lackluster reviews that the V-MR got in regards to it's sound quality but it should be noted that the V15 has something of a cult following and many of those "cultists" maintain that the VxMR model is actually not as good as their previous models such as the Type V or Type V-MR, Consumer Review has reviewed that model, the V15 was taken off the market in 2004.
Other models from the company that can be interesting in a modern system include the M91E this model was for years the next model below the V15 price wise and was considered to be excellent bang for the buck, the later M91ED model was identical except that the stylus was a nude elliptical. Has through the years made a massive range of MM pickups that were typically shipped with turntables or offered as replacement units, including the 3X and one of the predecessors to the current M7x line was the M-73PE (PE=Perfect Elliptical) while it's audio specification lame (separation only 20db etc) the output was a whopping 10,5 volt so if you find one just get hold of a spherical stylus for it and you will have a great DJ pickup, there were variations for the M7x line made for use with specific turntable arms, the M75 D was for instance specifically made for DUAL to mate perfectly with their arms, it had a slightly different mass and compilance characteristics than the normal M75 model. Amongst the the P-mount models were the DT-15P and the earlier M-111HE that had a hyper elliptical stylus and was one of the more expensive T4P pickups of their day. Noticeably Shure are the only company apart from Ortofon that has made and sold standalone pickup analysers, some of them quite good (although not as good as the Digital Ortofon models) but note that you will need the test records that came with it for a proper operation they are more or less worthless without them.
The V15 Type II technical specification are : Frequency response: 20Hz~25KHz. Output @ 5cm/s: 3,5mV @ 1KHz. Channel separation: 25dB @1KHz or better. 17dB or better @ 500~10KHz. Channel balance: Less than +-2dB @ 1KHz. Tracking Force: 0,75 to 1,5 grams. Stylus Tip: Biradial Elliptical 0,002 x 0,007. Load Capacitance: 100 pF. DC Resistance: 630ohms. Load: 47Kohms. Inductance: 720mH. Weight: 6,8 grams.
Signet
Effectively a division of Audio Technica, contact them or a local rep of thiers for replacement stylii, or any retipper for replacing they styli or cantilever on their MC designs.
Sonotone
This company developed the ceramic pickup from a cheap alternative to a reasonable more or less by itself, this page here is done by an ex staffer and has info on many of the carts plus a short history. The company was bought by Astatic in the late 60's and they still supply some of their models to this day (unchanged).
Sony
Sony XL55 Pro MC.
Stax
The company holds out a nice history page that has technical info on some of their older products including the mono pickups.
Supex
The SD-900 line is the most famous line of Japanese MC pickups ever manufactured, this is due to their fairly reasonable price when originally released along with a performance more in line with more expencive models. SD-909 SD-909 MkII and the SD-909 Gold
The SD-900 Super technical specification are : Frequency response: 15Hz~50KHz +-3dB. Output @ 3,54cm/s: 0,20mV @ 1KHz. Compliance: 12x10-6 cm/dyne. Channel separation: 27dB @ 1KHz or better. Channel balance: Less than -0,5dB @ 1KHz. Tracking force : 1,5 to 2 grams. Tracking angle : 20°.Impedance : 3,5 ohms. Weight : 9 grams.
The SD-909 technical specification are : Frequency response: 10Hz~50KHz. Output @ 3,54cm/s: 0,20mV @ 1KHz. Compliance: 9x10-6 cm/dyne. Channel separation: 27dB @ 1KHz or better. Channel balance: Less than -0,5dB @ 1KHz. Recommended tracking force : 1,8 grams. Impedance : 2 ohms. Weight : 10,5 grams.
Talisman
Made the Shappire in the 70's.
Tonacord
Made the TM-511 MM DJ pickup in the late 70's/early 80's, original list price was 55 DM, the frequency response is 30Hz~20KHz, output is 5mV and tracking force is 1,5 to 2 grams.
Torlai
Made the TORLAI N.003 in and around 2000/2002 which was a modified version of Linn Klyde.
Townshend See --> Elite Electronics Pickups
Van Den Hul
One of the most intriquing older designs from the compay were the MM-1 and MM-2 moving magnets, these were encased in a solid housing like a MC pickup in order to archive more rigidity, this means however that the stylus is not user replaceabe and you will have to have the cart retipped, the difference between the 2 models lies purely in the stylus used, the cheaper MM-1 had a VdH II stylus while the MM-2 had a VdH I type stylus, you can therefore have the MM-1 retipped with a VdH-1 and thus get an upgrade to a MM-2 spec unit, the MM line was discontinued sometime around the turn of the millenium. The original DDT model can be diffreciated from the later models by the printing on the housing, the "DDT" on the original model is written in curvasive rather than the sans sherif font used on newer models. The original MC-10 differs from the current "special model in that the front pole is thinner and there is an extra maget in the "special" that gives the newer variant a slightly higher output, the specifications are apart from that broadly similar. And BTW if you think that VdH pickups look "suspicucly like" Benz Micro pickups there is nothing sucpisious about that at all, he buys some of his housings from the afformentioned company.
The MM-1 & MM-2 technical specification are : Mount : Standard. Frequency response : 10Hz~25KHz. Output @ 5,7cm/s : 5,6mV RMS. Channel separation : 30dB @ 1KHz or better, 24dB @ 10KHz or better. Channel balance : Less than 1dB @ 1KHz. Load capacitance : 300 pF. Recommended load : 47 Kohms. Inductance: 400mH. Static Compliance : 40 Micron/mN. Tracking force : 7,5~12,5 mN. Trackability @ 15 mN / 315 Hz: 70~80 Micron. VTA : 22°. Recommended effective tonearm mass : 8~12 grams. Stylus tip : VdH Type II 7 x 45 Micron (MM-1),VdH Type I 3 x 85 Micron (MM-2),. Equivalent stylus tip mass : 0,45 milligrams Cantilever : Boron. Weight : 6,5 grams.
Varco
Most of their older generic ceramic models appear to be available still or variants thereof anyway, the only rarities are old crystal models such as ST-1X and ST-2V that were designed for 1/2" mounts.
VEB Elektroakustik Leipzig
The MS 17 SD appears to have been a replacement cartridge for a RFT turntable.
Walton
Had an early moving iron cartridge design that I belive was called just MI, considered an audiophile cart in the 60's, mileage may vary.
Wega
Had at the least 3 pickups on the market in the late 70's or thereabouts, the XL-15S and the XL-25S were basically the same MM cartridge the differences between them being that the 25 had an elliptical stylus while the 15 had a spherical one, sadly the only hard data to be found on these 2 is that their weight is 5,2 grams. The XL-45S is much more interesting however it's a moving coil design integrated into a headshell.
The XL-45S technical specification are : Mount : Ortofon. Frequency response : 10Hz~30KHz. Output @ 5cm/s : 0,25mV @ 1KHz. Channel separation : 25dB @ 1KHz or better. Compilance : 20mN. Impedance : 40 ohm. Stylus tip: Elliptical. Weight : 20 grams.
Westrex/Western Electric
About the only pickups found from this manufacturer have been late model electric reproducers that will only fit WE arms.
Yamaha
Had a number of worthwhile cartridge designs on the market, while some of their low budget/replacement MM types are believed to have been sourced from an OEM their MC designs were in-house and in particular their late 70's and 80's lightweight models are interesting soundwise. It appears that the carts that the company sold separately had low numbers e.g. MC-7 etc while MC carts that were shipped with turntables had high nimbers,such as the MC-705 that was shipped with the Yamaha PX-3. By far the most common model seen on the market is the MC-9 which was something of a best buy in the early 80's.
The MC-7 technical specification are :Mount : Standard. Frequency response : 20Hz~20KHz +-1dB. Output @ 5cm/s : 0,3mV @ 1KHz.Channel separation : 26dB @ 1KHz or better, 17dB @ 10KHz or better. Channel balance : 1dB @ 1KHz. Impedance : 30 ohm. Weight : 5,7 grams.
The MC-9 technical specification are : Mount : Standard. Frequency response : 10Hz~50KHz unweighted, 10Hz~20KHz +-1dB. Output @ 5cm/s : 0,3mV @ 1KHz. Impedance : 30 ohm. Recommended tracking force : 1,5 grams. Weight : 5,3 grams.
ZYX
The company replaced the RS line and the basic R 100 line of moving coil pickups in 2003 with MkII models, these have more or less the same specifications as the older models but differ a bit in price, also the original R100 has the same clear plastic housing that the dearer models from the company use but the current model has the black housing from the RS line so it should be easy to differentiate between the 2, note also that early RS line carts had a square housing much the same as the Monster Cable Pickups rather than the "triangular" housings that the current range uses (or pyramid style as ZYX refers to them) but it is believed that the introduction of the new housing predates the introduction of the MkII so there may be MkI carts out there in the triangular housing. The R-100T variant was dropped by the company from their lists in 2004 and it shares the exact same specifications as the R 100 but features an improved coil piece and thus slightly better sound. The original Yatra variants of the R 100 namely the R-100 Yatra and the R-100 Yatra H appears to have been dropped at in 2003 and replaced with a Mk II model that was only available in a low output version but that variant appears to have been dropped in late 2004 as well, but this is actually not clear, some distributors claim that the Yatra is still being made, while other distributors claim that it has been dropped. The R-100 FC Fuji was deleted from the catalogue in 2004, it had the same retail price, specification and Model D generator as the current FS and the FX model that replaced it and had a copper based cil winding like the current FX. The original R 1000 line was replaced with a MKII variant in late 2004, like the current models it has an almost unbelievable FR specs of 10Hz~100kHz, the R-1000 Airy-S and R-1000 Airy-X with the X and XH models utilising a copper coil while the S and SH models feature silver wound coils, but do note that the specifications for the 1000 below may not be 100% accurate sinc the specs from 2003 and from 2004 from their main distributor differs in minute details.
The RS 10 and the RS 10H technical specification are : Frequency response: 10Hz~40KHz unweighted or 20Hz~20KHz at +-1dB. Output @ 3,54cm/s: 0,24mV @ 1KHz. or 0,48mV @ 1KHz for the H version. Compliance : 15x10-6 cm/dyne horizontal, 12x10-6 cm/dyne vertical. Channel separation : 25dB @ 1KHz or better. Channel balance : Less than +-0,5dB @ 1KHz. Tracking Force: 1,5 to 2 grams. Recommended tracking force : 1,8 grams. Trackability : >80µm/1,8gm. Stylus tip: Elliptical iµm x 15µm. Cantilever : ALMg5 tube 0,38/0,3mm. Internal impedance : 4 ohms or 8 ohms for the H version. Recommended load : less than 100 ohms. Weight : 4.2 grams.
The RS 20 and the RS 20H technical specification are : Frequency response: 10Hz~55KHz unweighted or 20Hz~20KHz at +-1dB. Output @ 3,54cm/s: 0,24mV @ 1KHz. or 0,48mV @ 1KHz for the H version. Compliance : 15x10-6 cm/dyne horizontal, 12x10-6 cm/dyne vertical. Channel separation : 30dB @ 1KHz or better. Channel balance : Less than +-0,5dB @ 1KHz. Tracking Force: 1,5 to 2 grams. Recommended tracking force : 1,8 grams. Trackability : >80µm/1,8gm. Stylus tip: Line contact 6µm x 35µm. Cantilever : Sapphire tube 0,33/0,26mm. Internal impedance : 4 ohms or 8 ohms for the H version. Recommended load : less than 100 ohms. Weight : 4.2 grams.
The RS 30 and the RS 30H technical specification are : Frequency response: 10Hz~75KHz unweighted or 20Hz~20KHz at +-1dB. Output @ 3,54cm/s: 0,24mV @ 1KHz. or 0,48mV @ 1KHz for the H version. Compliance : 15x10-6 cm/dyne horizontal, 12x10-6 cm/dyne vertical. Channel separation : 30dB @ 1KHz or better. Channel balance : Less than +-0,5dB @ 1KHz. Tracking Force: 1,5 to 2 grams. Recommended tracking force : 1,8 grams. Trackability : >80µm/1,8gm. Stylus tip: Microridge line contact 3µm x 60µm. Cantilever : Boron rod 0,3mm. Internal impedance : 4 ohms or 8 ohms for the H version. Recommended load : less than 100 ohms. Weight : 4.2 grams.
The R 100, the R 100H, R 100T, the R 100TH, the R 100 Yatra, R 100 FC,R 100 FCH, R 100 Yatra H and the R 100 Yatra MkII technical specification are : Frequency response: 10Hz~80KHz unweighted or 20Hz~20KHz at +-1dB. Output @ 3,54cm/s: 0,24mV @ 1KHz. or 0,48mV @ 1KHz for the H versions. Compliance : 15x10-6 cm/dyne horizontal, 12x10-6 cm/dyne vertical. Channel separation : 30dB @ 1KHz or better. Channel balance : better than +-0,5dB @ 1KHz. Tracking Force: 1,7 to 2,5 grams. Recommended tracking force : 2 grams @ 20 to 25° celcius. Trackability : >80µm/2gm. Stylus tip: Microridge solid diamond line contact 3µm square. Cantilever : Boron rod 0,3mm. Internal impedance : 4 ohms or 8 ohms for the H versions. Recommended load : less than 100 ohms. Weight : 4.2 grams (R 100 & R100T) 5 grams (R 100 Yatra & FC).
The R 1000 Airy-S, the R 1000 Airy-SH, R 1000 Airy-X and the R 1000 Airy-XH technical specification are : Frequency response: 10Hz~100KHz unweighted or 20Hz~20KHz at +-1dB. Output @ 3,54cm/s: 0,24mV @ 1KHz. (0,24mV @ 5cm/s) or 0,48mV @ 1KHz for the H versions. Compliance : 15x10-6 cm/dyne horizontal, 12x10-6 cm/dyne vertical. Channel separation : 30dB @ 1KHz or better. Channel balance : better than +-0,5dB @ 1KHz. Tracking Force: 1,7 to 2,5 grams. Recommended tracking force : 2 grams @ 20 to 25° celcius. Trackability : >80µm/2gm. Stylus tip: Microridge solid diamond line contact 3µm square. Cantilever : Boron rod 0,3mm. Estimated stylus lifetime : 2000 hours at 2g. Internal impedance : 3,5 ohms or 7 ohms for the H versions. Recommended load : less than 100 ohms. Weight : 5 grams.
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