Empire 2000Z pickup cartridge

Price: !J6750. Manufacturer: as for 698111 turntable on page 1095.

THE Empire 2000Z pickup cartridge used in the above turntable review is the top model in the latest 2000 series from this respected American manufacturer. (They also have a 4000 series of discrete quadraphony cartridges.) The moving iron principle is employed, as in earlier cartridges from this company, but with refinements in dimensions and Construction to raise the performance well into the upper regions of contemporary designs.

A fantastic tip mass of only 2mg is claimed, for example, this having been achieved by reducing the dimensions of the lightweight alloy cantilever and its slip-on hollow iron armature. Three magnets are incorporated in a quite complex magnetic circuit with claimed advantages in relation to the avoidance of high frequency resonances and the avoidance of microphony. A naked elliptical-tip diamond stylus is mounted at the now standard 20° forward rake angle and the usual finger-grip stylus housing is supplied with a squaresection carrier to ensure correct alignment in the magnetic gap. The main case and a rear shield minimize hum induction.

The body itself is relatively slim and is supplied with a separate clip-on mount which simplifies the operation of installation in any standard headshell—or at least reduces the risks of damage which can occur when apprentice hands are tackling this finicky job. There is a flip-up protecting cover and the usual 4-pin SPECIFICATION AND TEST RESULTS EMPIRE 2000Z CARTRIDGE 1. Type 2. Sensitivity (mV for 1 cm/see) 3. Rec. load (ohms) 4. Rec. playing weight (g) 5. Frequency response (Hz) 6. Crosstalk (dB) 7. Compliance (a 10-6 cm/dyne)

S. Stylus tip radius (pm) 0. Stylus tip mass (mg) 10. Vertical tracking angle 11. Cartridge weight (g)

Makers Specification

Stereo moving iron 0-86 47,000 0-75-125 20-20,000 ±1dB 30 30 18 x 5 0-2 20°

Test Result

Left 0-86

Right 090 47,000 used lg used

See Fig. 1 See Fig. 1 connector system. The cartridge is supplied with clear instructions in a large perspex box with sliding lid, a screwdriver and selection of mounting hardware.

Installed in the arm of the Empire 698111 turntable as described above, the Empire 2000Z cartridge gave a very good account of itself— with no appreciable differences revealed by a comparative test in the SME 3009/11 arm. Optimum tracking seemed to occur at about Ig in either arm, though it would be possible to creep down to the minimum 075g under laboratory playing conditions.

Subjective impressions were of an extended frequency response with bright and clear treble and a good solid bass. Stereo separation was excellent and indeed music of all types was reproduced with a nice feeling of naturalness. The measurements confirmed these impressions. Figure 1 shows the frequency response for both channels, with only a slight dip in the upper presence region and the beginnings of a roll-off by 20kHz. Matching between the two channels is excellent and they are almost ruler straight over most of the range. Crosstalk too is very low and easily meets the —30dB claimed at 1,000Hz.

No tracking problems were experienced at the ig setting, though a fraction more was needed, say 1-2g, for the highest levels on the "Shure Obstacle Course" records. Sensitivity was precisely as claimed and though this is less than lmV for the reference recorded velocity of I cm/see, we have come to expect such values from the very light tracking cartridges these days and all modern amplifiers can cope with them.

To sum up, the Empire 2000Z cartridge is a worthy addition to the hi-fl scene. It is straightforward to install and should perform well in any reasonably good pickup arm. The quality of reproduction is natural sounding and free from undesirable peaks, but it must be admitted that the rather high price puts the 2000Z at a slight disadvantage compared with some of the competition. The virtues of this top model suggest that the remainder of the new Empire 2000 series would be well worth investigating where their lower price and more modest arm requirements are appropriate to individual purchaser's budget requirements.

Fig. I. Frequency response and crosstalk, both channels