Edward W
Saunders, Inc. has been supplying cartridges and styli for the phonograph,
stereo turntable and even jukebox user since 1982. Without a doubt, the most
frequently asked questions we get involve the four terms: stylus, needle,
half-inch and P mount.
Stylus
and needle
are interchangeable in meaning. In the early days of acoustic phonographs, the
needles were simply sharpened pieces of metal or other material held in place
with a set screw. As the medium evolved, jeweled tips were added to improve both
tone and useful life of the stylus and records. With the advent of electronic
amplification, the stylus (needle) became more sophisticated and today is
actually an assembly consisting of the bearing (tube or shaft that holds the
assembly in the cartridge), cantilever (miniature tube which holds the stylus
jewel), the jewel itself and the carrier (plastic part that holds the assembly
together). A cartridge is NOT a
stylus; the cartridge HOLDS the stylus
(needle). In the early days of
magnetic cartridges, some manufacturers also referred to the stylus as an
armature. So, you have three terms all meaning the same thing: needle, stylus
and armature.
Half-inch and P Mount refer to the two most common types of stereo turntable cartridge mounts. P Mount is also called T4P by some manufacturers. Telling the two apart is very simple. A half-inch mount cartridge has four exposed wires visible on the back. Red which connects to Right (+), Green which connects to Right (-), White which connects to Left (+) and Blue which connects to Left (-). A P Mount cartridge plugs directly in to a rectangular socket on the end of the tonearm and no wires are visible. The sockets are always rectangular, never round. A tonearm with a round socket accepts a headshell which in turn holds a half-inch cartridge. Here is a little mnemonic to make it simple:
Half-inch Has wires, P