This tool is for anyone trying to compare phono cartridges without relying on vague memory or scattered product pages. It brings together cartridge specs side by side across MM, MC, and MI designs so you can compare stylus profiles, tracking force, compliance, output, loading recommendations, weight, and other details that actually affect compatibility and performance.
What can this help you decide? Quite a lot: whether a cartridge is a realistic fit for your arm, preamp, loading options, and listening priorities; whether two models are meaningfully different; and whether a published spec is missing, inconsistent, or worth checking more carefully. The browse and source-link approach also makes the page useful as a research database, not just a simple A-versus-B tool.
The value here is transparency: a structured way to compare what is available, identify what is not, and make better-informed decisions without overstating certainty.
Pick a phono cartridge in each column to compare key specs side-by-side. If a spec isn't listed, the field shows as "--".
Cartridge A
Select a cartridge to see specs.
Cartridge B
Select a cartridge to see specs.
Data sources & notes
Selected cartridge sources
General references (site-wide)
- Audio-Technica VM95 series
- Audio-Technica VM Series lineup
- Ortofon 2M series
- Ortofon current cartridge catalog
- Denon cartridges
- Dynavector products
- Rega cartridges
- Goldring cartridge buyer's guide
- Grado cartridges
- Hana cartridges
- Sumiko cartridges
- Henley Audio (Sumiko Rainier specs)
- Henley Audio (Sumiko Wellfleet specs)
- Henley Audio (Sumiko Black Pearl specs)
- Rega Nd5 product page
- Rega Nd7 product page
- Nagaoka cartridges
- Goldring cartridge comparison chart (PDF)
- Ortofon SPU brochure (PDF)
- Ortofon SPU moving-coil cartridges datasheet (PDF)
- Nagaoka cartridges brochure/specs (PDF)
- Nagaoka MP series specifications (PDF)
- Grado brochure/specifications (PDF)
This tool focuses on a broad cartridge list (3,309 models), grouped by manufacturer. Specs are filled where a reliable manufacturer or third‑party source was available; unknown or unpublished values are marked "--". Each link below points to a manufacturer page when available, or a credible reference (PDF/spec table/reviewer spec section) when a direct product page wasn’t available.