Description

Goldring 1042 Cartridge

The Goldring 1042 cartridge is designed for audiophiles who demand top-tier sound quality with the convenience of a user-replaceable stylus. It features a nude natural-diamond stylus with a Gyger S profile—an advanced line-contact shape that closely mimics the record cutting head. With its 6 µm radius, it traces even the finest groove details with precision, delivering accurate midrange tonality, smooth highs free of sibilance, and exceptional musical detail and resolution.

Low Mass Pocan® Body

The 1000 Series features a rigid, one-piece body made from glass-reinforced polyester (Pocan), providing secure mounting and optimal sound quality. The stylus carrier slots tightly into place with a locating pin to minimize unwanted vibrations, while an integrated mu-metal shield protects the generator from stray magnetic fields. Thanks to Pocan’s high strength-to-mass ratio, the cartridge weighs under 6.5g, ensuring compatibility with a wide range of tonearms.

High-Efficiency Magnetic Circuit

Laminated mu-metal pole pieces and lightweight, formerless coils (4,000 turns each) create an efficient magnetic circuit with higher-than-average output and reduced high-frequency loss, delivering a smooth, extended frequency response.

Reduced Moving Mass

An ultra-low-mass Alnico V magnet—precision-made and exclusive to this design—is paired with a gold-plated nickel tie-bar for static discharge and mechanical stability. The assembly is mounted in a butyl rubber polymer for optimized damping and vibration control.

Precision Azimuth Setting

Stylus azimuth is factory-set for perfect perpendicular alignment to the groove, ensuring accurate stereo imaging and minimising crosstalk—critical for turntables without user adjustment.

Specifications

Transducer Characteristics

• Frequency Response:  20 Hz -20 kHz ±3 dB
• Channel Balance:  within 2 dB @ 1 kHz
• Channel Separation:  better than  25 dB @ 1 kHz
• Sensitivity:  6.5 mV ±1.5 dB, 1 kHz @ 5 cm/sec
• Static Compliance:  24 mm/N (lat); 16 mm/N (vert)
• Equivalent tip mass:  0.45 mg
• Vertical Tracking Angle:  24°
• Stylus Radius:  Gyger S
• Stylus Type:  Replaceable

Electrical Characteristics

• Load Resistance:  47 kΩ
• Load Capacitance:  150-200 pF
• Internal Inductance:  570 mH
• Internal Resistance:  660 Ω

Mechanical Characteristics

• Cartridge Mass:  6.3 g
• Cartridge Mass (inc. fixings):  7.6 g
• Fixing Centre:  0.5″ (12.7 mm)
• Playing Weight:  1.5 – 2.0 g (1.7 g nom.)
• Replacement Stylus:  1042 – D42

“…it provides a superb suite of frequencies that will engage and delight. This is one serious moving magnet design and one that you can buy with confidence.”
The Audiophile Man