Turntable Cartridges

A turntable cartridge is the point where the entire chain begins — a tiny generator tracing a groove cut decades ago, converting physical movement into electrical signal with extraordinary precision. Get this right and everything downstream has something worth amplifying. Get it wrong and no amount of electronics will recover what the stylus missed.

At Martins Hi-Fi we stock one of the most serious cartridge selections available from a UK retailer. The range runs from Rega's entry-level Carbon — an honest, well-engineered starting point for a new turntable — through to moving coil designs from Koetsu, Ortofon, AVID HiFi and Gold Note that represent genuine pinnacles of the cartridge maker's art. There is a meaningful step at every price point, and we have heard all of them.

Moving Magnet or Moving Coil?

The choice between MM and MC is not simply about budget. Moving magnet cartridges — Rega's Nd7 and Nd9, Ortofon's 2M series — offer stylus replaceability, forgiving phono stage requirements and consistently excellent tracking. Moving coil designs sacrifice those conveniences for lower moving mass, a quieter signal and, in the best examples, a retrieval of low-level detail that MM simply cannot match. Neither is universally correct. The right answer depends on your tonearm, your phono stage and what you are trying to hear.

Brands We Stock

Our cartridge range covers Rega, Ortofon, Koetsu, AVID HiFi, Gold Note and Analog Relax — chosen because we have listened to them carefully and believe in what they do at their respective price points. The Ortofon MC X series and Cadenza range offer a structured upgrade pathway for committed listeners. Rega's own cartridges — Carbon, Nd7, Nd9 and Apheta 3 — are optimised specifically for Rega tonearms and represent some of the best-value cartridge engineering available. Koetsu and the higher Analog Relax models sit at the summit: instruments as much as components.

Matching Matters

A cartridge chosen in isolation is rarely a cartridge chosen well. Loading, compliance, effective tonearm mass and phono stage gain all affect what you actually hear. If you are upgrading or building a new vinyl front end, speak to us before you buy — it is the most important conversation in analogue audio.

Martins Hi-Fi has been in Norwich since 1968. Elizabeth Gould runs the business today, and we stock only brands we have heard properly and stand behind. You are welcome to bring your turntable in and hear cartridges demonstrated on a reference system. When you get in touch, you'll be speaking with Dave, Chris and Tim — experienced specialists who can advise on cartridge matching across your entire system. Contact us at info@martinshifi.co.uk, call 01603 627010, or WhatsApp on 07554 687137. You can read more about how we work on our Why Martins Hi-Fi page. We are at 85–91 Ber Street, Norwich, NR1 3EY.