# Vinyl presets: where the numbers come from

Researched 2026-10-18. Every value below was read from the page listed (not
from search snippets). **MEAS** = measured (by whom); **SPEC** = the
manufacturer's figure; **(chart)** = read from a published graph (about ±1 dB).
Hi-Fi News and Stereophile pages were read in a browser (they block automated
fetching). Preset values live in `js/vinyl-presets.js`.

Reference levels differ between sources: Stereo Review / Hirsch-Houck Labs
quote output at 3.54 cm/s; Hi-Fi News, Shure, Ortofon and Audio-Technica at
5 cm/s; LowBeats at "DIN 0 dB" (about 1.6 × the 5 cm/s output).

## Cartridges

| Preset | Used in the preset | Basis | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Ortofon 2M Red | Response (chart): +1.75 dB at 20 Hz, flat 50 Hz–5 kHz, +1 dB at 10 kHz, +2.75 dB at 20 kHz. Crosstalk (chart, worse curve): −31 dB at 1 kHz, −22 dB at 10 kHz. Resonance 9 Hz in an 11.2 g arm → compliance 16.8 µm/mN (derived). Mass 7.4 g. | MEAS LowBeats | https://www.lowbeats.de/test-ortofon-2m-red-ein-top-einsteigersystem/ ; specs https://ortofon.com/products/2m-red |
| Audio-Technica VM540ML | Response: LowBeats (chart) +0.5–1 dB 20–100 Hz, +3.5–4 dB at 10–15 kHz, +1–2 dB at 20 kHz; HomeTheaterHifi (STR-100) +4.3/+2.6 dB at 12–14 kHz, −0.5/−1.5 dB at 20 kHz → averaged. Separation: 21–26 dB at 1 kHz, 17–18 dB at 10 kHz. 2nd harmonic 0.9% at 10 kHz, 5 cm/s (HTHF) → line-contact tracing coefficient. Resonance 7.6 Hz (LowBeats), 7.5 Hz Q≈3 (HTHF) → compliance 24.9 µm/mN (derived). | MEAS LowBeats, HTHF | https://www.lowbeats.de/test-audio-technica-vm540ml/ ; https://hometheaterhifi.com/reviews/vinyl/turntable-accessories/audio-technica-vm540ml-phono-cartridge-review/ |
| Shure V15 Type IV | Within ±0.8 dB 40 Hz–20 kHz (HHL, STR-100, 240 pF); L +¾/−½, R +1¼/−½ dB 20 Hz–20 kHz (CBS). Separation ~29 dB at 1 kHz, 17–18 dB at 10 kHz. Resonance 11 Hz in an SME 3009 (stabilizer on). Compliance not published: 13 µm/mN derived assuming a 10 g arm. Mass 6.4 g. | MEAS Hirsch-Houck (Stereo Review 5/1978), CBS (High Fidelity 6/1978) | https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Audio/Archive-HiFI-Stereo/70s/HiFi-Stereo-Review-1978-05.pdf ; https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-High-Fidelity/70s/High-Fidelity-1978-06.pdf |
| Denon DL-103 | Measured as the DL-A110 (a DL-103 in a headshell): L +0.9/−4.5 dB (−2 dB at 10 kHz, −5 dB at 20 kHz), R ±0.9 dB, 20 Hz–20 kHz → channels averaged. Separation 33 dB at 1 kHz, 25 dB at 20 kHz (10 kHz interpolated 28). Compliance ~8 cu vertical / 13 lateral. Mass 8.5 g. Conical 16.5 µm (SPEC). | MEAS Hi-Fi News | https://www.hifinews.com/content/denon-dl-a110-cartridge-lab-report |
| Ortofon SPU | Proxy: Thorens SPU 124 (Ortofon-built SPU): −1 dB at 5 kHz, −4 dB at 10 kHz, −8 dB at 20 kHz; ~25 dB separation; ~8 cu compliance. Mass 28 g, 0.2 mV (SPEC, SPU Classic). | MEAS Hi-Fi News (proxy) | https://www.hifinews.com/content/thorens-td-124-dd-turntable-thorens-spu-124 ; https://ortofon.com/products/spu-classic-ge-mkii |
| Lyra Kleos SL | Response −1.8 to +2.8 / −1.9 to +4.1 dB over 20 Hz–20 kHz (shape assumed: rising top octave). Separation 40 dB at 1 kHz, 25 dB at 20 kHz. Compliance 25/28 cu. Mass 8.8 g. | MEAS Hi-Fi News | https://www.hifinews.com/content/lyra-kleos-sl-cartridge-lab-report |
| Hana Umami Blue | Separation 32.5 dB (L) / 34.8 dB (R) and THD 0.26% / 0.25% at 1 kHz, measured on the Blue (test conditions not stated). Response is a proxy from Hi-Fi News's Umami Red lab report (same Microline nude stylus and boron cantilever): flat to 8–9 kHz, then +1.6 dB (L) / +4 dB (R) at 18 kHz on lateral cuts → averaged +2.8 dB; Red separation 31 dB at 1 kHz / 20 dB at 20 kHz → Blue 10 kHz interpolated to 26 dB. Compliance 10 cu at 100 Hz, estimated 17 cu at 10 Hz by Hana (Red measured 9/10 cu by HFN). Mass 10.8 g, 0.4 mV, 8 Ω (SPEC). The Absolute Sound describes the Blue as the most neutral Hana, so the Red's treble lift may overstate it. | MEAS The Absolute Sound (Blue); MEAS Hi-Fi News (Umami Red, proxy); SPEC Hana | https://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/hana-umami-blue-phono-cartridge/ ; https://www.hifinews.com/content/hana-umami-red-cartridge-lab-report ; https://www.analogplanet.com/content/hana-umami-blue-moving-coil-cartridge ; https://www.spacehifi.com.au/hana/hana-umami-blue-mc-cartridge |
| Shure M44-7 | 20 Hz–20 kHz, 20 dB separation at 1 kHz, spherical 18 µm, compliance 20 × 10⁻⁶ cm/dyne, 7 g. No measurement found. | SPEC | https://content-files.shure.com/KnowledgeBaseFiles/27A331_9-65_M44-5_M44-7_M44C_M44G.pdf |
| Grado Prestige Gold | 10 Hz–55 kHz, average 25 dB separation, compliance 20 µm/mN, 6 g. Gramophone review (quoted by Grado) notes a slight dip around 5 kHz. | SPEC | https://gradolabs.com/products/gold4 ; https://gradolabs.com/pages/prestige-cartridge-reviews |
| Denon DL-160 (high-output MC) | Response 1–20 kHz +2/−0 dB (chart: about 0 dB at 5 kHz, +0.5–1 at 10 kHz, L +1.5–2 / R 0 at 20 kHz → +0.9); below 1 kHz not measured (the test record was played unequalized), assumed flat. Separation 25 dB at 1 kHz, 21 dB at 10 and 20 kHz. Output 2.99 mV (rated 1.6). Resonance 8–10 Hz in a 17 g arm → compliance about 14 µm/mN at 10 Hz (derived; Denon: 10 × 10⁻⁶ cm/dyne at 100 Hz). Tracking 60 µm at 315 Hz (DIN 45-549) at the recommended force; mistracked the +12 dB IM band. 4.8 g, 1.3–1.9 g (SPEC). | MEAS Stereo Review (Julian Hirsch, January 1988); SPEC directories | https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Audio/Archive-HiFI-Stereo/80s/HiFI-Stereo-Review-1988-01.pdf ; https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Audio/Archive-Audio/80s/Audio-1983-10.pdf |
| Sonotone 9TA (ceramic) | Response (chart, left channel, through Sonotone's adapters into a magnetic input, 3 g): −3 dB at 30–50 Hz, −2 at 100 Hz, −2 at 3 kHz, −1 at 5 kHz, +3 at 9 kHz, 0 at 10 kHz, −5 at 14 kHz, +5 at 20 kHz. Separation: better than 25 dB 1–6 kHz, gone above 12 kHz (HSR 1961; about 10–15 dB at 10 kHz, chart) and about 20–27 dB at 1 kHz, 0–3 dB at 10 kHz (HF 1962) → 25 / 7 dB. Compliance 5.5 × 10⁻⁶ cm/dyne (SPEC, frequency not stated); 0.7 mil diamond; 2–4 g. Mass not published: the Sonotone 8TA's 2.8 g (SPEC). No tracking-ability figure; tracked the Cook 60 and Fairchild 101 records at 3.5 g. No measurement exists of a ceramic straight into a cheap player's high-impedance input. | MEAS United States Testing Co. (High Fidelity, November 1962), Hirsch-Houck (HiFi/Stereo Review, October 1961) | https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Audio/Archive-High-Fidelity/60s/High-Fidelity-1962-Nov.pdf ; https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Audio/Archive-HiFI-Stereo/60s/HiFi-Stereo-Review-1961-10.pdf |

**Tracing distortion by stylus shape** (2nd harmonic at 8 kHz, 5 cm/s, 5-inch
radius): spherical 6.4%, biradial (elliptical) 4.0%, hyperelliptical 2.5%
(Shure 1978 technical seminar,
https://content-files.shure.com/KnowledgeBaseFiles/high-fidelity-phonograph-cartridge-technical-seminar-faq.pdf).
Since 2026-10-23 the distortion is made in the groove: the music is turned
into groove velocity (RIAA pre-emphasis), gains τ·v·dv, and the error goes
back through playback EQ. Coefficients (`TRACE`, per 5 cm/s and per kHz) are
calibrated in the simulation so the output 2nd harmonic at 8 kHz, 5 cm/s
matches Shure (spherical 0.01486, elliptical 0.00929, hyperelliptical
0.0058), and at 10 kHz HomeTheaterHifi's line-contact VM540ML, 0.9% (line
0.00164). At 1 kHz that gives elliptical 0.69%, spherical 1.1%. Earlier the
term was computed on the music before pre-emphasis, which understated treble
tracing distortion about 4 times and overstated bass-against-treble
intermodulation.

**Where the simple form breaks.** Corrington (RCA Review, June 1949,
https://worldradiohistory.com/ARCHIVE-RCA/RCA-Review/RCA-Review-1949-Jun.pdf,
Eqs. 26–33) gives the spherical-tip 2nd harmonic as ¼·R·A²… whose leading term
is H2 = π·r·f·v/V² = x/2, with x = r·acceleration/V² (the tip radius over the
groove's tightest bend); his series isn't valid past x = 1, where the tip
rides only the crests. Traced exactly as a rigid sphere (our computation, which
matches his series at x = 1), the 2nd harmonic levels off toward 50%:
H2 ≈ 0.5·tanh(x). The model applies that, with x from the peak of the groove
acceleration over the last 2 ms (our choice). Measured extremes agree: Walton
(JAES 14(2), 1966, http://freudhoefer.de/File_Share/Walton.pdf, Figs. 1b and
13, read from graphs) found about 20% total distortion at 8 kHz, 10 cm/s RMS,
5-inch diameter for a 0.6 mil spherical tip, and above 32% at 12 cm/s peak; the
model gives a conical tip near the label 27–31% at 8 kHz, 5–12 cm/s. At Shure's
test conditions the cap changes nothing measurable (6.3% for 6.4%).

Check against Shure's intermodulation test (1 kHz + 1.5 kHz at 25 cm/s peak,
same paper): Shure measured spherical 2.4%, biradial 1.8%, hyperelliptical
1.4%; the model gives about 5.2%, 3.3% and 2.0% (difference products at 500 Hz
and 2.5 kHz). Shure doesn't state which products its figure counts, and one
coefficient can't match both tests, so the model's vinyl intermodulation may
read up to about twice the real value; the order of the stylus shapes is right.

The digital RIAA filters use the bilinear transform for the bass corners and
matched poles and zeros for the 75 µs corner (playback within 0.4 dB of the
analog curve at 8 kHz and 1.6 dB at 16 kHz; plain bilinear was 4.3 dB low at
16 kHz).

**Tracking ability** (`track`: the largest 300 Hz lateral groove swing tracked
cleanly, µm peak, at the force given; Hi-Fi News's 300 Hz bands are referenced
to 11.2 µm, so +12 dB = 45 µm, +14 = 56, +15 = 63, +18 = 89):

| Cartridge | Figure | Basis |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Ortofon 2M Red | 70 µm at 315 Hz, 1.8 g | SPEC Ortofon (https://ortofon.com/products/2m-red) |
| Audio-Technica VM540ML | none published; typical 70 µm, 2.0 g | typical |
| Shure V15 Type IV | 80 µm at 1 g (70 at 0.75 g, 100 at 1.25 g), German Hi-Fi Institute record | MEAS Stereo Review, May 1978 |
| Denon DL-103 | 75 µm at 2.5 g | MEAS Hi-Fi News (DL-A110) |
| Ortofon SPU | fails at +14 dB, about 56 µm, at 3.0 g | MEAS Hi-Fi News (SPU 124); Ortofon specifies 60 µm for the Classic GE MkII |
| Lyra Kleos SL | clears +18 dB (89 µm) at 1.75 g | MEAS Hi-Fi News |
| Hana Umami Blue | 70 µm at 2 g | SPEC Hana (the Umami Red measured 70–75 µm, Hi-Fi News) |
| Shure M44-7 | none (designed before trackability measurement, Shure 1976 catalog); typical 70 µm | typical |
| Grado Prestige Gold | none; typical 70 µm. Stereophile found its tracking "less accomplished than that of other budget cartridges" | typical |
| Denon DL-160 | 60 µm at 315 Hz | MEAS Stereo Review, January 1988 |
| Sonotone 9TA | none; typical 70 µm | typical |

Above about 500 Hz the limit is a groove speed: Shure measured the V15 IV at
1 g tracking 29, 42, 47 and 37 cm/s peak at 400 Hz, 1, 2 and 10 kHz (E. R. Happ,
Audio, June 1978, https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Audio/Archive-Audio/70s/Audio-1978-06.pdf).
The model gives every cartridge the V15 IV's ratio of that 42 cm/s average to
its 300 Hz figure (our choice). Checked against the test records: the SPU starts
to fail at +14 dB, the DL-103 holds +15 dB, the Kleos holds +18 dB, and the V15 IV
holds 30 cm/s at 10.8 kHz (Shure TTR-103 bands 15–30 cm/s, tracked cleanly in
Stereo Review's test). On our recordings at the site's playback level, only the
bass-heavy hip-hop clip briefly exceeds the weakest trackers' limits.

**Output** (`output`: mV at 1 kHz, 5 cm/s; sets the phono stage's hiss and
headroom relative to the music; added 2026-10-23):

| Cartridge | Output | Basis |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Ortofon 2M Red | 5.5 mV | SPEC Ortofon |
| Audio-Technica VM540ML | 4.0 mV | SPEC https://www.audio-technica.com/en-us/vm540ml (LowBeats measured about 3.3 mV, velocity not stated) |
| Shure V15 Type IV | 3.85 mV | MEAS Stereo Review, May 1978 ("3.85 millivolts at a stylus velocity of 3.54 cm/sec", RMS, the same tone as 5 cm/s peak), https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Audio/Archive-HiFI-Stereo/70s/HiFi-Stereo-Review-1978-05.pdf; Shure specifies 4.0 mV |
| Denon DL-103 | 0.55 mV | MEAS Hi-Fi News (DL-A110), https://www.hifinews.com/content/denon-dl-a110-cartridge-lab-report; Denon specifies 0.3 mV |
| Ortofon SPU | 0.2 mV | SPEC Ortofon (SPU Classic) |
| Lyra Kleos SL | 0.326 mV | MEAS Hi-Fi News, https://www.hifinews.com/content/lyra-kleos-sl-cartridge-lab-report (rated 0.25 mV) |
| Hana Umami Blue | 0.4 mV | SPEC Hana |
| Shure M44-7 | 9.5 mV | SPEC Shure 1976 catalog, https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Company-Publications/Shure/1976_shure_Phonograph.pdf (the 1965 data sheet says 11 mV) |
| Grado Prestige Gold | 4 mV | SPEC Grado (Gold4, "4 mV @ 5 CMV (45 degrees)"), https://gradolabs.com/products/gold4 |
| Denon DL-160 | 2.99 mV | MEAS Stereo Review, January 1988 |
| Sonotone 9TA | 10 mV | SPEC |

Grado and Lyra quote 5 cm/s along one channel's 45° axis; a 5 cm/s lateral cut
gives about 3 dB less on each channel. Others don't say; we take every figure
as given.

**Inner-groove treble loss** (`grooveLossDb` in `js/vinyl.js`): Miller's model as
restated by CBS Laboratories (1962), via http://pspatialaudio.com/wavelength_loss.htm:
response 1 − (f/fc)², fc = 6.65×10⁻² · D·N · (E/(R·F))^⅓. Spherical tips use
their radius (M44-7 18 µm, DL-103 16.5 µm, 9TA 17.8 µm); other shapes use a
radius fitted to Hi-Fi World's measured inner-minus-outer loss at 20 kHz and 2 g
(https://www.hi-fiworld.co.uk/index.php/vinyl-lp/25-cartridges/914-audio-technica-vm95-cartridges.html?showall=1
and the DL-304 and 2M Bronze reviews): elliptical about 3 dB → 4.29 µm;
line-contact and Shibata about 1.1 dB → 1.17 µm; hyperelliptical counted with
the long-contact shapes. The model breaks down near fc, so the loss stops at
20 dB. Result at 10 kHz near the label: conical about −2 dB (Hi-Fi World: VM95C
−2 dB at 10 kHz), elliptical −0.6 dB, line contact −0.3 dB.

## Turntables

| Preset | Used in the preset | Basis | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Technics SL-1200GR2 | Peak wow 0.01%, flutter 0.02%; rumble −73.8 dB DIN-B (groove); arm 8–9 g; speed −0.004%. Flutter rate: motor cogging 26.6 Hz (calculated). | MEAS Hi-Fi News | https://www.hifinews.com/content/technics-sl-1200gr2-lab-report ; https://www.audiocognoscenti.com/blog/study-of-cogging-torque-in-technics-sl-1200-turntables |
| Linn LP12 (Majik/Krane) | Peak wow 0.02%, flutter 0.04%; wow at ±2 Hz, flutter sidebands at ±12 and ±50 Hz; rumble −70.1 dB DIN-B; arm 10 g. | MEAS Hi-Fi News; Stereophile corroborates ±50 Hz motor sidebands | https://www.hifinews.com/content/linn-majik-lp12krane-turntable-package-lab-report ; https://www.stereophile.com/content/linn-sondek-lp12-turntable-lingo-power-supply-measurements |
| Rega Planar 3 | Proxy Planar 2: peak wow 0.02%, flutter 0.03%; rumble −68.1 dB; RB220 arm 11 g. Flutter rate assumed 10 Hz. (Stereophile measured a Planar 3 running 0.31% fast; speed error isn't modeled.) | MEAS Hi-Fi News (proxy) | https://www.hifinews.com/content/rega-planar-2-turntable-lab-report ; https://www.stereophile.com/content/gramophone-dreams-14-rega-planar-3-page-2 |
| Pro-Ject Debut Carbon EVO | Peak wow 0.02%, flutter 0.03% with a ±41 Hz component; rumble −69.1 dB; arm 7 g. | MEAS Hi-Fi News | https://www.hifinews.com/content/pro-ject-debut-carbon-evo-turntable-lab-report |
| Garrard 301 restored (SME 301 Advanced) | Factory restoration of a 1950s idler-drive 301 in SME's heavy plinth (23 kg with arm), SME V-12 arm. Peak wow 0.03% (±2.2 Hz component, 1:4 idler/inner-platter ratio), peak flutter 0.04%; rumble −70.9 dB silent groove / −65.9 dB through bearing (DIN-B); hum and noise −57.0 dB unweighted re 5 cm/s; speed +0.25% fast until adjusted, then +0.04%. Flutter rate not published (25 Hz assumed). SME V-12 effective mass 12.0 g (SPEC SME). Hum is not modeled. | MEAS Hi-Fi News; SPEC SME | https://www.hifinews.com/content/garrard-301-advanced-lab-report ; https://sme.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/SERIES-V-12-apr-18.pdf |
| Garrard Zero 100 (changer) | Wow 0.1%, flutter 0.025% (weighting not stated); rumble −55.5 dB CBS RRLL weighted (−32 dB unweighted). Arm mass not published (15 g assumed); flutter rate assumed 10 Hz, the bottom of the lab's flutter band. | MEAS Hirsch-Houck (Stereo Review 7/1971) | https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Audio/Archive-Stereo-Review-IDX/IDX/70s/HiFi-Stereo-Review-1971-07-OCR-Page-0034.pdf |

Wow and flutter: Hi-Fi News reports them as "Peak Wow/Flutter (Peak wtd)", the peak after the standard wow and flutter weighting (IEC 386 / DIN 45507; CCIR and IEEE use the same curve, per Julian Hirsch, "Turntables: How to Evaluate the Specs", Stereo Review, May 1983). The presets keep those published figures (wpk) at each component's rate, and vinyl.js wowComponents divides each by the weighting at that rate to get the speed change the platter actually makes, which the simulation plays. Once-per-revolution wow at 0.556 Hz is weighted down by 10.2 dB, so it plays about 3.2 times the published figure. Stereo Review's 1971 changer report (printed p. 32) gives "wow and flutter were 0.1 and 0.025 per cent" without saying how; Hirsch-Houck Labs' own columns describe their method: a 3,000 Hz test record, the NAB standard's unweighted measurement over 0.5–300 Hz split into wow (0.5–10 Hz) and flutter (10–300 Hz) bands, read on an RMS meter ("H-H Labs uses an unweighted measurement", Stereo Review, Jul 1970, p. 35; Dec 1969, p. 39). The changer keeps them as unweighted RMS. Its 0.025% flutter equals the floor the lab gave for its equipment (0.025–0.03% in the Garrard SL 95 reports, Apr 1969 and Mar 1970), so it is an upper bound.

Rumble weightings differ (DIN-B, CBS RRLL, IEC 98A) and aren't directly
comparable. The model treats each figure as DIN-B-like and generates rumble
about 10 dB louder unweighted, concentrated below 40 Hz and at the arm
resonance.

## Tracking angles: collected, tested, left out (2026-10-30)

A pivoted arm meets the groove at a slight angle to the cutter's path
(lateral tracking error), and a cartridge's stylus moves up and down at an
angle that can differ from the one the record was cut at (vertical tracking
angle, VTA). Both read the groove a little ahead of or behind where it was
cut, giving a 2nd-order error of (v/V)·tan(angle error) for a tone of peak
velocity v on a groove passing at V (Löfgren 1938, Baerwald 1941; Keith Howard,
"Arc Angles", Stereophile, March 2010:
https://www.stereophile.com/content/arc-angles-optimizing-tonearm-geometry).
The lateral error acts on the L+R swing, the vertical on the L−R swing.

**Stock arms** (geometry: effective length / overhang / offset)

| Arm (deck) | Geometry | Effective mass | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Technics SL-1200GR2 | 230 mm / 15 mm / 22° (SPEC; Technics: error within 2°32′ at the outer groove, 0°32′ at the inner) | 8–9 g with headshell (HFN) | https://help.na.panasonic.com/?p=415920 ; https://www.hifinews.com/content/technics-sl-1200gr2-lab-report |
| Linn Krane (LP12) | 229 / 18 / 24° (SPEC) | 10 g (HFN) | https://www.projekt-akustik.de/mediafiles/Sonstiges/Hersteller/Linn/Produktinformationen/Linn-Krane-Datenblatt-ENG.pdf |
| Rega RB220 (Planar 2, our Planar 3 proxy) | 236.5 / 14.5 / 21.55° (SPEC Rega; HFN prints 237 mm and 23°) | 11 g (Rega, HFN) | https://rega.co.uk/products/rb220 ; https://hifinews.com/node/129934 |
| Pro-Ject 8.6" carbon (Debut Carbon EVO) | 218.5 / 18.5 mm (SPEC); offset not published. It must be at least 23.75° for the arm to have two points of zero error (our arithmetic), so the test used 23.75°, the worst case | 7 g (HFN); 6 g (Pro-Ject) | https://www.henleyaudio.co.uk/Media/downloads/products/PJAADCEVO/PJAADCEVO_User%20Guide.pdf |
| SME V-12 (Garrard 301 Advanced) | 308.8 / 13.2 / 17.62° (SPEC) | 12.0 g (SPEC) | https://sme.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/SERIES-V-12-apr-18.pdf |
| Garrard Zero 100 (changer) | Its headshell turns as the arm crosses the record. MEAS: no error above about 0.5°, the limit of the lab's protractor (Hirsch-Houck, Stereo Review 7/1971); tested as 0.5° everywhere | not published | Stereo Review 7/1971 (above) |

Also collected, for a tonearm catalogue that was not built (maker's figures
only; no lab measurements found): Supatrac Blackbird Farpoint 9-inch, 239 mm,
23°, 11 g, overhang 17.5 mm (from its 221.5 mm pivot distance)
(https://www.supatrac.com/); Kuzma Stogi S and 4Point 9, 229 mm, 212 mm
mounting, 23°, 11 and 13 g; Kuzma 4Point 11-inch, 280 mm, 264 mm, 19.5°, 18 g
(Stereophile's spec sidebar says 13 g) (https://www.kuzma.si/tonearms).

**Cartridge VTA** (MEAS = measured, with the lab; SPEC = maker's figure)

| Cartridge | VTA | Vertical vs lateral distortion, same report |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Ortofon 2M Red | MEAS 27° (Hi-Fi World 12/2021, 2021 sample); MEAS 33° (HFW 5/2007); SPEC 20° | 2021: lateral 1.2%, vertical 3.6%; 2007: 1.4%, 5.4% (STR-112, 300 Hz, 45 µm) |
| Audio-Technica VM540ML | SPEC 23°; proxy MEAS 18° (HFW 12/2017, the same VMN40ML stylus on a VM700 body) | HomeTheaterHifi, STR-112 after RIAA: 100 Hz, 50 µm lateral 0.8%, vertical 3.9% |
| Shure V15 Type IV | MEAS 21° (CBS, High Fidelity 6/1978); MEAS 20° (Hirsch-Houck, Stereo Review 5/1978) | Audio 2/1979: IM 200/4000 Hz lateral 1.7% at +9 dB, vertical 5.2% at +6 dB |
| Denon DL-103 | MEAS 22° (HFW 11/2006); MEAS 18° (HFN, as the DL-A110) | HFW: lateral 0.75%, vertical 1.4% |
| Ortofon SPU | SPEC 20° (SPU Classic GE MkII); no measurement found | not found |
| Lyra Kleos SL | MEAS 22° (HFN) | "excellent" matching, no figures (HFN) |
| Hana Umami Blue | not found; Umami Red MEAS 22° (HFN) and 30° (HFW 1/2021), Umami Black 25° (HFN) | Umami Red, HFW: lateral 0.7%, vertical 4.5% |
| Shure M44-7 | SPEC 15° (Shure, 1965) | not found |
| Grado Prestige Gold | not found; Prestige Silver, "the same generator", MEAS over 30° (HFW 4/1997, 9/2004) | Silver: lateral 1.3–1.6%, vertical 6–7% |
| Denon DL-160 | MEAS 26° ±2° (Stereo Review 1/1988, CBS STR 160) | not found |
| Sonotone 9TA | not found | not found |

Records: CBS measured three major cutters between 15° and 22° (US patent
4,359,768, https://patents.google.com/patent/US4359768A/en); Neumann's SX-74
is built to cut 18° after the lacquer springs back (Neumann, as quoted by
Hi-Fi World); the agreed standard is 20°, +5/−0° for the cutter (US patent
4,752,921, https://patents.google.com/patent/US4752921A/en). Hi-Fi World and
Hi-Fi News treat 22° as ideal.

**Test.** We added both errors to a copy of the vinyl worklet (checked on a tone: 1.071%
2nd harmonic for Howard's 1.07% case, a 230 mm arm 0.85° off at a 56 mm
radius, 10 cm/s RMS). The 16 test clips ran through it at 85 dB, on the outer
(146 mm) and inner (59 mm) grooves, with the VM540ML (least tracing
distortion, so the most exposed), and the misaligned arm and VTA runs also
with the 2M Red. The change was graded as the
site grades distortion: PEAQ, the worse of the opening and the loudest 8 s,
half a grade or more being audible.

- Each stock arm at its maker's geometry, against a perfect arm with no
  error: at most 0.15 of a grade (the Debut, inner grooves); 0.44 with
  records cut 6 dB hotter than we assume. Arm against arm, less.
- A 9-inch arm misaligned by 1 mm and 1°: at most 0.16; with records 6 dB
  hotter, 0.53 on one clip's inner grooves.
- Arm mass, through the resonance, changes the rumble and warp the site rates
  as background noise by at most 0.6 dB between the six arms (the site counts
  1 dB).
- VTA 4°, 7°, 10° and 15° off the cut: at most 0.04, 0.12, 0.25 and 0.70.
  Only 15° reaches Subtle, on one clip's inner grooves (Ishizaka,
  Contrapunctus 1). Of the measured cartridges, only the 2007 2M Red sample
  (33°) and the Grado Silver (over 30°) come near that far from an 18–20°
  cut. The test leaves the
  music's bass in stereo, where the cut narrows it toward mono, so it
  overstates the vertical swing a little.

So neither error is modeled, and the arm stays part of each turntable.
Howard judged the worst case of a well-aligned 9-inch arm audible in his own
listening to a simulation; our ear model does not.

## Records and general vinyl facts

| Fact | Value | Source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Surface noise, silent groove (Shure) | Re a 1 kHz tone at 5 cm/s peak. −45 to −47 dB, biradial and hyperbolic tips (V15 Type III, 1.5 g, SME 3009 II, 3.0–3.3 in radius), which Shure calls wideband without naming a filter (seminar p. 11–12). −46¾ dB biradial, −47½ dB hyperelliptical through a **500 Hz high-pass** (V15 Type IV, 1 g, 3 in radius, seminar p. 36; also printed in Audio, June 1978). Not unweighted wideband figures | MEAS Shure, https://content-files.shure.com/KnowledgeBaseFiles/high-fidelity-phonograph-cartridge-technical-seminar-faq.pdf ; https://gammaelectronics.xyz/audio_06-1978_phono78-2.html |
| Surface noise, new pressings (Zaworski) | Re a 1 kHz tone at **5 cm/s RMS** (7 cm/s peak), side a, left/right. First pressing, vinyl compound "Plastic A": −53.8/−52.2 dB A-weighted, −55.5/−53.4 CCIR/ARM, −30.9/−29.2 unweighted (rumble around 12 Hz and the arm resonance near 20 Hz dominate). Second pressing, compound "Plastic B" on a different press: −46.5/−45.9 A, −52.9/−51.7 CCIR/ARM, −32.5/−31.3 unweighted. Side b within about 1 dB. Over 400 test records pressed on Viryl WarmTone presses under varying settings, over 200 recorded on a Technics SL-1200GR with an Ortofon Blue; once weighted, press settings mattered little and the change of compound and press most. The 7 dB A-weighted gap is not a level gap: by CCIR/ARM it is 1–3 dB and unweighted the second pressing is quieter; averaged over three quiet tracks, both sides and all three weightings the two pressings differ by 0.11 dB (p. 50). Zaworski concludes the compounds change the noise's character, not its overall level (p. 116), and single records' spectra look alike (Fig. 5.12, p. 91) | MEAS Zaworski, MSc thesis, Waterloo 2022, Tables 5.1–5.2 (pp. 87–88), presses p. 40, reference pp. 12–13: https://uwspace.uwaterloo.ca/handle/10012/17874 |
| Surface noise limit (NAB) | Stereo: at least 50 dB below a 1 kHz, 5 cm/s peak tone, on a VU meter, reproduced flat in velocity (no playback EQ) over 500 Hz–15 kHz (−3 dB points, 12 dB/octave beyond); playback EQ improves it by about 8 dB, to about 58 dB (§3.35 and note). Mono: 55 dB below 7 cm/s peak (§3.25). RIAA Bulletins E1/E4 (1978) set no noise limit | STANDARD NAB Disc Recording and Reproduction, 1964: https://www.richardhess.com/tape/history/NAB/NAB_Disc_Standard_1964_searchable.pdf ; RIAA: https://www.bostonaudiosociety.org/pdf/RIAA%20Bulletins%20E1%20&%20E4_1978%20LP%20dimensional%20standards.pdf |
| Noise after repeated play | +3.7 dB after 50 plays on an untreated record, in the 3 kHz band of a wave analyser (HP 3590A, about 100 Hz wide); 2nd harmonic +8 dB. A narrow band, not wideband; no wideband noise-against-plays measurement found | Pardee, US patent 4,096,079 (1978): https://patents.google.com/patent/US4096079A/en |
| Clicks on new pressings | 49 (left) and 27 (right) clicks per side on the first pressing, 68 and 29 on the second (stamper damage blamed): about 3.7 and 1.8 a minute. Counted by an automatic detector (threshold 200, width 20); the count depends on its threshold, and no levels are given | MEAS Zaworski 2022, pp. 58–59 |
| Off-centre pressings | Centre hole within 0.005 in (0.127 mm) of the groove spiral (NAB §2.15). Zaworski's new pressings showed wow of about 0.3% peak, unfiltered, against 0.10% for the lacquer on the same deck, put down to the centre hole's offset. An offset d at radius R gives a speed swing of about ±d/R (geometry). Not modeled | NAB 1964; Zaworski 2022, pp. 31–32 |
| Groove speed at 33⅓ | ~51 cm/s outer, ~20–21 cm/s inner → inner grooves 2.5 × tracing distortion | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phonograph_record ; https://pspatialaudio.com/max_velo.htm |
| Warps | Typical 4 Hz at 0.076 mm; 70% below 5 Hz, 95% below 8 Hz; good arm/cartridge resonance 10 Hz, Q 3 | Holman, Audio 7/1977: https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Audio/Archive-Audio/70s/Audio-1977-07.pdf |
| Largest dish warp | ~0.64 mm at the lowest frequencies (OCR text; verify) | https://patents.google.com/patent/CA1180663A/en |
| Mono bass (elliptical EQ) | Side channel high-passed at 75/150/300 Hz; historical Neumann units 6 dB/octave | https://www.ka-electronics.com/kaelectronics/Elliptic_EQ/Elliptic_EQ.htm ; https://www.soundonsound.com/sound-advice/q-should-master-my-material-vinyl |
| Program levels | Peaks at least 15 dB above 5 cm/s (Atkinson); model sets average music 6 dB below 5 cm/s | https://www.stereophile.com/content/linn-sondek-lp12-turntable-lingo-power-supply-measurements |

### The model's surface noise against these (2026-11-01)

The simulation's surface noise follows Zaworski's spectrum, and `hissDb` is
its A-weighted RMS re the amplitude of a 5 cm/s tone (the same number as re
a 5 cm/s RMS tone, his reference). Rendering the worklet at the new
pressing's −54 dB and measuring each source's way (our arithmetic; Shure's
and NAB's figures are re the tone's own level, 3 dB below its amplitude):

| Measure | Each channel | Measured or required |
| --- | --- | --- |
| A-weighted, re 5 cm/s RMS | −54.0 dB | Zaworski: −53.8/−52.2 (Plastic A), −46.5/−45.9 (Plastic B) |
| CCIR/ARM, re 5 cm/s RMS | −55.5 dB | Zaworski: −55.5/−53.4, −52.9/−51.7 |
| Above 500 Hz, re a 5 cm/s peak tone | −52.7 dB | Shure: −46¾, −47½ |
| NAB: flat velocity, 500 Hz–15 kHz, VU | −46.2 dB | NAB: −50 or lower |

**Spectrum (2026-11-01).** Zaworski's Fig. 5.12 (p. 91), traced from the
thesis's embedded image (210 px a decade, 3.3 px a dB), Plastic A, the left
and right channels' power averaged, in third-octave bands summed from his
per-Hz curves (the lowest points sit 1.46 Hz apart, FFT bins). His A-weighted
and CCIR/ARM curves sit where the standard weightings put them relative to
the unweighted one, within 0.5 dB up to 10 kHz in the left channel; each
level below is the median of the three readings.

| Hz | 31.5 | 40 | 50 | 63 | 80 | 100 | 125 | 160 | 200 | 250 | 315 | 400 | 500 | 630 | 800 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| dB | −45.7 | −47.4 | −47.0 | −47.5 | −47.7 | −45.6 | −48.5 | −46.9 | −46.9 | −48.2 | −52.4 | −55.7 | −58.9 | −62.1 | −63.1 |

| Hz | 1k | 1.25k | 1.6k | 2k | 2.5k | 3.15k | 4k | 5k | 6.3k | 8k | 10k | 12.5k | 16k | 20k |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| dB | −62.9 | −62.5 | −62.0 | −61.4 | −61.4 | −61.5 | −61.6 | −61.3 | −60.9 | −60.4 | −60.6 | −61.6 | −63.1 | −63.6 |

(dB on his axis; only the shape is used.)

- Pink (even per third octave) from 31 to 250 Hz and again, about 15 dB
  lower, from 800 Hz to 10 kHz. A low shelf on pink noise at 360 Hz, slope
  1.2, +14.75 dB fits this record within 0.9 dB RMS.
- But the plotted record reads A-weighted only 0.4 dB under CCIR/ARM, while
  his averages over all the records (Tables 5.1–5.2) read 1.45 dB over: the
  average record has less treble. The model keeps the shelf's corner and
  slope and sets its height to 19.3 dB, which gives the averages' 1.45 dB
  (rendered: 1.5). Against the plotted record the model is then 1–4 dB higher
  below 250 Hz and 1–3 dB lower from 1 to 10 kHz (2.3 dB RMS).
- Below 31 Hz (his turntable's rumble and arm resonance) and above 10 kHz
  (his cartridge's response) the pink continues (our choice); about 46% of
  the noise's power lies below 20 Hz, which the verdict's noise measure (from
  25 Hz) leaves out.
- Against the pink spectrum used before, at the same A-weighted level, the
  treble is about 4 dB lower and the bass and lower midrange about 15 dB
  higher. By NAB's flat-velocity measure the noise is now 3.8 dB over the
  limit (7.5 before).
- Until 2026-11-01 the right channel rendered 2.5 dB quieter than the left:
  the left's common and independent noise drew on one pink filter, which then
  ran twice per sample, and `HISS_CAL` was set on the left. The common part
  now has its own filter, and `HISS_CAL` makes each channel's A-weighted RMS
  equal `hissDb`.
- −54 dB sits at the quiet end of the measured range: 0.2 dB under Zaworski's
  Plastic A in the left channel (A-weighted), 5–6 dB quieter than Shure's
  500 Hz figures (1978 records). The level is our choice; it keeps the
  A-weighted level of the earlier model (−54.2).
- The used record's 4 dB rise is applied across the whole spectrum (our
  choice), from Pardee's narrow 3 kHz band.
- No noisier-compound record (dropped 2026-11-01): Zaworski's two compounds
  differ by 6–7 dB A-weighted but 1–3 dB CCIR/ARM, the second is quieter
  unweighted, and a different press came with the second compound. That is a
  change of spectrum, not a level to raise our noise by. Claims of 10–15 dB
  quieter vinyl (dbx 1980, Sonopress, Europadisk, a forum post on QRP) state
  no method and are not used.

## Not measured anywhere we found (typical values used)

- Click and crackle levels; the click rate is typical (Zaworski's one count
  on new pressings, about 2–4 a minute per channel, depends on his
  detector's threshold; ours is about 6 a minute per channel).
- Worn-record noise: no wideband noise-against-plays measurement found.
- Shure M44-7 and Grado: no lab measurements (specifications only).
- Inductance of moving-coil cartridges; V15 compliance; Rega Planar 3 wow and rumble; changer arm mass; Garrard 301 flutter rate.
- No lab measurements found for a restored Garrard 401 (only owner app readings, about 0.11% wow and flutter).
- Speed error (pitch offset) is not modeled.

## Phono stages

Stereophile pages were read in a browser. RIAA errors are read from the graphs
(about ±0.1 dB), both channels averaged and set to 0 dB at 1 kHz.

| Stage | Used in the preset | Source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro-Ject Phono Box RS2 | RIAA within ±0.15 dB. MM: S/N 83.5 dB A-weighted re 5 mV (any gain); overload 32 dB at 1 kHz, 20 dB at 20 kHz (lowest gain, 1% THD+N). MC at highest gain (70 dB, which a low-output cartridge needs): S/N 62 dB A re 500 µV; overload 22.5 dB at 1 kHz, 20 dB at 20 kHz. Subsonic filter (−3 dB at 22 Hz) left off | MEAS Stereophile, https://www.stereophile.com/content/pro-ject-phono-box-rs2-phono-preamplifier-measurements |
| Fosi Audio BOX X1 | MM only, 35 dB gain. RIAA: −4.0 dB at 20 Hz, −1.5 at 100 Hz, +0.9 at 5 kHz, +1.2 at 20 kHz (5.2 dB end to end). Overload: 1% THD at about 55 mV (graph), 20.8 dB above 5 mV, one frequency only, assumed the same at 20 kHz. No noise figure: SINAD 74 dB at about 5 mV (10 Hz–22.4 kHz) bounds the hiss; +2.6 dB for A-weighting white noise gives 76.6 dB (our arithmetic) | MEAS Audio Science Review, https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/fosi-box-x1-ultracheap-phono-stage-review.62976/ |
| EMT 128 | MC only (transformer input, 12–30 Ω cartridges), "−6" gain setting (62.5 dB). RIAA flat to ±0.2 dB from 30 Hz to 10 kHz, −1.2 dB at 20 kHz. S/N 76.3 dB A re 500 µV. Overload 8.3 dB at 1 kHz, 3.5 dB at 20 kHz re 500 µV. 2nd harmonic 0.3% at 500 µV (not modeled) | MEAS Stereophile, https://www.stereophile.com/content/emt-128-phono-preamplifier-measurements |

The hiss is modeled as white at the output: the RS2's A-weighted and
22 Hz–22 kHz figures sit 3.8 dB apart, where white noise gives 2.5 dB (the
EMT's are 12 dB apart, more low-frequency noise, which A-weighting discounts).
Cartridges under 1.5 mV use the moving-coil input, others the moving-magnet
input (our choice); only stages with that input are offered for a cartridge.

## Cutting limit (treble velocity)

Real records can't carry unlimited treble: the cutter head's acceleration is
limited. Sources (2026-10-23):

- Neumann BSB 74 acceleration limiter (SAL 74 / SX 74 system, 1974): "a current
  limit of 1.4 Amps in the band above 4kHz thereby limiting all accelerations to
  8150m/s² (830g)", quoted from its manual at http://pspatialaudio.com/max_accel.htm
  (secondary source; the manual itself not seen).
- Jim Lesurf, Hi-Fi News 2007, "On The Record"
  (http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/HFN/LP2/OnTheRecord.html): measured LPs peak at
  about +17–19 dB re 5 cm/s, with treble peaks within about 1,000 g (≈21 cm/s at
  7 kHz, ≈15 at 10 kHz, a few cm/s above 14 kHz on a ZZ Top single).
- Kogen, "Trackability", Audio, November 1966: about 25 cm/s on good stereo
  records from 800 to 2,500 Hz; one record needed 1,500 g at 14 kHz.
- Shure's survey (Happ, Audio, May–June 1978, Fig. 1): hottest measured points
  about 50 cm/s at 7–17 kHz, which implies 3,000–5,000 g and conflicts with the
  sources above; not used.
- Hi-Fi News "Making Headroom" boxouts (Paul Miller): +18 dB re 5 cm/s taken as
  the fiercest groove modulation, without a frequency.

Model (`CUT` in js/vinyl.js, `cutLimit` in js/vinyl-processor.js): the music as
groove velocity; the band above 4 kHz (2nd-order high-pass) is turned down when
its acceleration passes 830 g, instant attack, 50 ms release (our choice). It
acts on what is cut, so tracing, mistracking and phono overload see it, and it
stays in the linear reference. On our clips it cuts the 16 kHz octave's peak
velocity from 51 to 22 cm/s on the brightest (Night Owl, about −3.6 dB of top
treble on average) and leaves classical recordings untouched.