GARROTT BROS OPTIM FGS PHONO CARTRIDGE
Can a moving-magnet cartridge sound better than a moving-coil cartridge? The answer, according to Andrew Ryland, is yes…
Garrott Bros’ newest, 2016 version of its long-running Optim FGS cartridge not only still uses the ‘dynamic coil’ principle pioneered by the late John and Brian Garrott, but also has a Fritz Geiger Signature diamond stylus. However its stylus is now not user-replaceable, and the cartridge mounting system is also different to previous versions.
THE EQUIPMENT
The Fritz Geiger Signature stylus profile used in the Optim FGS is actually a development of a profile developed by famous Dutch cartridge designer A. J. van den Hul, who used computer analysis to develop a stylus shape that replicated the head of the cutter used to make the original vinyl masters as closely as possible, while simultaneously reducing the side radius. The reduction in side radius resulted in reduced distortion and improved high-frequency tracking, while the increase in the length of the ‘contact patch’ reduced wear, thus increasing the life of both the stylus itself and the LPs it played. But whereas van den Hul’s original model had a 4×70 m cross-section, the Fritz Geiger has one of 5×70 m. Other styluses with similar profiles are variously known as ‘MicroLine’, ‘MicroRidge’, ‘SAS’ and ‘Paratrace’ profiles.
What all the above stylus profiles have in common is that they’re very expensive to make, since the diamond has to be cut by a laser to the required shape, unlike, say, a standard conical stylus, which can be created using mechanical means. The difference in longevity between the different profiles is quite surprising, however, with a conical stylus providing ‘best performance’ for only around 100 hours of playback before starting to deteriorate, whereas a vdH/FGS profile will provide optimum performance for more than 500 hours before playback quality starts to suffer.
My favourite observation about the difficulty of vinyl reproduction was made by famous UK hi-fi reviewer Paul Messenger, who once said: ‘To understand the dimensions involved in the record system we shall construct an enlarged model in which one micron (one thousandth of a millimetre) is represented by 25mm. A ‘line contact’ stylus would produce vertical oval ‘foot-prints’ on the groove walls 254mm by 100mm and would deform the vinyl by about 25mm. The stylus itself would be 9-metres high, attached to a cantilever 15 metres in diameter and 84 metres long that extends from a 600-metre-long cartridge body that is some 25-metres above the record surface!
This certainly illustrates the problems of relative magnitude that the turntable system has to deal with. In fact it is quite amazing that record decks work as well as they do, and it is hardly surprising that there are differences among them.’ (Admisison: I have paraphrased Messenger’s original words slightly, and converted imperial measurements to metric.)
As for the ‘dynamic coil’, it seems that Philippe Luder, who purchased Garrott Bros in 1991 following the tragic death of both brothers and their wives Teresita and Normita, is continuing this rather inappropriate name as a legacy to them, despite the fact that Optim FGS is a moving-magnet design. Luder says the two brothers used the term ‘dynamic coil’ to identify the method by which the signal generating system (moving-magnets/fixed coils) is damped and balanced. ‘ Many modern cartridges suffer the effects of excessive damping… as designers attempt to control excessive high frequency brightness and distortion artefacts inherent in the mechanics of the stylus/record interface,’ he is reported as saying. ‘ Unfortunately, over-damping results in a serious loss of musical dynamics and leaves a legacy of dull and unconvincing reproduction that is especially noticeable in the upper bass to lower midrange areas that contain the body and feeling of the music.’
I was a bit disappointed by the physical appearance of the Optim FGS because its body looks almost identical to budget-priced mass-produced cartridges, and the moulded writing on the front of the cartridge itself was not crisp, with in-fill in places that should have been void. So in all, quite unprepossessing, and not at all what I’d expect a cartridge retailing for $1,000 to look like. I was also disappointed by the cartridge mounting system, because instead of having circular mounting holes, the new Optim FGS has ‘U-shaped’ cartridge lugs that make cartridge mounting and adjustment more difficult than when thru-holes are provided (as they were on some earlier versions of the Optim FGS).
Garrott Bros specifies the frequency response of the Fritz Geiger Signature Diamond at 20Hz–20kHz ±2dB, and the channel separation at 25dB (@1kHz). The output voltage is spec’d at 3.8mV @ 3.54cm/ sec and the recommended load impedance at 47kΩ. Recommended tracking force is between 1.8 and 1.9 grams.
Despite being a moving-magnet cartridge, the Optim FGS’s stylus is not user-replaceable. If you return it to Garrott Bros, the company will replace the stylus for you, at a cost of $600. This, too, is a change, because previously the Optim FGS had a user-replaceable stylus… as correctly noted by Paul Szabady in his Aug 14, 2002 review of the Optim FGS for The Stereo Times. ( His review is currently ranking No 1 on Google searches for reviews of the Garrott Bros Optim FGS.)
In Use and Listening Sessions
Playing back an LP I picked up at the audio show in Melbourne (‘The Searchers, The Collection’, on Foothill Records) that had been remastered from the original Pye master tapes, I was mesmerised by the immediate, raw sound of Michael Pender’s guitar leads, but absolutely floored by the kick drum sound from Chris Curtis’ kit. His cymbal sound was also outstanding, no matter whether he was using sticks or brushes. I was surprised that Tony Hatch (who produced the album) mixed his piano (he plays on This Empty Place) so far in the background, but equally bemused by the deep baritone emphasis on the words ‘place’ and ‘space’ in the lyric.
Captivated though I was with the quality of ‘The Collection’, I didn’t have to get much past the lead-in of Billy Joel’s album ‘52nd Street’ to hear that no matter how well any 50-yearold tape has been re-mastered, it will never, ever, compare to a recording made on modern recording equipment. From the realism of the finger clicks on Stiletto to the sound of Freddie Hubbard’s trumpet on Zanzibar, through to Hugh McKracken’s lovely nylon-string guitar sound on Until the Night and Rosalinda’s Eyes, the upwards shift in quality was simply ‘chalk and cheese’, and this upward shift was made all the easier to hear by the articulation of the Optim FGS.
Pulling some old 40-year-old vinyl from my collection I was astonished to hear—or rather not hear!—the usual ‘ticks’ and ‘pops’ and excessive surface noise that I am used to hearing when I play my older LPs. It would appear that the particular profile of the FGS stylus does indeed allow the stylus to ‘skate over’ imperfections, debris and pre-existing damage in the groove, and it was thus able to breathe new life into LPs I was keeping for nostalgic and musical reasons, rather than for their sonic virtues.
Conclusion
Before I listened to the Garrott Bros Optim FGS, I would have told anyone who asked that only moving-coil cartridges delivered ultimate vinyl reproduction. Now, I’ve heard the Optim FGS, I’ve changed my mind, because the extraordinarily high sound quality of the Optim FGS is easily equal to or better than that from moving-coil cartridges, and its tracing ability is clearly superior to even the best of them. So, as they say: ‘This one’s a keeper.’ Andrew Ryland
The particular profile of the FGS stylus does indeed allow the stylus to ‘skate over’ imperfections, debris and preexisting damage in the groove!
Readers interested in a full technical appraisal of the performance of the Garrott Bros Optim FGS Phono Cartridge should continue on and read the LABORATORY REPORT published on the following pages.