SP6/7
| Product : | SP6/7 |
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| Produced from : | 1965 - 1972 | |
| Designed by : | Erik Rorbaek Madsen | |
| Finish : | Silver metal | |
| Desirability : | 2 |
The SP-range of Bang & Olufsen cartridges enveloped a broad range of uses. The cartridge range was introduced as a result of stereophonic records becoming more and more popular with the introduction of microgrooved 33 rpm vinyl recordings. At that time there was no standard as such for playing back vinyl recordings. Bang & Olufsen paved the way with the company’s introduction of the 15° tracking angle for stereo recordings, later adopted as a world standard.
Using the ‘moving iron’ principle a very small armature was placed over four tiny magnets. In playing a record the armature moved by extremely small degrees. An induced current, caused by this movement, was then relayed to the cartridge’s contacts. It was this very smll electrical current, amplified to quite an enormous degree by amplifiers attached to the record deck, which allowed users to hear their records.
Unlike the later MMC-range of cartridges where stylus and components were combined, the stylus of the SP-range was designed to be easily removed and replaced. In this way, music lovers could purchase a stylus (or styli) relevant to their needs. Suitable diamond-tipped styli could be bought for 78 rpm records, monophonic records as well as micro-groove stereophonic records of the late 1950s.
These two cartridges were updated SP1/2 cartridges and were manufactured with a 15-degree tracking angle which had recently been recognised as an international standard.
The SP7 was designed for use in more budget machines such as the much-loved Beogram 1500, as well as the Beogram 1000 and 1001 and offered a good frequency response of 20Hz-20,000Hz.
The SP6 had the same specifications as the SP7 but was suitable for more modern pickups. The SP6/7 was fitted with a spherical diamond stylus.
The Bang & Olufsen customer could buy the two cartridges fitted with styli specially developed for either 78rpm records or more modern 33rpm micro-grooved discs.
See also: MMC Cartridges
