Goldring’s Eroica HX moving-coil turntable cartridge works with a moving-magnet input

Moving-magnet or moving-coil cartridge? For the in-betweens, Goldring today introduced the Eroica HX high-output moving coil cartridge, which offers a taste of moving-coil sound without the additional expense of a step-up phono transformer.

The HX, available in June at $899, joins the comparably priced LX low-output moving-coil cartridge in the Eroica–that’s “heroic” in Italian–series. Unlike the LX, however, the HX is ready-to-go in any audio system with a standard moving-magnet phono input.

Like the LX, Goldring outfitted the HX with its Gyger II diamond stylus that, with a 5-micron playing radius, can trace frequencies distortion-free up to 50kHz. The new cartridge also has the same lightweight composite housing material, Pocan, as its sibling.

The Eroica series from the British cartridge manufacturer also includes another high-output moving coil cartridge, the Eroica H ($800). The difference: The H uses a square armature, a characteristic of early moving coil design, and the HX uses a Goldring-developed cross armature found in the Eroica Elite ($1,000) and Eroica Ethos ($1,500).

The HX’s output voltage, typical for its type at 2.5mV, is still lower than the average moving-magnet cartridge’s (up to 5mV). But it’s not so low that it will affect performance with your moving-magnet phono input.

In the audiophile world, a properly designed moving-coil cartridge offers superior frequency response and dynamic range, greater clarity, and a deeper-in-the-groove connection with music.

Is the Eroica HX your one-way ticket into that world?