← The components

Goldring Eroica HX MC

Cartridge

Relative price

below typical

Among the 89 cartridges in the catalogue, this one is below typical.

A band places a component against its peers and carries no price. It is deliberately the only price indicator on this page: a second one, measured against a different set, would narrow the two together far enough to give the figure away.

What it is

High-output MC variant — works into MM phono input.

Competition record

Assessed against 16 rivals across the sixty systems: it takes the slot in none of its 61 head-to-heads.

Where it gives ground

The dimension the engine names as the weakest link, counted across every head-to-head it lost.

  • bass control ×33
  • low-level clarity ×22
  • quietness at rest ×18
  • rhythmic grip ×7
  • bass weight ×2
  • speed stability ×1

Who it comes up against

van den Hul The Frog

20 lost · Anchored, Artisan, BBC Sound, Cavity-Native, Characterful, Intimate, PRaT, Reference, Romantic, Twin Arms

Against the Anchored brief, the van den Hul The Frog keeps the slot decisively.

With the Musical Fidelity M8x Vinyl, the pairing gives up most on bass weight.

With the Vertere Groove Runner X, the pairing gives up most on bass control.

On its own merits the Goldring Eroica HX MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.

powerful dynamicsvdH Frog reviews

van den Hul The Crimson

15 lost · Anchored, BBC Sound, Cavity-Native, Characterful, Intimate, PRaT, Reference, Romantic, Twin Arms

Against the Characterful brief, the van den Hul The Crimson keeps the slot decisively.

With the Musical Fidelity M8x Vinyl, the pairing gives up most on low-level clarity.

With the Vertere Groove Runner X, the pairing gives up most on bass control.

On its own merits the Goldring Eroica HX MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.

quite forceful on transientsTAS — Crimson XGW Stradivarius
quite forceful on transientsTAS — Crimson XGW Stradivarius

Hana EL MC

4 lost · Anchored, Characterful, Intimate, Romantic

Against the Anchored brief, the Hana EL MC keeps the slot decisively.

With the Rega Aria Mk3 MM/MC, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.

With the ProJect Tonearm 8.6 Carbon (Debut PRO), the pairing gains most on speed stability.

On its own merits the Goldring Eroica HX MC is the stronger cartridge — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the Rega Aria Mk3 MM/MC gives up quietness at rest under the Anchored weighting.

strong sense of pace and detailecoustics (White), 2023
remarkable job tracing groovesPositive Feedback (Gibbs) 2018

Sumiko Blue Point No.3 Low MC

4 lost · Artisan, Cavity-Native, PRaT, Reference

Against the Artisan brief, the Sumiko Blue Point No.3 Low MC keeps the slot decisively.

With the Rega Aria Mk3 MM/MC, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.

With the ProJect Tonearm 8.6 Carbon (Debut PRO), the pairing gains most on bass control.

On its own merits the Goldring Eroica HX MC is the stronger cartridge — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the Rega Aria Mk3 MM/MC gives up quietness at rest under the Artisan weighting.

dynamicSumiko Blue Point No.3 / Amethyst owner+press consensus
dynamicSumiko Blue Point No.3 / Amethyst owner+press consensus

van den Hul The Colibri

3 lost · Artisan, Reference

Against the Artisan brief, the van den Hul The Colibri keeps the slot decisively.

With the EAR Yoshino 88PB MM/MC, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.

With the Vertere Groove Runner X, the pairing gives up most on bass control.

On its own merits the Goldring Eroica HX MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.

Linn Kendo MC

2 lost · Twin Arms

Against the Twin Arms brief, the Linn Kendo MC keeps the slot decisively.

On its own merits the Goldring Eroica HX MC is the stronger cartridge — but it loses here on fit: the way it sits with the rest of this system under the Twin Arms weighting.

It sits well below the share of the budget this brief aims at the cartridge position.

Etsuro Urushi Gold MC

2 lost · Vocals-First

Against the Vocals-First brief, the Etsuro Urushi Gold MC keeps the slot by a whisker.

On its own merits the Goldring Eroica HX MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.

It sits well below the share of the budget this brief aims at the cartridge position.

Etsuro Urushi Cobalt Blue MC

2 lost · Vocals-First

Against the Vocals-First brief, the Etsuro Urushi Cobalt Blue MC keeps the slot by a whisker.

On its own merits the Goldring Eroica HX MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.

It sits well below the share of the budget this brief aims at the cartridge position.

van den Hul MC One Special

2 lost · Romantic, Twin Arms

Against the Romantic brief, the van den Hul MC One Special keeps the slot decisively.

With the Rega Aria Mk3 MM/MC, the pairing gives up most on low-level clarity.

With the Technics S-shape magnesium tonearm (SL-1200G), the pairing gives up most on bass control.

On its own merits the Goldring Eroica HX MC is the stronger cartridge — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the Rega Aria Mk3 MM/MC gives up low-level clarity under the Romantic weighting.

Koetsu Azule Platinum MC

1 lost · Twin Arms

Against the Twin Arms brief, the Koetsu Azule Platinum MC keeps the slot decisively.

On its own merits the Goldring Eroica HX MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.

It sits well below the share of the budget this brief aims at the cartridge position.

Koetsu Onyx Platinum MC

1 lost · Twin Arms

Against the Twin Arms brief, the Koetsu Onyx Platinum MC keeps the slot decisively.

On its own merits the Goldring Eroica HX MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.

It sits well below the share of the budget this brief aims at the cartridge position.

Goldring Eroica LX MC

1 lost · Twin Arms

Against the Twin Arms brief, the Goldring Eroica LX MC keeps the slot clearly.

On its own merits the Goldring Eroica HX MC is the stronger cartridge — but it loses here on fit: the way it sits with the rest of this system under the Twin Arms weighting.

Goldring 1042 MM

1 lost · Twin Arms

Against the Twin Arms brief, the Goldring 1042 MM keeps the slot clearly.

On its own merits the Goldring Eroica HX MC is the stronger cartridge — but it loses here on fit: the way it sits with the rest of this system under the Twin Arms weighting.

Ortofon MC Quintet Black S

1 lost · Vocals-First

Against the Vocals-First brief, the Ortofon MC Quintet Black S keeps the slot by a whisker.

On its own merits the Goldring Eroica HX MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.

It sits well below the share of the budget this brief aims at the cartridge position.

Rega Nd3 MM

1 lost · Silent Path

Against the Silent Path brief, the Rega Nd3 MM keeps the slot decisively.

With the Rega Aria Mk3 MM/MC, the pairing gives up most on low-level clarity.

On its own merits the Goldring Eroica HX MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.

It sits well above the share of the budget this brief aims at the cartridge position.

Linn Koil MC

1 lost · BBC Sound

Against the BBC Sound brief, the Linn Koil MC keeps the slot decisively.

With the Rega Aria Mk3 MM/MC, the pairing gives up most on low-level clarity.

On its own merits the Goldring Eroica HX MC is the stronger cartridge — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the Rega Aria Mk3 MM/MC gives up low-level clarity under the BBC Sound weighting.

With the ProJect Tonearm 8.6 Carbon (Debut PRO), the pairing gives up most on bass control.

rounded bassPROXY: AT-OC9 platform

Systems it is part of

What the reviewers said

high-output Eroica with same MC body, MM-compatible Goldring Eroica HX (high-output) positioning· Tonal body
vocals are pushed slightly forward ecoustics (White), 2023· Presence & articulation
strong sense of pace and detail ecoustics (White), 2023· Timing precision

How it scores

Voice

  • Tonal body 71 from listening evidence
  • Presence & articulation 76 from listening evidence

Rhythm

  • Timing precision 76 from listening evidence

Specifications

cartridge typeMC
output mv2.5
internal impedance ohm100.0
recommended load ohm47000
tracking force g1.5/2.0
compliance dynamic um per mn18
weight g7.5
stylus profileVital fine line
cantilever materialaluminium
notes