Ortofon - Stereo Test Record - LP

Fifteen tracks of test signals for measuring what your cartridge, tonearm and turntable are actually doing.

This is a diagnostic LP rather than a music record, and it answers questions you otherwise have to guess at. Ortofon developed the signals on it specifically to analyse cartridge performance and its interaction with the tonearm and turntable it is mounted in.

Tracks 1 to 4 are 28-second logarithmic frequency sweeps running from 800Hz to 50kHz, cut linear and specified flat to ±1.5dB across 800Hz to 20kHz, run separately on the left and right channels. These reveal frequency response irregularities and how the stylus behaves at ultrasonic frequencies. Tracks 5 to 8 are 1000Hz reference tones at 5cm/sec rms, for checking channel balance and confirming the cartridge is wired correctly — a swapped or open leadwire shows up here immediately.

Tracks 9 to 14 are the ones most people buy the record for: tracking ability tests using lateral modulation at 315Hz, stepped up through 50, 60, 70, 80, 90 and 100 micrometres of peak amplitude. Play them in sequence and you find the exact point at which your cartridge and tracking force combination starts to mistrack, which tells you whether your setup is right and how much headroom you have. Track 15 is a square wave at 2.7 milliseconds with a 3:7 duty cycle.

The record needs a system with RIAA equalisation in the chain, which any normal phono stage provides.

Features

• Fifteen test tracks developed by Ortofon for analysing cartridge, tonearm and turntable performance
• Tracks 1–4: logarithmic frequency sweeps, 800Hz to 50kHz, 28 seconds each, left and right channels separately
• Tracks 5–8: 1000Hz reference tones at 5cm/sec rms for channel balance and wiring checks
• Tracks 9–14: tracking ability tests at 315Hz, stepping 50 / 60 / 70 / 80 / 90 / 100 µm peak amplitude
• Track 15: square wave, 2.7 msec, 3:7 duty cycle
• Tests frequency response, channel balance, turntable speed, tracking ability and correct cartridge connection

Specifications

• Type: Test and setup LP
• Tracks 1 – 4: Frequency sweeps, 800Hz – 50kHz logarithmic, 28 seconds each, left and right channels, linear cut, specified 800 – 20,000Hz ±1.5dB
• Tracks 5 – 8: Reference tones at 1000Hz, 5cm/sec rms, for channel testing
• Tracks 9 – 14: Tracking ability tests — lateral modulation at 315Hz at increasing peak amplitudes of 50, 60, 70, 80, 90 and 100 µm
• Track 15: Square waveform, 2.7 msec, duty cycle 3:7
• Playback Requirement: Must be played through a system with RIAA equalisation in the chain, which any normal phono stage provides
• What It Tests: Frequency response, channel balance, turntable speed, tracking ability and correct cartridge connection
• Origin: Ortofon A/S, Nakskov, Denmark
• Not Published: Pressing plant; vinyl weight; catalogue number; country of pressing; whether a printed booklet or measurement chart is included
• Note: The sweeps run to 50kHz but Ortofon quotes the ±1.5dB flatness tolerance only over 800Hz to 20kHz. That is normal practice for a test pressing, but it means the record should not be described as flat to 50kHz