Moving magnet / Moving coil cartridges

[N Cook]

I've been asked by someone, quoted funny money for a
replacement B&O cartridge, to sort out something cheaper.
Looking in a number of Bang & Olufsen Beogram manuals they
never seem to specify whether MM or MC.
Due to small physical size and their stock numbers always seem
to be MMC.... i assume Moving Magnet Cartridge.
I am aware of MM/MC selection switches on phono section of amps
but is there a significant impedance or level or equalisation requirement
that cannot be accommodated by volume & tone controls?
Obviously a large bog standard moving coil cartridge will look
ugly, which he is aware, and I'll have to mount it on the tone-arm above and
set
back from the end of the B&O arm and add counter-balancing
weight at other end. But will it function well enough for
music non-purist ? Any ideas on fairing/ masking so as
to disguise the bulky and bodged appearance. ?

Diverse Devices, Southampton, England
electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list on
http://home.graffiti.net/diverse

 

[NSM]

I've been asked by someone, quoted funny money for a
replacement B&O cartridge, to sort out something cheaper.
Looking in a number of Bang & Olufsen Beogram manuals they
never seem to specify whether MM or MC.

Why would you care? I haven't ever seen a MC cart IIRC.

Due to small physical size and their stock numbers always seem
to be MMC.... I assume Moving Magnet Cartridge.
I am aware of MM/MC selection switches on phono section of amps
but is there a significant impedance or level or equalisation requirement
that cannot be accommodated by volume & tone controls?

None I can imagine.

Obviously a large bog standard moving coil cartridge will look
ugly, which he is aware, and I'll have to mount it on the tone-arm above and
set
back from the end of the B&O arm and add counter-balancing
weight at other end. But will it function well enough for
music non-purist ? Any ideas on fairing/ masking so as
to disguise the bulky and bodged appearance. ?

God's teeth don't do that. He needs to bite the bullet and buy the real
thing - look on eBay, maybe he'll get lucky.