QuestionQUESTION: I recieved the cartridge I ordered on 1/9 and the turntable works beautifully.I chose based upon an online dealers recomendation the Grado Black, cost $60 My question is nowadays with it being impossible to buy anything doing with vinyl in stores it is hard to audition things of this nature,Do you feel I made a good choice? I didn't want to buy a super cheap cartridge but on the other hand I didn't want to spend over $100 on a cartridge for a 23 year old turntable even though I only paid 6 bucks for it.and Grado has a good reputation for quality with their products,I own a set of Grado headphones. The sound of the cartridge is a bit on the mellow side though and the sales rep said in that price range the only other cartridge he would recommend is a model by Ortofon which leans more towards neutral with more "punch" Do you have any recomendations for a good under $100 preferably less than $80 cartridge? Or did I do well?
ANSWER: In the day when transcription turntables were the only good means of consumer vinyl reproduction, I recall wanting the very thing that you just remorsed about, to audition a cartridge. Circa 1959 to 1979 no one that I know would audition a cartridge because of the delicacy of the stylus.
Having said that you made a good choice with Grado at any price. Although the cartridge that I use of Grado is considerably more money, I would say that there should not be a significant difference until you cross the $500 price range. Then you must have a good tonearm or the cartridge and/or vinyl will be damaged.
Read the specs for the cartridge and make sure that you are tracking at an optimum weight. Also check to see that the stylus position forward in the head shell is correct and that the tonearm is parallel to the vinyl when the stylus is on the record. These recommendations will go further in good sound reproduction then the price of the cartridge.
Another recommendation is to transfer the vinyl upon first playing to a digital source, That will help preserve the vinyl and give you the ability to play the music on many different systems.
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QUESTION: Thanks,this is a P mount cartridge there are no user adjustments for tracking force/weight the turntable even specifies it is set at the factory for 1.2 grams although I see a philips head screw on the rear of the tonearm I don't know if I should mess with it.Actually this dealer said I can return the cartridge for a full refund minus forward and return shipping costs if I wanted to.What is a transcription turntable? Also is the Ortofon cartridge comparable to the Grados in this price range?
ANSWER: Transcription turntable is the pen name for any turntable that plays vinyl. Both the Grado and Ortofon are good cartridges but neither may be suitable for a turntable without basic adjustment for weight, anti skating and tonearm adjustments. A manufacturer can only set a weight for a cartridge furnished with the turntable. The a weight of a cartridge is dependent on the weight of the head shell & cartridge. Whatever cartridge you put in the Pmount it will counter balance the tonearm. The philips screw is more than likely a rough means to make that adjustment.
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QUESTION: I looked at the specs for the cartridge it gives a recommended tracking force of 1.2 grams which is the manufacturers(Pioneer)factory setting but if I want to make sure it is set correctly do I need a stylus force gauge? There is an arrow pointing to the screw that says TRACKING FORCE or should I do it by ear? right now the screw is in as far as it will tighten and I haven't messed with anything else.One more thing,any recomendations on a record cleaner as it seems they are available only online or is wiping them clean with a lint free soft cloth good enough? If there are scratches in some records resulting in clicks and pops will a good cleaning remove deep in dirt resulting in better sound or once these scratches are embedded in the surface of the record are they unfortunately there to stay?
AnswerTo weigh a fraction of a gram you need an accurate gauge. I have not used one for 20 or more years since all of the turntables that I've worked with have built in gauges. There is no way to make this adjustment by ear unless you have the experience to hear flutter, wow and harmonic distortion. You can attempt to use your eye but that also takes experience. You need to know the compliance of the stylus cantilever in order to judge when the tonearm is putting too much pressure on the grooves. The downside of making the cartridge too heavy is you will decrease the high end and eventually ruin the stylus and perhaps records. Too light and you will cause the tonearm to make dents on the sides of the grooves as it is bounced back and forth.
In case your wondering, I am somewhat of a purest and do not work with inexpensive transcription gear.
As far as cleaning vinyl I only use one method. Lukewarm water, mild dish soap and a lint free cotton T shirt or equivalent. Make sure the soap is completely removed, tap it dry and air dry it for 15 minutes before playing it.
