Goldmund Studio/T3 with Helikon cartridge

I've found that going from a Shure gauge to digital scales made a tremendous improvement in reliabile readings, I don't know if I necessarily agree with the magnet theory, but the scale WILL be much more precise. I do agree there is as much as a gram difference between the two.

I'd try it if I were you. Sometimes Occam's Razor works!

Well, that's an interesting bit of info that I hadn't heard before. One of the reasons I have the Shure guage is that I don't change cartridges or setup often enough to justify a very expensive VTF guage. The digital guages that I am aware of cost around $500 or maybe it was $400.

Any recommendations for an inexpensive solution that improves on the Shure guage (which cost me $20)?

Willster: Even if it weren't for the magnetically induced error of the Shure gauge, it doesn't provide the kind of accuracy I think you will want with your arm/cartridge if you want to achieve the best results. I have two recommendations:

There are many lower-priced digital guages, some here on Agon, sometimes at auction. I bought an Audio One Digital Stylus Pressure Gauge here at auction from "audioparts" for $157 about 3 months ago. It measures out to .01 gram (1/100) which is what you need for a MC cartridge. It's nothing fancy, but it does the job -- and for less than a tenth the price of my cartridge.

My other suggestion, and I wish I could be more specific, is that there are a few simple balance scales out there(like the Shure) made of non-ferrous materials. You'll have to do some Googling.

Make no mistake, the magnets in MC cartridges are extremely powerful for their size. The minute you revealed you were using a Shure gauge, I knew what the problem was. I've been there!

Nsgarch: +++++ " Shure tracking force gauges are made with stainless steel and cant't be used with MC cartridges! " +++++

Well, a few minutes ago I check my old Shure gauge against a digital gauge with four differents MC cartridges: everything is Ok. The top plate where the stylus touch the Shure gauge is made from aluminum, no problem. But I remember that I read, somewhere, that Shure have the steel version and the aluminum version. I'm not really sure about. But that's for sure that if exist the steel version, this one had a problem with MC cartridges. Yes, I agree on that.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

The Shure SFG has a one piece balance beam made of stainless steel, a sliding steel weight, and a plastic body. There are two engraved grooves at one end of the balance beam. The stylus is placed in one of these grooves depending on your measurment range. There is no aluminum top plate, nor is there aluminum elsewhere in its construction.