Need Help Systemdek and Grado Cart..Possible?

Wow, thanks guys, this is really encouraging.. I might be worried over nothing, whew! The turntable should arrive in a week or and I can't wait to see what I'm in for.

Thanks again!

I'm using the IIx with a Grado Prestige Red right now and while it's not as quiet as my other cart, it's certainly acceptable. I would have to turn up my McIntosh gear to ear splitting levels before the hum becomes a nuisance. Anyway, I really like my Systemdek, and I think the Grado works well with it.

Grados are one of the few unshielded cartridges. I had the black with my IIX before i figured that out. Major hum at the end of a record. Yes MuMetal works. pretty good. Make a wall between the two. I tried a sheet cut to match the platter figuring that would block it all. Nope - got worse. That just lets the 60hz field go to the other end and you get hum at the record beginning. You need to build a wall off the suspension.

The bests thing is just to ditch the cartridge. Go Goldring, Ortofon or Shure.

Have used an old Grado X.. on my XII when other carts have met with an untimely end. Now I use it on a direct drive Technics I use for travel(headfi meets)with no hum problems.

I pulled the trigger with the Sonata. It hummed, of course.

It turns out that Audionote supplies a motor shield for their current-production version of the IIX. I bought one directly from Audionote ($36.00 maybe?) and installed it. It still hums, but the hum is extremely attenuated. I'm tempted to try the ERSAmat under the felt, but I'm having a hard time parting with the $70. :)