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Tonearm/Cartridge pairing.

Hello to everybody.

My turntable’s tonearm has a mass of 15.6 g (cane + head shell). My cartridge weighs 6.9 g. If I calculate the effective mass of the tonearm the way the maker did (arm’s mass with head shell + cart + tracking force) I get a global 24.5 g mass. The arm + shell mass is 15.5 (15.6 actually); the head shell weighs 10.1g.

My cartridge’s static compliance is rated 20mm/N (I ignore whether it’s @10Hz or 100Hz).

Will someone more experienced than I am please tell me if the cart and the tonearm are suited to each other statically? My cart (Goldring E3) did fine on a friend’s turntable (rega P2) but seems a little ill at ease on mine (Technics SL-1510, ca. 1978).

Opinions welcome,

Thanks
M.

martinguitars
martinguitars OP
23 posts
 

Thanks,

I have an aftermarket head shell which looks well done and rather the same mass of the original one. The wires look decent enough and of sufficient gauge.

M.
 

martinguitars OP
23 posts
 

The korfaudio.com/calculator showed that my arm/shell/cart system works well within the safe rage.
Listening to a couple more records was satisfying. It's probably a worn/dirty LP issue.
I stay with a feeling that the RP220 tonearm on the P2 tracks a little better, but since I don't mean to become an obsessed little Michael Fremer, I will keep the Technics as it is.

Thanks to all for the help.
M.

 

mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,505 posts
 

@martinguitars , Never assume the settings on a pre calibrated arm are accurate. Always measure. Same holds for specifications which is why a test record (HiFi News Analog Test Record) is so important. Never assume. Measure!

The bearings on a tonearm can get pretty bad before you can notice it by feel. There is no easy way to tell if they are OK. The WallySkater is the only way I know of and it is $250. 

chayro
2,981 posts
 

Why don’t you ask a technics dealer what they recommend for your TT?  Believe me, they have no desire to sell you something you want to send back. In the old days, I used a Denon 103, and it really sounded good to me. 

lewm
12,873 posts
 

With all due respect, If you're interested enough to post here about a vague sense that you are not getting the most out of your cartridge, then you also ought to make the effort to learn a little bit about the intricacies of vinyl so you become better equipped to make the most out of what you have.  It's really not "rocket science", nor is the study of the art an indication of prissiness (as you imply with your remark about MF).  It's kind of fun and sometimes rewarding, you may find.

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