Classic match for the Decca was something like Hadcock 228 unipivot. I've used Decca since 1978 on a Hadcock with silicone damping - Maroo, Garrott Brothers Gold and a John Wright rebuilt C4E.
Decca London Super Gold Compatibility Question
Can someone tell me what happens when you use the Deccas with the wrong arm? Is it a tracking issue or will it just not sound good? I tried it with my SME M2-12R with a Yamamoto wood headshell and the results were not great. Hoping it's just compatibility and not something wrong with the Decca.
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It should work pretty well with that arm. Try the SME headshell. Maybe add a little mass.Thanks bpoletti. I did this and the Decca came alive! Quite a bit of surface noise but wow. So immediate sounding! Now trying to deal with a little thin sounding bass. Setup is definitely finicky. |
I added 4.4 grams using an SME headshell weight and that was the difference maker. That and finally getting the VTA correct! The surface noise is really interesting because it's almost like there's a threshold that if it hits, there's noise. Otherwise it's quiet. I don't seem to have many records with just a little noise with this cartridge. |
The Decca/London is tricky because its’ lateral and vertical compliances are very different, the lateral being about 50% higher than the vertical. Schizophrenic! Of course, the effective (moving) mass of all arms is partially determined by the distance of the rear counterweight from the arms’ bearings. To increase an arms’ em, move the counterweight further away from the bearings. To keep the tracking force the same, additional mass is then added to the headshell, thereby further increasing the arms’ em. Serendipity! An arm with medium lateral mass and high vertical would be optimum for the Decca/London. Is there such a beast? A good way to add mass to the "classically"-styled Decca/Londons (the Maroon/Gold/Super Gold, etc.) is to order it with the optional Decapod top plate/mount. A second benefit to the welcome added mass of the pod is the far superior mounting of the cartridge to the arm it affords. The stock cartridge holder/mount is a flimsy joke, completely unacceptable. Owners of stock cartridges can have the Decapod installed at the factory at the same time retipping is done. Well worth its’ modest price. |
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