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Interesting difference between 12" and 9" tonearms

So I just got my 1987 Decca Super Gold cartridge back from John Wright with a Decapod fitted and new Paratrace stylus. Modified Garrard 401 with 2 arms. (see my Virtual System). I installed it in my 9" Jelco TK-850 and it didn’t sound good. Lots of surface noise and missing inner detail. I adjusted VTA and VTF and improved it some but it hadn’t a patch on the other Decca (Garrott Bros Gold with new LC stylus and Decapod) on the 12". A little irked, I tried it in the 12" version of the same arm on the same table. Same cables and armboards. Ridiculous. Transformed. Minimal surface noise. Tons of detail. Crystal clear. Musical as all hell. In fact, I can’t stop playing album after album. Ridiculous! (Cross posted from a comment on @halcro post)
128x128noromance
chakster's avatar
chakster
6,144 posts
 
When i was reading about Decca cartridges i quickly learned that they are not for every tonearm, actually very limited choice of tonearms are suitable for this specific cartridge. I could not stand its design, so i never bought any Decca, the journey ended up with cantilever-less Ikeda 9 III.  
noromance's avatar
noromance OP
9,501 posts
 
@millercarbon There's no cantilever on the Decca. 
@rauliruegas The 12" Jelco 850, knife bearings or not, sounds fantastic with the Decca. 
@chakster The 12" Jelco 850 sounds fantastic with all three of my Deccas. 
Gentlemen, thanks for your comments. It seems that the 9" is not a great match whereas the 12" is completely fine. I'll try it again with some mass added.
halcro's avatar
halcro
2,664 posts
 
My LDR also performs better on my 12" FR-66S than on my 9" FR-64S or 9" DV507/II where it mistracks at several locations.....🤔Just accept it.....if you have it sounding well.....be happy 🎉🤗
noromance's avatar
noromance OP
9,501 posts
 
Thanks @halcro .

Ag insider logo xs@2x
rauliruegas
12,837 posts
 
Dear @noromance  : My post was only to tell you that the 9" with that cartridge resonates at 16hz, not good match . That'a all.

In the other side each one of us like different kind of distortions and that's why you like the knife bearing.

I remember very well, because I owned, the warning that Dr. Sao Win  puts in the LOMC cartridge MC-10: don't use with knife bearing tonearms. I was owner of the SAECs 560 and 8000 knife bearings and even that are very good looking and builded with a high quality level as performers are really bad. But to each his own. No problem.

Regards and enjhoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R. 
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