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A pitch too High!

Recently, I damaged the V2 MM cartridge of Clearaudio Concept Wood turntable, so had it changed with a Grado Prestige Blue. The VTF for V2 is 2.2g while Grado blue stands at 1.5g. I took someone’s help to fix this. He even made azimuth adjustments and it sounded fine. But I soon realised that the sound had become thinner, voice being the primary indicator and just before the stylus landed on the record, it skipped back a bit then hit the record. Sometimes the tonearm would skip all the way out of the record, backwards. I called the guy back, and he felt the VTF should be fixed to around 2g to avoid the backward skip. He did so and that problem was licked and it seemed the voice thinning issue had also vanished. But last night, I put on the first pressing of Aretha Franklin Amazing Grace, and all along I found her pitch way higher, it was all too high pitched and uncomfortable. Seemed the bass had gone missing a little. On my Boulder 866, I could immediately hear the difference when the track was played through Roon. It was not as high pitched, thin as it sounded on analogue. I intend to call the guy again but wanted to know from experts here as to what the issue could be.
128x128terrible
terrible's avatar
terrible OP
44 posts
 

@mijostyn I have done all measurements again. For some strange reason, when I check the VTF, the value from the last time has changed, so I have to do it all over again. It’s anti-skate for 1.5g VTF that I have done. This is the slowest the arm is moving in, on the runout area of a recorded LP and the supposed runout area of a blank record. I made shifts in mm this time, so if I make it even slightly lesser the arm starts moving in faster than what you’ll see in the video. And if I take it 1 or 2mm more, the arm hovers a little at the same point for a little while and then moves in towards the spindle.

Runout Area:

 

Blank Record

 

mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,570 posts
 

It is still a little fast. Add just a touch more antiskate. 

terrible's avatar
terrible OP
44 posts
 

@mijostyn I did this but it was really tough again. This turntable really sucks. Every time I get near right AS, the VTF would go off and vice versa. Finally, I am on 1.5g VTF, where this seems to be the best AS. An mm less of AS makes the tonearm travel faster; an mm more makes the tonearm linger and sometimes move in towards the spindle or sometimes move out. Basically it becomes very erratic.

 

Another matter i wanted to take advice on was the cartridge for SME12A. I have a friend coming in from New York and I wanted to make a purchase for some time to come. I was looking at Ortofon Windfeld TI but it is very expensive on US websites. On Analogue Seduction, UK, it will cost me £2850, inclusive of VAT and shipping to London. This is almost $1330 more than say the cost on the Cable Company website.

What would be an equivalent cartridge I could get from the US?

 

For the current turntable I’ll probably get a Grado 8MZ or TLZ stylus, to put in the current cartridge as advised by @Chakster

 

lewm
13,038 posts
 

I don't want to get into it again with MC, but skating force occurs with any and all types of pivoted tonearms, those that overhang the spindle and those that underhang the spindle, as well. (So far, those are the only two types I know about, and underhung tonearms are much more rare than overhung. If you own one, you know about it.)  It also occurs with or without headshell offset angle.  I'll stop there.

mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,570 posts
 

@terrible , if the vinyl is not perfectly flat the tonearm might wander back and forth a little. As long as the net motion is towards the spindle you are in business. If it does not head in one direction or the other dial a little less anti skate. 

As for what to put on the SME 12A, that could be a long list. The Windfeld Ti is a great cartridge. Some would even say as good as it gets. The Lyra Kleos would do very well. The Soundsmith Paua would be another. Grado Statement 3. Clearaudio Stradivari. Dynavector Te Kaitora Rua. My Sonic Lab Eminent EX and I am sure a lot of others.

 

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