How are you playing your precious MONO Vinyl?

lalitk OP

I used the shorter SME 3009 on my Thorens TD124 for many years, loved the knife edge design. So obvious what everything does. Note: those arms have a concealed rubber tube that isolates the rear counterweight tube section, if buying used, make sure it has been renewed. 

I was just admiring the two longer 3012’s Steve has among the forest of TT’s you pass by. It was that combo, with Shure’s V15VxMR beryllium/microridge that I mentioned earlier as the best bass I ever had and will never forget. Tracked at 1.0g

It’s not tool free or quick to change the height, but it seems like you will leave things alone after setup, unlike me who changes headshell/cartridge combos frequently (including friend’s cartridges we listen to here).

I never saw or heard a Groovemaster, it sure has nice features, what do the reviews say about comparison to SME, others

a. very thin wire, thus no forces back onto the arm interfering with anti-skate which is happening on my re-wired 12.5" New Art Vinyl Blackbird Arm (didn’t happen with it’s original litz wire). That is why I changed to the 11-1/8" long JVC Victor UA-7082, with internal 5 pin din. (current Blackbird uses 5 pin din).

b. magnetic anti-skate, awesome (my Acos Lustre GST-801 has that)

c. optional 9, 10, 12" lengths

c. Rotary Lift, tool free height adjustment. Looks as easy as my Acos Lustre GST-801 which is so smooth I change height while playing. Note: both my friend’s Micro-Seiki 505 and my JVC Victor have similar tool free rotary height adjustment, but neither (both bought used) is smooth enough to adjust while playing. It doesn’t matter, I am not refining VTA, I am just getting the cartridge’s height differences dealt with to achieve horizontal headshell when playing. Ability to adjust while playing is amazing.

d. removable headshell, I would order a spare OEM headshell. 

or, when you take a chance on one of these vintage beryllium/microridge, you get a vintage AT headshell with azimuth adjustment. Tracks at 1.25 g.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/297274832378?mkevt=1&mkcid=1&mkrid=711-53200-19255-0&campid=5338381866&toolid=10001&customid=8ee582b8-2d13-11f0-b24a-356237643530

Notice, not a slot adjustment, has two sets of concealed threaded holes for two optional locations, you need screws the correct length for any different cartridge. I have a collection of mounting hardware from over 40 years, and Vail Hardware one town away with nearly anything I need. I have made custom length screws in the past: I put two pairs of nuts on, cut, then when you take the old nuts off, they straighten the cut end of the threads for you.

The Rigid Float, may be the best thing ever made, it’s just too ugly for me.

 

here's the AT160ml Cartridge without a headshell, from Samurai, I took a chance on two used with headshells, VAS checked them, they both were good! One body turned out to be a model 150 with 160ml beryllium/microridge stylus, seller gave me 1/3 refund I asked for when I informed him. The cartridge model is only marked on it's top, so seller did not know until I removed it from the headshell to move it to the other screw position.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/266426386882?mkevt=1&mkcid=1&mkrid=711-53200-19255-0&campid=5338381866&toolid=10001&customid=e7d46010-2d22-11f0-c0fc-303934643930

I highly recommend Samurai and the cartridge.

 

@elliottbnewcombjr 

Thanks for taking the time to research and your recommendations. I am less likely to consider a used cart at this juncture of my analog journey. I don’t want to 2nd guess the condition or setup of my analog chain. 

 

lalitk OP

1st: is it a True Mono Cartridge? Always ask that. No signal generated by vertical motion is what you want.

next: what stylus profile shape?

then the cantilever material? because good mono can be VERY Dynamic

tracking force? (a lot has to be right to track lightly and get excellent measurements).

the combination of light tracking with large contact area of advanced stylus shapes is my preference, which has both longer stylus life and less wear to the grooves. Stereo or Mono

last: tech talk/achieved results/specifications, my copper is better than your copper

cartridges, SUT, cameras, at first I want to run from the technical crap, but after a while, it’s not that complicated, I’m a college graduate for god’s sake (art school) .....

Of your choices, two are conical, no way would I consider them, the Grado ME+ is elliptical, Ortofon Quintet Mono is Elliptical, both on aluminum, Ortofon a lot more $ 

I would definitely go for an advanced stylus profile for your system

Hana is Shibata on tapered aluminum

https://www.hanacartridges.com/products/hana-sl-mono-mk-ii 

Ortofon 2M Mono SE VERSION is Shibata (the basic Ortofon 2M Mono is conical)

https://ortofon.com/products/stylus-2m-mono-se

My AT33 Mono, I like MC technology and the tech, but not like the aluminum cantilever or conical tip,

which is why I searched for a broken one, and had VAS rebuild with boron/microridge (nowhere available to purchase).

Yahoo Auctions $40. including Aledo fees/bank fees/shipping in Japan. Air shipping to usa $30 (should have chosen surface ship). VAS $400. total $470. plus 2 round trips 35 min each way, gas and tolls, I call it $600. total. It sounds awesome!

One of my used AT160ml was also Yahoo Auction, win auction cost $160.,

aledo fees/bank fee/ship in Japan to Aleado. ship to usa: $63, total $223.

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I’m a bargain hunter and willing to take risk, you win/you lose: I may lose -$250. on the tonearm I bought from Germany that had to be rewired, time will tell, seller is stalling. Or, it’s total price will be $404. incl customs and shipping to usa + $250  VAS rewire = $654. I’m not crying or giving up yet. My search: the only arm that fits in that location with a removable headshell

 

 

The only mono's I have are reissues which are all lacquered with modern stereo heads these days. I simply use my stereo micro line cartridge and throw the mono switch on my phono preamp and I'm golden. No muss no fuss!