What Digital Stylus Force Gauge Do You Like?

I learned about a nickle weighing 5 grams in a college chemistry lab, where the instructor told us that we could use a nickle as a 5 gram weight in the balance. My recollection is that it was exactly 5 grams, but that is long ago and it is possible that the mint may have made changes affecting weight.

I am a firm believer that VTA should be set by the sound of a playing LP, and the adjust-while-it-plays feature (which I also have) is invaluable.

Nsgarch...Maybe people who have gauges can measure several nickels, so we can see how much they actually vary. I don't think it will be much, and certainly not enough to significantly affect VTF measurements down around 2 grams.

Eldartford, I totally agree with you. But I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to twist the knife a little.

On the other hand, Doug is suggesting there could be a variance of .03 gm which is 1.5% of 2 grams. Is that significant?

Well, if it's due to a real difference between scales, it wouldn't matter, as long as you always use the same scale, along with your ears of course. If it's (only) due to a difference between nickels, then Doug and Slow's scales must be identical -- how wonderful!

Either way, who gives a f . . . . . . .?

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It is useless to measure a parameter in a system to a greater degree of accuracy than the accuracy of another parameter of the system that also effects the performance of the system. For example, the temperature at which the elastomers are operating in the stylus affect more the performance of the stylus/catridge than the exact VTF. Surely nobody is measuring and controlling the ambient temperature of the cartridge to +/- 1%, yet we are talking about VTF measurements of that precision. Even the 'by ear' method is only correct for that specific temperature that day (theoretically) and all this fuss about needing .01g precision for VTF measurement is misplaced.
Perhaps the perceived difference in sound due to a .01g difference in VTF is due to the fact that the temperature has changed!
Bob P.

Bob is absolutely right IMO, however that hasn't stopped a few manufacturers from offering some really cute little cartridge warming lamps, ha ha!!

I mean, if it's THAT cold in your listening room, you need to stop buying vinyl and start paying your heating bill!

Also, on the serious(?) side, some cartridge manufacturers, notably Transfiguration, are touting a new "space-age" (are we still in the space age?) suspension material that is unaffected by variations in temperature from Pluto to Mercury! So maybe that will be a non-issue eventually.