Good cartridge for Audioquest PT6 arm ???

I had a Benz Micro Glider (1.25mv original) mounted on PT-6 arm on a vpi hw-19jr. This combo was wonderful for jazz and rock, not as wonderful for classical although it was still good, especially with smaller ensembles. Percussion from this cartridge blew my mind.

Phono preamps used were a Lehmann Black Cube and a Jolida JD-9 (both cost around $499 new, but I only borrowed the latter tubed preamp).

Strengths of this cartridge were a slight warmth, excellent imaging, excellent tracking - even of worn records, good bass, and good top end.

Weaknesses were a small mid-bass hump which most jazz and rock lovers wouldn't notice or mind much at all, and not the most accurate timbres of classical instruments such as violins, but again this wasn't even to a moderate degree.

I've since sold my vpi/pt-6, having just purchased a scoutmaster which will be set up today with a Lyra Helikon, but I did get a chance to mount the Glider from the old TT on the scoutmaster and listen to it for a few days while awaiting the used Helikon.

Glider sounded great on the Scoutmaster/JMW-9 (arm) as well, so even if you upgrade your TT in the future, you can expect the Glider to keep pace with the higher end stuff for a while.
Hope this helps (btw- I just sold my Glider yesterday on Audiogon)

Ted

I just got the Denon 103r and would like to set it up on my PT6 arm. I am not familiar with this arm's setup and can use some help in this area. Arm height adjustment, counter weight etc. Sort of a how to if you will. The lit that came with the Denon is in Japanese and the manual that came with the arm is of know help what so ever. Thanks.

Generally Dreadhead, having the Cantilever Tube of the Tonearm level to the LP's Surface when the Cartridge is in the playing position is a good place to start with the PT-6, and generally any Tonearm.

To set overhand which is essential, You'll need some form of Cartridge Protractor, there are many from a cheap piece of paper, then up up to the Mobile Fidelity GeoDisc, (which is what), and then of course, one can go beyond, and things like the WallyTractor, are probably the best, But I think it's unnecesary to go to this extent with what you have.

Since there's no azimuth adjustment on the PT-6 Arm, (Tilt of the Headshell itself) this is one area you shouldn't have to concern yourself about.

Now onto Vertical Tracking Force, and Anti-Skating.

I've found that the provided Toneram adjustments on my own AQ Arm's Counterweightm and AntiSkate Control are pretty close, so first balance the Tonearm so that it's neutral (Balanced) in a level position hovering over the LP (Be careful here), Make careful adjustments clockwise/counter-clockwise on the Tonearm's Counterweight until this is achieved, then I return the Arm to its rest. Now carefully, without letting the counterweight turn on its shaft, set the circular slip dial at the front of the Tonearm to Zero. After this is done, then grab the rear of the Counterweight, and screw it in on its shaft to the desired Tracking Force Weight (ie: 1-1/2gms-2gms-etc)

It will be close, but I recommend at least getting an inexpensive Shure VTF Gauge.

Now to set the AntiSkate. Whatever your VTF force is, let's say 2 grams. set the little round Antiskate Knob to this same value. Provided nothing is broken on the arm, you'll be kind of close. If your vertical tracking Force is 1-1/2 grams, set the little Dial between 1, and 2. make sense?

A better method to achieve very close Antiskate Adjustment, will be with a Test Record which has an area with no grooves. The Hi-Fi News LP, or the Cardas Test/Demag LP is good for this. The final process is to test by ear, and a test LP can help in this regard also.

These adjustments should get you into some form of close Ballpark, and make the Arm usable without incurring damage to either Stylus, or LP.

As far as VTA, there's almost really no book you can look to for precise adjustment with any given Cartridge. This ultimately has to be done by ear.
Hope this helps, and if I missed spmething, please folks feel free to chime in. Mark

Mark, you are the best. Upon following your advice I believe my deck and cartridge are performing as they should. Your response should be archived for all the novice audiophiles like myself. What is the break-in period for a new cartridge such as this? I also noticed a slight speed variation at start up, is this normal for this deck? Dread

I recommend just paying someone to come over and do it! I paid one of the 'senior techs' at a local high-end shop, who specializes in phono stuff, about a hundred and ten bucks to drive to my place and install the new cartridge. For my money, I not only got the guy's expertise and time (took about 30-40 minutes plus his driving time) but the use of his expensive:
1) VTF gauge (he used a high-end one to precisely set this)
2) Protractor (believe it was wallytools)
3) Speed strobe disc

The above tools alone would have cost me hundreds of dollars more than I paid. While it's true that buying and learning to use the tools may have some long-term benefits, having TT set up on-location (after moving the rack to the best place in the room - something he also helped me to determine) brings both peace of mind and great sound from the get-go. Now my new TT is a vpi scoutmaster, but I believe that having bought the hw-19jr/pt-6/glider from the same dealer some 8 years ago and having it set up by the same people for free (as part of the package deal) is part of the reason I enjoyed the hw-19jr for so long. Even during transport, the VTF and cartridge alignment never went out of whack (verified this the night before selling the jr.).

Of course some will say that fiddling with the tt and learning to set it up is half the fun, but not for me. I managed to set up the scoutmaster on my own using the Glider from the jr. ( just to see how the glider sounded on this TT, while awaiting a new cartridge), but I don't fool myself into thinking that I did as good a job as someone more experienced who owns the best TT tools boot). I'd rather know I'm getting close to (or actually) the best sound possible from the hardware I already own - not to mention having my LPs treated more gently by a stylus pointing the right direction - and just enjoy it.
Sorry if this comes across as contrary to the spirit of do-it-yourself fun, but just thought I'd share my opinion on something that is certainly fun to mess around with a bit, but is often ( though certainly not always) best left to professionals.