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I would like to upgrade from Sumiko MMT tonearm

I inherited a sota star sapphire turntable and sumiko mmt tonearm and grado reference ( the cartridge does not have wood sides?)cartridge. The sound is good but not great on old rock albums albeit with many scratches. Jazz does sound much better. Can someone recommend a better tonearm/cartridge combo that won't break the bank?? Or should I just buy some higher quality Vinyl ??
bbchem
ddarch44's avatar
ddarch44
40 posts
 
Proper set up is critical. The stylus is tracking information many times smaller than a human hair. There are some great helpful guides at the top of the Vinyl Asylum home page.

MY recommedation beyond proper set up is to get a record vac. A little over $200 at Audio Advisor. It's the best $200 I EVER spent on audio improvement. Ever use a Stridex pad and been surprised at what crud it pulled out of your pores? Same thing for a record vac and an lps grooves.

Dave
bbchem OP
62 posts
 
Thanks so much, this is great and useful info. One more question, how do you know if your cartridge/needle is worn out? Since I don't know how long this was used??

Thanks, Bill
flyingred
139 posts
 
I would echo earlier responses - the Sumiko MMT is an excellent design and would certainly do a good job with a better cartridge than your Grado.

The cartridge hardly every wears out - it's the stylus that gets worn down and loses its shape. You find that it doesn't track as cleanly even when you're sure the geometry is spot on. Generally this would be after around 1000 hours of use.

The best way to check is by looking at it under a microscope.

It's possible that your stylus is covered in gunge - the Mr Clean Magic Eraser works well if you lower the stylus down on it and lift it again. Search the archive here for more info.
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