Cartridge/Phono-Pre Break-in?

Doug's advice is good. However, it sounds to me like you have something terribly amiss. If it truly sounds like an AM radio, something, somewhere, is not connected properly. Cartridges and phono pre's DO require a break-in, but I've never heard ones that change *that* dramatically - somehting else is the problem...

-RW-

Another thing to check is the Vertical Tracking Angle (VTA). If it is too steep, i.e. the tonearm is tipped down towards the record, the sound can be profoundly tin-like. Too shallow, i.e. the front of the cartridge is tipped up, and the sound with be dull and soft.

I have an AT150MLX mounted on an SL1210M5G w/fluid damper feeding the MM input of a Cambridge 640P. I didn't install them together all at once; there was about 2-4 wks between getting the 640p and AT150MLX.

At any rate, in my system, both components sounded extended and musical right out of the box. The 640p was a little bright and edgy I suppose, but both were totally listenable from the beginning and sounded very musical and sorted out within two weeks of playing about 4 hrs/day.

I suspect something else at play here besides tough break-in, and the diagnostic suggestions so far should be chased down, esp. VTA, VTF, etc. What headshell are you using, and are you using the additional counterweight? What VTF are you at so far?

If you suspect your cartridge leads, maybe you should get a new (better) set and try again. You can get silk-wrapped OFC Litz leads from LPGear for $15.95/set.

DougD...Why do you think the Shure scale is no good...I think its perfect for us. I dont see the worth of the 100 dollar outlay at all.

Hi Stringreen,

It's been well documented on this and other forums for years that *some* Shure gauges were/are actually manufactured from magnetically sensitive steel. Think about what that means for accuracy when used in proximity to the powerful magnets in a phono cartridge. Even the non-magnetic Shure balances are pretty low in resolution.

If there were nothing better at a reasonable price that might be acceptable, especially for entry level rigs. But that's just not true any more (though it used to be).

Note that I said a good digital VTF scale can be had for "WELL UNDER" $100. You can get one here for $69 or on ebay for half that. Is $35 really a problem when we're trying to optimize cartridges costing 10 or even 100 times that?

I agree, BTW, that no scale will help us FIND the optimal VTF. Only our ears can do that, and each cartridge is indeed unique in this respect. No argument at all. A scale can only get you in the right ballpark. If it's a good scale it will do that reliably and repeatably. If it's a Shure, nobody knows...