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Grado "wobble"...?

I've searched the archives for info about this problem, but haven't come up with much. Can anyone please explain what exactly is happening when Grado cartridges wobble, and why they do this?

I bought a Grado green some months back, mostly as an inexpensive way to teach myself how to install a cartridge. (I've been a vinyl fan all my life, but was for years listening to it on a bland B&O linear-tracker.) Since then, I've changed tonearms (from a Thorens TP-16 to an Origin Live RB-250). When I did so, I was finally able to properly align the cartridge using the tool from Turntable Basics--the Thorens arm's fixed mounting holes precluded getting a perfect alignment. But since the change, I've experienced wobbling for the first time. It seems to happen mostly on 12" 45 RPM UK pressings from the 1980s, for whatever strange reason. I can see the entire cartridge body shake laterally, and sometimes the stylus will actually skip out of a groove.

Since this cartridge was basically intended as a throwaway, this is probably a good kick in the pants to get the new one I've been planning on, but can anyone shed some light on this phenomenon? Do the wood-bodied Grados wobble as well?

Thanks in advance,
Joshua
am_dial
rwd
695 posts
 
I am no expert but I have owned quite a few Grado's from the Signature 3 to the Sonata!! A great series of cartridges! However, I have had, in all my Grado's two that had the wobble. I cannot explain it but I could not remedy it. It JUST appeared. I understand that it may have somthing to do with the compliance of the cartridge and tonearm.
colitas
150 posts
 
I have owned four Grados all in all from the Black, Blue, Plat., now a VPI Sonata. In a nutshell, yes the wood bodies wobble as you put it, the only time I have noticed this was with the wood bodied carts., namely the current Sonata. I have it attached to a Rega 250 arm. The only time I observed said phonomena was while playing the HIFI test record, you know the torture tracks, for cartridge compliance. Well the whole body started vibrating laterally, but the stylus never moved. John Grado explained that the Reference/Statement cart.s have just one resonance point above the coils in the "body" of the cart. This is what I saw, as far as what is happening with your playback I do not know. I hope your experience with the Prestige Grado does not effect your decision for a later upgrade, possbily to the Platinum and beyond.
jonbok
9 posts
 
I have only a little to add. Never owned a Grado- always kind of wanted one. I have had a Rega table for six years (rb-300 and 900 arms) and I have heard that rega arms are especially bad for the 'Wobble'... ie. the people who say great things about the cartidges don't use them on Rega arms. There can be a compliance issue but I think Rega uses an odd grounding scheme and Grado does not shield their magnets on the motor which can lead to the 'wobble'. I have never heard of a 'fix' for it. Check out the vinyl area at audio asylum. There probably hundreds of posts on this. Good luck
am_dial OP
35 posts
 
I should probably clarify a few things. First, the cartridge wobbles only rarely: three records so far, out of several thousand. On all the others it performs far better than a $40 cartridge has any right to.

Also, I've tried to find some common denominator regarding these 3 records but have come up with little so far. Each has a very slight bit of warp, but no more than many others in my collection. Two are 45 RPM, one is 33 RPM. None has vast dynamic shifts. But these 3, for whatever reason, all cause the cartridge to wobble every time I try to play them, while (so far) no other records in my collection seem to. And one of these records (I don't recall playing the other two) played fine, no wobble, when the cartridge was in the Thorens arm.

Thanks for the tip regarding this question at Vinyl Asylum.
dopogue
1,773 posts
 
I've experienced this phenomenon on several Grados, all the way up to a Reference/Reference model in a JMW 10.5 arm. It is consistent in the fact that the same records always induce the wobble and, yes, it seems to happen more often with 45 rpm records than with 33 1/3. It's something Grado owners simply have to learn to live with, apparently. At least I've never been able to stop it. And yes, it's annoying.
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