New cartridge help

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by sidewinder572, Dec 5, 2017.

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  1. sidewinder572

    sidewinder572 Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Saint Paul, MN
    So I ordered an Ortofon 2m red to replace my at95e. Is replacing the head shell necessary too?
     
  2. Davey

    Davey NP: CLARAGUILAR ~ Figura (2024)

    Location:
    SF Bay Area, USA
    Not unless you wanna be able to easily swap cartridges back and forth. You will have to of course set the overhang and align cartridge in headshell per instructions in manual, and do the rest of setup, as necessary (tracking force, tonearm height, anti-skate, azimuth, etc).
     
  3. Leonthepro

    Leonthepro Skeptically Optimistic

    Location:
    Sweden
    With the LP120 you should not need to replace the whole headshell. I think VinylEyezz had a step by step video on his LP120 on youtube. Check that out and ask questions here if you are unsure about anything. The only mistake I remember him doing is setting the cartridge twisted to the right on the headshell. Have the screws paralell, not one more forward than the other.

    Pro tip also: Go to your local hifi shop and ask to borrow a stylus tracking force gauge. If they are nice they will lend one out, dont just trust the indications on the counterweights. It can be up to 0.5 grams off the mark sometimes.
    Pro tip 2: Dont trust the anti skate either, listen if any channel gives off more distortion and crackles and adjust according to that. You preferably want it to sit still while running on blank vinyl though. Try setting it down on the inner deadwax of a record if you have no blank sided discs and look for skating.

    Take your sweet time doing all the installation though.
    Follow these basic steps IN ORDER.
    1. Turn anti skating OFF and lighten the weight on the back. ( almost broke a cantilever forgetting to do this first.)
    2. (KEEP STYLUS PROTECTORS ON) Remove first cart carefully and put on the new one, put on the 4 colored cables first and make sure they sit on good. ( Dont pull on them by the colored part, just the metal end) Dont tighten the screws all the way once fitting the cart, give headroom for adjustment.
    3. Set tracking force, preferably with a digital scale. But DONT set the anti skate yet
    4. Use your downloded protractor from vinyl engine or ask to borrow/buy one from local shop. Try getting the perfect alignment with the screws paralell and close to the middle of the headshell, not all the way in or out.
    5. Tighten the screws once its aligned ( likely 2 hours after fiddling) and check once more in case it moved while the screws were tightened. If its good set the anti skate to the same as the tracking force which I assume is between 1.5 - 2.0 grams. Also set VTA by lowering or heightening the tonearm until the Stylus is tracking at around 90 degrees to the vinyl. I suggest tacking a high quality picture with your phone and zooming in on the stylus to see better. Listen to an album you know well and adjust further if needed.
    Good luck!
     
    Last edited: Dec 8, 2017
  4. sidewinder572

    sidewinder572 Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Saint Paul, MN
    I got it installed and up and running and wow! what an upgrade.
     
  5. JohnO

    JohnO Senior Member

    Location:
    Washington, DC
    That's great! Can you describe how it sounds better to you?
     
  6. bluemooze

    bluemooze Senior Member

    Location:
    Frenchtown NJ USA
    Pros beg for equipment that others have spent their hard earned money on? I guess that's called a pro tip because amateurs just steal things.

    What do you call someone who actually buys the equipment they need, a 'sucker'? :)
     
  7. Bob_in_OKC

    Bob_in_OKC Forum Resident

    Location:
    Dallas, Texas
    Pro Tip is internet slang. The cool kids on reddit say it. :)
     
    bluemooze likes this.
  8. bluemooze

    bluemooze Senior Member

    Location:
    Frenchtown NJ USA
    Still not clear to me why the guy I quoted is advocating begging. :)
     
  9. Leonthepro

    Leonthepro Skeptically Optimistic

    Location:
    Sweden
    Did I miss something?
    Are you just being coy or am I actually having to explain why asking to borrow 1 time use equipment is a good idea?
     
  10. Mrtn77

    Mrtn77 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Paris
    However one feels about asking favours of their local hifi shops, cheap digital stylus gauges abound and will likely remain useful throughout your record playing days.
    My guess is, if you can afford a new cartridge, you can drop 10 bucks on a Chinese gauge from Amazon.
     
  11. bluemooze

    bluemooze Senior Member

    Location:
    Frenchtown NJ USA
    I think you did. You need to measure tracking force every time you change/replace cartridges.
     
  12. Leonthepro

    Leonthepro Skeptically Optimistic

    Location:
    Sweden
    Yes, everyone on this forum knows that. Not everyone changes carts daily though. The OP does not exactly come off as an obsessed fanatic. Its a one time use since he will switch carts and be done with it for probably a year until he most likely changes styli, not even the whole cart, and then down the line might need it again. Except, not even, since his counter weight includes markings for weight. This is just a precaution, which he doesn't need to spend money on.

    Id say you have to be rather fatuous to buy something you dont really need, that you most likely wont use much anyway, if you have the opportunity to borrow it instead.
     
    Last edited: Dec 12, 2017
  13. Mike from NYC

    Mike from NYC Senior Member

    Location:
    Surprise, AZ
    As I discovered sometimes weights shift and the arm needs to be rebalanced. Also, changing the VTA also affects the balance and needs
    One time use - hardly.

    As I discovered sometimes weights shift and the arm needs to be rebalanced. Also, changing the VTA affects the balance and needs to be re-checked.

    But why would a shop lend out its scale?
     
    bluemooze likes this.
  14. Jwest97

    Jwest97 Bass Player for Luxury Furniture Store

    Location:
    Las Vegas, NV
    No. They're both 1/2" stylus' and a typical 1/2" headshell will work out perfectly. Just be sure to re align your new stylus with a protractor.
     
    jupiterboy likes this.
  15. Leonthepro

    Leonthepro Skeptically Optimistic

    Location:
    Sweden
    Because they recognize that it is a very low amount of usage for it. It pays of to ask.
    Do you have any stats as to how often weights shift?
    If its already set up you shouldnt change VTA either, unless you are akin to a nutcase who does it for every record, and thats only if you have very expensive VPI like TTs, not an LP120, come on.
     
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