Newbie question-stylus upgrading in Pro-Ject Primary. *

Hi,
I’d like some me help regarding stylus upgrading in my Pro-Ject Primary. After reading about this subject in loads of threads I finally decided to upgrade the original stylus in OM 5e for the stylus 20. The question is do I have to do any adjustment to the tonearm (weight, alignment,etc.) or is just replace the stylus and play? This turntable doesn’t have any dials or controls for adjustments and calibrations so I guess there’s not much to calibrate here.

 

I did that exact stylus swap on a U-Turn Orbit Plus I was using for a while, it’s a significant upgrade, your ears will let you know this right way!

There’s a slight difference in the vertical tracking force Ortofon recommends for each if those stylus’, the OM5e is 1.75 gm, the OM20 stylus is 1.5 gm (but is OK at 1.75g), so you will need to adjust your tonearm weight to the ideal force that Ortofon suggests, and verify that with a stylus force gauge, either a digital one or the mechanical Shure gauge. That said it’s safe to just switch and not adjust the VTF. You may or may not hear any difference between 1.5 and 1.75 VTF anyway.

 

Thank you for your quick reply. What’s your phono amp. Will I notice that difference with my Pro-Ject Phono Box E BT or do I have to upgrade the pre amp to notice it?

 

I was using a Lounge LCR mkIII when I made the switch and also a Vincent Pho-8 (similar sound) and the difference was stark. It’s all to do with the quality snd cut if the OM20 stylus. I recall thinking when I first heard it that I was finally hearing something approaching the quality of my msin system which uses a costlier and finer moving coil cartridge, just much more musical and several steps closer to “real”.

I’m not familiar with your pre-amp, but I was using the U-Turn Pluto phono stage that’s built into my Orbit, and it’s likely in the same arena as yours, a good sounding entry level phono pre. I should think you will hear a difference once the stylus is changed even at this price point. Down the line moving up the phono stage chain will most certainly provide you with better sound. It will be helpful if you could fill in your profile with your complete system contents so other members can help you with more context. Your amp and speakers matter quite a bit too when trying to assess what advice to give you.

 

Thank you once more. My system is a Denon DM-41 with Pro-Ject Phono Box E BT and Pro-Ject Primary turntable. My turntable is connected with analogue audioquest evergreen 3.5mm to rca cable and when i’m listening with my B&W P7 wireless headphones I use the phono bluetooth connection.

 

Looks like a nice starter system for an all in one, but in order to achieve the most from your records eventually you will need a dedicated two channel amp or receiver of higher quality. You are also diminishing the sonics with bluetooth, it does not have the same quality as a direct connection. All that said, by all means enjoy what you have, the stylus upgrade is a good one that is not too expensive, and you will learn something about your system when you make the change. For now I would not change your pre-amp, it is more than adequate for the system you have.

Keep us posted on your journey!

 

I really appreciate your efforts to help me.
What about that difference you mentioned above? Noise? Low treble response? Low bass? Or is it something else?