Your Preferred Stylus Force Gauge

Looking for everyone's thoughts on stylus force gauge.....Especially one for MC carts, that has non metallic surface so the cart does not pull down.

Right now I use a simple $20 digital scale but the surface is all metal, so I have to put a barrier so the magnet does not pull down,

Thanks everyone!

 

hmm I have a cheap digital one too. Im pretty sure it's non-magnetic. Maybe aluminum or something. I doubt the cartridge is "pulling down"

 

I use the Shure and have for decades. I've never noticed this "pull down" effect you speak of, but then, with the Shure, anything near the cartridge is either a non-ferrous metal or plastic.

I'm skeptical of the whole concept of the magnets in a phono cartridge being able to attract iron outside of the cartridge body to any great purpose. While cartridge magnets are often made of neodymium or ceramics and are quite strong, they are also tiny. I'd love to see some data on this.

 

I agree with sublemon, because I just tested my cheapie digital gauge and it's not conductive. I guess anything's possible though, since these gauges are mass produced in China in different factories.

 

I haven't had any problems with the cheapo digital scales "pulling down" MC cartridges. But the cheapo scales do often require that the batteries be removed between usages, or else they'll drain the batteries (yes, even when turned "off").

The better scales -- such as those from Ortofon -- don't have that problem. They're overpriced, but the absence of the battery-related hassle factor may make them worth the price to some.

 

I used the old Shure before I put turntables in my rear view mirror. Today I would go digital. Drug dealers use them. That's an unsolicited testimonial.

 

A MC cartridge will attract itself to metal.....a MM cart will not.

 

i had a cheap $15 chinese digital stylus force gauge. After about a week it bent and totally doesnt work anymore.

Ive ordered the ridiculously expensive clearaudio gauge now and am waiting for it to arrive

 

Only to metals that are magnetic. Tracking force gauges are made with non-magnetic metals.

 

I use the one from Mapleshade. It places the measurement point at LP height, so no fudging. Plate where the stylus rests is non-magnetic. $75.

John K.

 

I have two digital gauges and they both show a reading with my MC cart before the stylus touches. That is easily overcome by using the Tare button, usually abbreviated TA on the gauge.

 

Shure SFG-2

 

The one I have just says made in China on the back and measures grams to like 3 decimal places, so milligrams? I find that hard to believe though.
I like it because the pad for measuring the stylus force is about the thickness of a 180g 12" so the measured force should be pretty close to what it is while tracking a record.
I'd also like to think that it is fairly accurate but I have nothing else to compare it to.

 

+1

 

No gauge, just my hand.

 

Correct, why I am asking what MC people are using......Mine pulls the cart down.

Thanks for posting everyone.

 

Got you. I use the Ortofon one, it's more money but I believe it's a worthwhile purchase.

 

I use this,also. Plus you get to deal with the company owned by Pierre Sprey, a very interesting person.

 

i guess you can spend more money, but the $12 chinese one i got on amazon is very accurate. In fact some of the pricier ones just appear to be branded version of the same thing, looking at pictures on line.

 

anyway, i tested this. I tried putting a couple different unmounted MC cartridges very close to the scales platter thing, from numerous angles and there was no interaction. If it was affecting it magnetically, I would expect it to pull it up and so a negative weight before touching the scale. So, I was still curious, so I tested with a strong magnet. In this case it did slightly affect the scale. So i assume there is either a slight magnetization of the aluminum (looking) scale platter, or some impurities or, possibly the magnet is affecting some other (ferrous) part internal to the scale, actually this is the most likely because it happens when I put the magnet over the scale body itself, not the load bearing platter. Anyway, none of this happened with an actual mc cartridge, only with a strong magnet. So I am pretty sure the cartdige is not affecting the scale.

the scale I am using is basically like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Yosoo-Profess...42&sr=8-1&keywords=digital+stylus+force+gauge

the buttons on mine look a little different, but pretty much the same thing from what I can tell.

 

That's the one that I've used previously - also $12 or so. I've had several of them, and most (or all) have the battery-related problems that I described above. Use it once, turn it off and put it on the shelf. Pull it down a month later to use again. And the battery will be dead. Every time.

 

I have a decent digital one marketed for turntables, though I gather the electronics aren't really much different than the stuff you can buy on E-bay or Amazon as a small digital scale.
I also have a vintage Technics gauge that I got new in 1973 when I shelled out for an SP-10 turntable. It not only works, but is accurate. It's a little bit of a trip to use, but if I still use it- sometimes, just for the sake of comparison against the digital gauge.

 

That's been my experience with an inexpensive Chinese-made scale of the same sort and MC's, no problem with magnetism. It also is very accurate based on measuring known weight and in comparison with a Shure balance-style scale. Also I've had it for a couple of years and never had a problem with the battery running down prematurely when turned off. Haven't changed a battery yet.

 

I've had a cheap Chinese job for a couple of years with the original battery still working.

 

I have a pretty good Chinese digital meter, but I don't like the fact that it give different readings depending where on the pressure plate you place the stylus.

I've gone back to using my Shure SFG-2, which is 100% consistent.