SH Spotlight Newbies getting started playing vinyl, please avoid mistracking & resulting groove damage!!!

The only time the arm should appear to move about is when playing a warped record but the movement would be up and down, not side to side.
Under normal circumstances, you shouldn't actually see the stylus moving either (of course, its actually moving like hell but the vibrations are usually too small to see).

Regarding the tracking force you have stated to use, it sounds like you're tracking too light. I'm not familiar with the cartridge you've mentioned but no cartridge I've used or heard of has a recommended tracking force of less than 1 gramme.

*Tracking too light is more dangerous to your records than tracking too heavy.*

Its also worth mentioing that a cartridge does not have to skip to damge a record. Groove damage from *mistracking* can most certainly occur long before the stylus starts groove skipping.

 

so a shure M44g is a "safe" cartdridge for those with limited budget ????

 

That's theory. The reality is that linear tracking tt's, in playing back off-center records—anybody else notice how hard it is to find a perfectly centered copy of Fleetwood Mac's Rumors?—show the limits of linear tracking technology. The Sony linear tracker I used to own displayed the same problem—eccentric records would have the arm pivot back and forth ever so slightly.

 

I recommend getting a quality digital stylus gauge. I've compared the Canrong digital stylus gauge with the Shure ruler gauge and the Shure is significantly off (double checking the Canrong with a Clear Audio digital gauge). I was better off relying on the crude tonearm counterweight without the Shure (though it is still not as precise as using a digital gauge). The Canrong was about $50 and worth it.

 

What about the so-called 'Grado-wiggle'? There are some records, usually with a radiating
wide pattern in the vinyl (center to the outside, a pressing anomaly) that makes the arm
on my Project tt wiggle like hell. I'm using the aforementioned Grado reference 'wood body cart.

 

I have four different cuts of that record and oddly do not remember off-centeredness.

Now, Rickie Lee Jones' s/t is a different story. Side 1 is "off" on every copy I've ever played.

 

I have a very basic Grado black p-mount cartridge. Is this OK, or should I upgrade?

 

As stated in post #2, I can personally say that the Denon DL-160 is a wonderful cartridge. For the price, it's hard to beat and has plenty of output to boot.

Hell, I would consider it a great buy for double the price.

I am using a 103 right now...thinking about going back to a 160.

 

Probably. I used to own the low-end Grado cartridges and they worked fine even if they weren't my favorite sound. All the parameters for a P-Mount arm/cartridge should be dialed in so everything should be in alignment. As our host already pointed out, mistracking is an obvious sound. If you don't hear mistracking, you ought to be alright.

 

I've bought three near mint copies of this (RLJ) in the last year - every one had outer groove distortion on the first track. Thought it was just bad luck...

 

So, what is an inexpensive non elliptical new cartridge other than the AT 440mla? I recently got a Shure Mx97e as a present, now I'm debating whether I should keep it . I already have a Stanton 681eee. Both are elliptical. The Stanton does have a bit of inner grove distortion (seems to happen only on some records though). My turntable is a Philips 212 that I got for $10, so it seems a bit crazy to put a super expensive cart on it it. My pre-amp is a McIntosh C31V. Is the Shure going to chew up my records?

 

Cheers , Graham!

 

that's a nice cartddridge , I know it but its price is a bit high for those with cheap turntables even for an entry level like a pro-ject debut or a rega p 1....

 

Note: The B&O MMC6000 has a recommended tracking force of 1,0 Gram (as with most later high-end B&O cartridges). He has been running it at a correct tracking force

Best regards
Boden9

 

Thanks for the post Steve.
I just had my MMF 2.2LE set up with an Ortofon Red cart. I also sprung for the Cambrige Audio phono stage and it has all never sounded better.

 

For those interested in some talk about how the DL-160 compares to some other cartridges, here is a good post:

http://audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=159704

 

Pardon my ignorance, but does that mean ALL diamond elliptical needles, or just the really cheap ones (i.e. is their a line between good/bad diamond ellipticals?)?

 

I have basically the same setup as you. The Red replaced a Grado gold about a year ago. I don't really care for the sound of the Ortofon, but it tracks better. I recently put the Grado back on to listen to the difference, and I enjoyed the overall sound of the Grado, but the inner groove distortion was too much for me. I couldn't in good conscience put my records through that. So now I'm thinking of going for the venerated At440mla.

 

And, how does one tell a cheap one from an expensive one???

 

As I mentioned in post #65, I bought a Shure M97xE to replace my Dual's Ortofon OM10. I've not yet reached twenty hours of break-in time, but I'm very happy with this cartridge's frequency balance, dynamic range, and playing stability. I've noticed no noticable narrowing of the soundstage that others have reported. The front-to-back image depth is a bit better than my Ortofon, and though the highs are muted in comparison, I think they're closer to the mark. I would buy it again.

 

Interesting. I have two late-70s/early-80s vintage Dual turntables and both have Ortofon OM cartridges that were upgraded from OM10 to OM40 stylii. I may look into this Shure setup if the OM's design puts my $50 45rpms and other LPs at risk of mistracking damage... I'm certainly open to other recommendations as well.

 

You shouldn't have tracking issues with an OM-40, unless it's poorly aligned/setup and/or a bad match with your arm.

 

I've been thinking of buying a replacement stylus for my M97xe so I can try it on my current turntable.
Thing that stops me is that I remember it sounding kind of veiled and basically blah.
I probably will try it again, though it'd be nice if LP Gear or somebody would make a better stylus for it.

 

Check if Jico has an upgraded stylus available for it.