The Technics SL-1200 GAE/G/GR general questions thread

FWIW, the brush from the OC9XML is different from the VM540 one, much thinner.

 

Ha. Tell me any two and I’ll tell you the third.

I have not - have never found it remotely critical. I know there are folks that have issues with exciting resonances, I’ve just never been one of them. Anytime I’ve bothered to check, the advertised numbers have never lined up, but close enough. IIRC my primary setup lands at about 7.5Hz.

 

Brush works just fine for MC cartridges.
However, for the open body type of cartridges it’s important to make sure not to touch the coils/wires.
That’s about all there’s to it.

 

I only add a non magnetic screwdriver. The coils in MC are generally neodymium based and have stronger magnetic fields ... you can do a disaster.

 

Good to know. Thanks!

 

Would touching or in this case brushing too far back destroy the cartridge or cause some other type of damage?

 

I don’t know how the bottom of a Dynavector MC looks like, but if the coils are visible, (like on a Benz Micro Glider S), then yes, a brush touching those coils could potentially do damage.
Especially when a brush hair gets stuck in there.
Pay extra attention with those.
But if it’s a cartridge with a closed bottom (like an Audio Technica AT-OC9X), there’s nothing to worry about.

 

You should be chasing down a more rigid head shell for MC ideally but the stock one works OK with OC9 series. Think sound is a little lightweight. I've seen AT publicity pictures of this cartridge using their own 13g head shell.

 

Dynavector 20X2 Phono Cartridge

Not closed like the Ortofon but not sure if its as exposed as the Benz.

 

Since i returned my MIM G EGS, i want to update my SL 1989 (bought new).
Is it a good idea to change the RCA cable or is it a lot of work for small performance increase ?

 

Looks open to me, but just on the bottom only.
Just make sure you don’t cross that front yoke with your brush (you know, that front baffle/plate where the cantilever protrudes).

 

Yea, it goes in and out of stock a lot right now. I checked before posting and it was in stock, but some of our friends here probably jumped on it, there's a lot of impulse buying around here. Same thing happened a few weeks ago when posting about it in another thread, but it was soon back. Guess they don't get much stock, cartridges probably aren't their main jam

 

And most of the time, for most medium mass tonearms out there... coupled with most readily available cartridges having dynamic compliance to come close on most of those tables.... most of the time folks end up in the resonance range without even knowing it. You could throw two darts blindfolded to pick a retail table and cartridge and you'd be close on compliance / resonance match most of the time.

Now, that being said, the numbers / specs like EM are still important to me, because although a certain cartridge will still play music, sometimes there can be better matches, and one of the reasons is compliance. Of course in audio, at times were chasing "subtleties", but then again have you met the folks around here? On forums like this you have people chasing the smallest of sound improvements in every area imaginable!

For instance, if a table like the 1200G is really still a 12G EM table like the 1200's were since the dawn of time, then if a cartridge like the OC9iii, ART9 are really 18cu @100Hz (and up to 29cu @10Hz from what I've seen, at least on the OC9) --- then you get in that territory where there *could* be better matches.

I've heard so many different opinions on the matter (EM), and Technics hasn't published a spec for EM, so maybe like you at the end of the day I'm back to using my ears and finding what's best by trying things / comparing. I will say many times what comes out of my speakers / system doesn't always stack up to what I expected by reading on the net.... especially with cartridge matching. (I've tried a few).

 

I measure the impact on playback. As long as I don’t see the resonance being excited I couldn’t care less if it’s at 7Hz or 11Hz. All my arms have some implementation of dynamic damping and I tend to run higher compliance cartridges. I can see how someone who makes different choices would need to be more careful, but at the end of the day we’re still dealing with an idyllic range chosen to give immunity to environmental influences and playback influences. Were I to have bouncy floors the range would be far narrower, but I’m (thankfully) not. There just isn’t a magic number.

Outside of resonance I haven’t messed around much with low compliance carts. Perhaps I’ll pick up a 103 and try it on different EM arm wands and see what the data says. On the other hand I’d much rather build a motor controller for the Yaksawa sitting on my counter.

I pay little attention to declarations of “better-ness” unless I know what their definition of “better” is and I’ve been able to calibrate that persons perceptions in some way. “Better” can be a real head-scratcher if taken literally.

 

I was just going to ask for 1210GR cart, arm, and power supply advice, when I saw all the DV20x2 talk. That’s my current “best” cart! The Onzow has been my method for cleaning it.

My 1210GR is about 85% stock. I got a herbie’s mat, a common dampening goo mod (KAB), better power cord, and headshell as mods.

Cart choices were a big thing for me that I wanted to explore. This is probably a value ranking, bang for buck, ranking for my carts. I’d love feedback. My phono stages have been more numerou, but I’m running a Hagerman Trumpet (MC).

1. Denon DL-110 (cheap and just right)
2. Ortofon 2m Bronze (loud compared to the others, but I grew up on 2m Blue)
3. Dynavector 20x2 Low (sounds great but it’s more, it’s a smooth criminal…heavy!)
4. AT-OC9ML/II (just never did it for me)

Cheers!

 

This conversation is very likely going to cost me the price of a OC9XML. Can't stand being out of this club.

 

Kinda surprising after being on the market for about 2 1/2 years now, but not much in the way of professional reviews out there (Hi-Fi News very positively reviewed the Shibata version at Audio-Technica AT-OC9XSH Cartridge and Paul Szaby gave the SLC version a very strong review at Audio Technica AT OC9 XSL MC Cartridge by Paul Szabady), but as you've seen, lots of user testimonials. It did get one of the Positive Feedback Writer's Choice Awards last year ...


Audio-Technica AT-OC9XML $549

Audio-Technica's AT-OC9XML Moving Coil Cartridge gets my third and final 2020 Positive Feedback Writer's Award continuing the value proposition theme. The AT-OC9XML is an insane value at only $549. With 0.4 mV with an aluminum body, a Microlinear stylus with a nude square shank this cartridge is a stunner that easily trounced a $1200 Dynvector 20X2L providing more body, better natural musical tone, a wider soundstage, and substantially more fleshed out dynamics.

I can't say enough good things about the AT-OC9XML, it's an exceptional cartridge and an exceptional value. If someone blindfolded me, played a record using this cartridge and asked me to assign a value based strictly on what I was hearing I would guess $1200 to $1500 without hesitation. My AT-OC9XML is installed on the VPI Cliffwood mentioned in the award above but it would be just at as home on VPI Scout, Prime or the like, its that good.

Larry Cox

 

How much of a jump are we looking at going from the OC9XML to the $1000 top end ART9 MC?

 

I haven't made that comparison but I think both @junkculture and @okc_craft have them both, maybe some others around here too. The ART9XI/XA aren't $1000 cartridges anymore, closer to $1300, so you'd hope for a pretty big jump at over double the price. I've been putting a lot of hours on my cartridges in a pretty short time, so the great sounding but cost effective OC9XML better fits my lifestyle right now.

 

Yeah, I mean this past year being shut in the house, I’ve amassed a ton of hours on my Lyra Delos. A quality valued MC would definitely be a good lifestyle change

 

I think in most systems the difference in not substantial, but yours would definitely be able to flesh out the difference. I find the Art9xa to to have a little better space between the instruments and a higher level of detail. They both have an extremely natural tone, with the Art9 a bit more realism. The Art9 also has a deeper soundstage and digs things out of the grooves that I feel like the OC9xml leaves behind. All that said if I only had the OC9 I would be a happy audiophile, but I do prefer the Art9.
One final note, I compared the XA and the XI, and for me the XI was not quite as resolving as the XA.

 

For those of you curious what the AT OC9 series of carts looks like on the GR, here's my OC9XSL on a LH11H headshell.




6mm Herbies mat in this pic with standard headshell.

 

My first thought is that it's a shame that you're not playing vintage vinyl with a cart that nice.
Next is why show pics with different shells?
At first I thought it was to show VTA, but at different angles that can't be.
Perhaps the way it looks is of import?

 

Good eye.

 

Different shells because some here have been asking about both of them, the angles are different, yes.
They are just pictures, don't read too much in to it.