TT Sony PS-HX500 default cartridge replacement

This is not a review. Only facts. A picture is worth a thousand words.

 

Are you happy with the results?
Does it sound better than the original cartridge?

 

It's a huge difference related to the sound quality. Changed from a chinese no-name conical cart to a quality japanese elliptic cart. More clarity, soundstage and fuller. I replaced the default rubber mat (5mm) with a cork-rubber mat (3mm) for VTA adjustment and platter resonance/reverb removal. The tonearm is quite simple, you can't adjust the VTA only by changing the mat thickness.

 

Interesting, the sumiko cartridge is available on Ebay for 95$ with free shipping.
Changing the cartridge was not an easy task was it? I mean the wires look very thin.

 

I've given that Sony a quick look but the no-name cartridge has always given me pause. Congrats on coming up with a solution to DIY.

 

You need tools to change the cartridge (see pics). My settings are VTF 1.8g and anti-skate 3. The anti-skate knob is not very accurate and I found the sweet spot playing around with anti-skate on dead wax area (not in the grooves). The channels are well balanced (<0.5dB), the stylus stays vertical in the groove. I replaced the 5mm default mat with a 3mm cork+rubber mat to capture more highs. I used trial-and-error methods.

A couple of months ago, I was completely noob about playing vinyls. I learned a lot from the vets of this forum and YT tutorials.

 

Even with the tools it looks complicated to change the cartridge without messing with such thin wires, so congrats good job.
I am currently using a micro line needle with the original cartridge, amazing detail but the sound it's a bit thin.
Eventually I will upgrade the cartridge but for now it is ok.
IMO even with the stock cartridge this turntable does an amazing job for needledrops, the ADC must be really good.

 

The Sumiko Pearl cart is a mystery to me. Very good specs, amazing output, bad marketing. Everybody buys AT or Ortofon. So I decided to try the Sumiko Pearl and I am not disappointed.

The ADC is PCM4202, a high quality professional device.

 

That original cartridge is the Audio-Technica AT3600L, which can be found for as little as $11 on eBay shipped directly from China, but is renowned for its suprisingly good sound quality, and is rebranded by numerous different companies. For example Rega puts their logo on it, calls it the Rega Carbon, and sells it for $65; and Music Hall puts their logo on it, calls it the Music Hall Melody, and sells it for $75!

 

A cartridge can always been changed. Probably can't fix the abysmal w/f on that table.

 

Google "Excel ES-70". The basic design for the Pearl has been around since the 70s at least. That cartridge has been sold under a variety of brand/model names for decades now. The specs vary depending on how the rebrander ordered it from the OEM.

 

Yep, this Sumiko cartridge gets a lot of hate and I think it is partly because of the perceived attenuated highs.
The average audiophile is 60+ with hearing loss and needs a cartridge that either boost the highs or attenuate the lows.
I personally hate bright cartridges but who knows in a couple of years lol.
Also, I think that the Shelter 201 share the same body of the Sumiko Pearl but with a different needle.

 

Both carts have inexpensive bonded elliptical styli. Probably identical or nearly identical. Definitely from the same OEM manufacturer. If people think the Shelter is better because it costs more, well, you can probably guess what I think about that.

 

This needledrop was made using Sumiko Pearl and then refined with RX 6. The highs are OK because I put a thinner mat (2mm less compared with the original TT mat) and the new VTA emphasis the highs. For me the SP quality is good enough. I don't waste my money on snake-oil and marketing traps.

I think people complained about Sumiko Pearl because the bad cart settings. Come on, 30dB channel separation, <0.5dB channel imbalance, frequency response 12Hz-30,000Hz. These are good specs.

Indeed, I had to do a lot of adjustments until I found the sweet spot of this cartridge. alignment, VTF, VTA, anti-skate, azimuth and so on.

 

Placebo effect?

 

There is an android app that measures w&f I don't know if it's accurate or not but 0.13% doesn't sound too bad for a belt drive turntable like this Sony. Personally I can not hear the "abysmal" wow and flutter but YMMV.

 

The android app for RPM and W&F is "RPM Speed and Wow" and is quite accurate. My PS-HX500 specs are OK.

 

Do you know that for a fact?
IMO the Shelter sounds nothing like the Sumiko something must be different.

 

This is very possible because the matching of the VTF. Sony recommends 3g VTF and the VTF for AT3600L is in range 2.5-3.5g.

 

Better than factory spec but still fail to meet 70s broadcast standards.

 

You can measure the output of each cart, as well as the resistance and inductance of each cartridge body. It's possible they are slightly different but fundamentally the same cartridge.

 

I bought 2 belts from LP GEAR they say are better than the PS-HX500 original belt. But if is not enough, I can try the fishing line instead of the rubber belt until it will met the standards, LOL.

 

@BrillantBob
Honestly, I don't think you need to change the belt at this point. I would say take the comments here with a grain of salt, the world of audiophilia is full of snobism.
Also, the specs of this turntable provided by Sony should be taken as a reference only, if Sony says W&F is 0.25% it does not mean that every turntable will have W&F of 0.25%, they are covering themselves just in case.
Most beginner and mid-range turntables nowadays are between 0.10% and 0.20%, and the truth is the average listener probably won't notice it
At 0.10%, few people will notice wow and flutter at all (I am not one of them)
Right now, the mid- or upper-tier models from Pioneer and Audio Technica have the best affordable offerings in this category, at 0.10%. That's about as low as you're going to get in a new turntable unless you spend a whole lot more. The much-touted basic models from Pro-Ject and Rega don't offer any better. The entry-level ones from Pro-Ject have 0.12%, and last I checked, Rega wasn't publishing theirs; I expect it's at least 0.10%, otherwise, they'd be making sure to tell you what it was.

All in all, for me this Sony is a decent turntable, and if you want a substantial upgrade you will have to spend a thousand at least.

 

Thank you for advice. Anyway, the measured W/F is between +/-0.13-0.15% and this is quite decent for PS-Hx500. RPM is good also. I paid $400 for this TT with the ADC PCM4202 and cart included and I use this for needledrops not for audition. Fair enough. A better belt is cheap and can output better results. But if it's not broken, don't fix it.

I lowered the VTF to 1.6g and the sound is now better balanced. More highs. I fixed the cart azimuth with the anti-skate knob (set to 2.9-3) and stylus stays vertical in the groove. No mistracking. The channel imbalance is between 0.1-0.3 dB but doesn't matter, it can be fixed in post-processing.

After the needledrop post-processing (de-hum, de-click, de-noise, loudness normalization, dynamic range boost, phase, azimuth, etc.) the result is amazing. I don't need to spend tens of thousands bucks to obtain and listen quality music.

I am waiting for the cart to break in. The key words for this cart are: old school, tubey sound, fuller, details, warm, immersive soundstage.

 

Absolutely invaluable post, thank you.

I would add to this that the pin size of the bog standard cartridge is significantly larger than those of the Pearl so anyone planning this upgrade should expect to have to crimp the clips - a lot. Use a toothpick to avoid over-crimping!