Tracking force of cartridges

[Mayhem_metal]

Hi

I like the Ortofon Concorde design very much so lately I purchased the Concorde Pro S.

As I have been a Shure fan and all Shure cartridges I track then either 1 or 1.5.

The Ortofon recommends 3 to 4 for the Concorde Pro S. I not comfortable with this tracking force as I feel it might dig the groves.

Suppose I track the Ortofon at 1.5 to 2 will it be OK?

I mean besides skip/jump of tracking what is the real reason for the recommened tracking force by the manufacture.

Would appreciate your enlightment on the same

Thanks

[sreten]

Hi,

It will not be OK at low tracking forces. Its a "Pro" cartridge
designed for "scratching" and other forms of vinyl abuse,
using this type of cartridge for hi-fi is pointless, (unless
you have a very heavy arm, e.g. old and very massive).

/sreten.

[oshifis]

Less tracking force causes more damage than more tracking force. The abrasive effect is a myth, but the stylus has to be in firm contact with the grooves. E.g. if 1.5 to 2 gm is specified, I use 1.8 gm.

[Mayhem_metal]

Thanks................... I will use the recommend tracking force.

[Werner]

So you bought a DJ cartridge while you don't need one. More, the Pro S has a spherical stylus and is likely to sound, erm, not very good.

Here's what I suggest: buy a replacement stylus assembly from Ortofon's OM series. It should fit the Concorde body.

With the stylus of, say, an OM20, you'd end up with an elliptical stlus and a tracking force of only 1.25g.

But hurry, as Ortofon recently discontinued the OM series and did not announce a compatible replacement. It's all 2M now ;-)

[despotic931]

Originally posted by oshifis
Less tracking force causes more damage than more tracking force.

Explain this please

-Justin

[oshifis]

Low tracking force may cause not perfect stylus-to-groove contact, especially when the arm/cartridge is misaligned, or the antiskating is not properly set. In this case the stylus may "bounce", mostly at higher groove modulation and at low frequencies. This bouncing causes audible distortion and groove damage. On the other hand, higher tracking force ensures better contact between the stylus and the groove. The abrasive effect will not increase much, contrary to the common belief. One should not worry below 5 or even 8 ponds.

[kevinkr]

FYI tracking force in ponds is equivalent to tracking force in grams and the term seems to have come over from German or something... Have never seen it referred to this way except on sites translated from German. Could be I missed something.

As a generalization most cartridges track best at the upper end of their recommended tracking range, and mis-tracking due to insufficient tracking force for a given cartridge causes damage much more quickly than do high tracking forces.

The biggest problem with record wear in the past was usually due to worn styli, nothing ruins a record quicker than a worn out stylus. Old enough to remember what an issue this was.. Spherical sapphire styli on ceramic cartridges were pretty common into the late 1970s anyway- and stylus life could be as little as 25hrs of play. I checked mine with a stylus microscope religiously until I got my first diamond tipped (still spherical) magnetic cartridge (and a table that could use it) around 1974. I still remember purchasing my first new TT, a Garrard SP-25 MKIV (4 pole motor with idler drive) with a Goldring cartridge with a real elliptical tip at the culmination of a summer job in 1975!! (Brussels, Henry's Radio - HiFi floor) Surely a POS by today's standards, but I was over the moon at the time..

[despotic931]

Originally posted by oshifis
Low tracking force may cause not perfect stylus-to-groove contact, especially when the arm/cartridge is misaligned, or the antiskating is not properly set. In this case the stylus may "bounce", mostly at higher groove modulation and at low frequencies. This bouncing causes audible distortion and groove damage. On the other hand, higher tracking force ensures better contact between the stylus and the groove. The abrasive effect will not increase much, contrary to the common belief. One should not worry below 5 or even 8 ponds.

Originally posted by kevinkr
FYI tracking force in ponds is equivalent to tracking force in grams and the term seems to have come over from German or something... Have never seen it referred to this way except on sites translated from German. Could be I missed something.

As a generalization most cartridges track best at the upper end of their recommended tracking range, and mis-tracking due to insufficient tracking force for a given cartridge causes damage much more quickly than do high tracking forces.

The biggest problem with record wear in the past was usually due to worn styli, nothing ruins a record quicker than a worn out stylus. Old enough to remember what an issue this was.. Spherical sapphire styli on ceramic cartridges were pretty common into the late 1970s anyway- and stylus life could be as little as 25hrs of play. I checked mine with a stylus microscope religiously until I got my first diamond tipped (still spherical) magnetic cartridge (and a table that could use it) around 1974. I still remember purchasing my first new TT, a Garrard SP-25 MKIV (4 pole motor with idler drive) with a Goldring cartridge with a real elliptical tip at the culmination of a summer job in 1975!! (Brussels, Henry's Radio - HiFi floor) Surely a POS by today's standards, but I was over the moon at the time..

Thanks for the explanations guys, I am new to vinyl and have actually been experiencing some of that distortion, mainly during heavily populated passages of music. I have my cartridge set to the low end of its recommended tracking force, because in my mind that equalled less friction. However, I'll put it towards the top of it's recommended tracking force and see if that improves it.

-Justin

[oshifis]

Originally posted by kevinkr
FYI tracking force in ponds is equivalent to tracking force in grams and the term seems to have come over from German or something... Have never seen it referred to this way except on sites translated from German. Could be I missed something.

SI or the MKS (meter/kilogram/second) system measures inert mass in grams and pushing/accelerating force in Newtons. You are right that pond and kilopond are obsolete. 1 kilopond is the weight force of 1 kg mass at the equator. It is changing wherever you take that mass (or your cartridge ). Also the legacy imperial system results in such animals as psi (pound per square inch) for measuring pressure that is funny for us metric people (pound is not the same as pond, just to increase confusion)