Phono cathode follower challenge!!

[Globulator]

Slightly off topic, I know, but have you dared take the body off the Ortofon? I used to have one of those and really liked it - but it sounded even better with the body removed and a tight-fitting wedge of balsa wood pushed between the magnet and base plate. It's a terrible photograph, I know, but you should just about be able to see the white of the balsa underneath the white of the photographic flare.

No I haven't dared!!
I'm a little scared of it TBH because I'm not sure what to do when it needs a new tip, although I think Van de Hul may do them..

... but I will have to take it off when I rewire the arm, probably with mini-headphone cable and a proper earthing system - my RB300 only has a feeble original wire with the LH shielding as ground.

When it's off I'll have a look!

Going to check out pentode phono amps now - thanks for the links, it would be nice to stick to all tube if possible, although I do have 23 Mullard and Brimar ECC88s that I want to do something with.

Incidentally I also had a couple of Mullard shield 12AX7/ECC83 (BVA) tubes so I swapped (in the Sheer preamp) out the Tung-Sol ones for the Mullards, and I have to say the Mullards do really sound rather good, the whole sound is a little freer and less constricted.

 

[EC8010]

There are two screws, one each side of the body, after that, it's just a case of easing it off gently without catching the delicate sticky-out bit at the front. I was as nervous as you and applied exactly the same logic. But once I'd done it to a worn cartridge and heard the difference, I did it a lot faster to a new one.