SY
No, as far as I know.
Zero One
You must have some eye sight to work onto the cantilever!
Very clever with the notch and the copper wire. It will work.
But there is the risk of the reaction pulling the elastomer out of it's place (forward).
You may have to install another copper wire forward of the outer diameter of the elastomer (at it's housing).
Congratulations.
To all
There is some discussion ref. damping the balance weight and arm materials over the very interesting Ladegaard arm thread
Panicos
If you would replace the "car's suspension" with the "steering mechanism" I might agree.
I have informed the manufacturer via e-mail, but I have not received any response yet
Regards
George Papageorgiou
No, as far as I know.
Zero One
You must have some eye sight to work onto the cantilever!
Very clever with the notch and the copper wire. It will work.
But there is the risk of the reaction pulling the elastomer out of it's place (forward).
You may have to install another copper wire forward of the outer diameter of the elastomer (at it's housing).
Congratulations.
To all
There is some discussion ref. damping the balance weight and arm materials over the very interesting Ladegaard arm thread
Panicos
If you would replace the "car's suspension" with the "steering mechanism" I might agree.
I have informed the manufacturer via e-mail, but I have not received any response yet
Regards
George Papageorgiou
Hi George,and all.Those of you who are familiar with the Nagaoka MP series of cartridges,especially the MP30,MP50 and older MP50 Super,might have noticed that these three models incorporate in their design,''solutions''for the one or two matters you discuss.One,they all have two miniature allen bolts that screw the plastic stylus/cantilever holder onto the main body,and,two,the metal skin into which the cantilever is attached,is stepped,in a way that its thinner part touches the inside of the damping rubber's hole,while the thicker part sits right behind the rubber's hole,and being larger in diameter than the hole,prevents the cantilever from moving forward.I own both the MP50 vesions,and I have many times tried to decide whether I prefer the sound with the holders bolted or not,not to mention the in between cases which are depended on how tight the bolts are.As it is almost always the case,my findings are that depending on music/recording,even system I guess,some times I prefer the holder tightly bolted,some times less tightly bolted,and some other times without the bolts.Which brings us(me)to the conclusion that what we might gain somewhere,we loose elsewhere.That was George the idea of my perhaps bad example,and never an attempt to offense either you,or any other friend in this discussion.As far as the possibility to check if any forward movement of the cantilever is really happening,this is something I cannot do,because of the cantilever's metal skin shape.
Regards to all.
Regards to all.
Hi panicos
No offense, relax.
Thank you for the information about the Nagaoke construction. I wasn't aware of it.
I tend to believe that a more discriminating front end is not always easier to listen to, but this may be attributed to more than one variables, most of them being located "downstream" of this front end.
Thanks for contributing.
Regards
George Papageorgiou
No offense, relax.
Thank you for the information about the Nagaoke construction. I wasn't aware of it.
I tend to believe that a more discriminating front end is not always easier to listen to, but this may be attributed to more than one variables, most of them being located "downstream" of this front end.
Thanks for contributing.
Regards
George Papageorgiou
Hi George
I tend to agree with you regarding the front end but I too think it has to do with downstream components, one thing I have found is that having a phono preamp with adjustable capacitance and loading makes a bit difference to the ease of listening.
I have also had the experience where changing the wiring to the headshell-TT output makes quite a difference as does the actual phono cables. Normally I don't get too concerned about audio cables but they do seem to impact on the TT setup.
Overall I firmly believe success lies in having the right synergy between all the bits, which makes it hard for those looking for a simple fix via just changing some bits here and there, carts included.
I suppose the really great thing about analogue is that everything makes a difference so the rewards for the terminal tweeker are pretty good.
My cart is nearly finished, getting a bit nervous now wondering if I have stuffed something up, fingers. legs and toes crossed!
The info regarding the Nagoaka is interesting, has me thinking of a couple of final tweake I can apply.
I tend to agree with you regarding the front end but I too think it has to do with downstream components, one thing I have found is that having a phono preamp with adjustable capacitance and loading makes a bit difference to the ease of listening.
I have also had the experience where changing the wiring to the headshell-TT output makes quite a difference as does the actual phono cables. Normally I don't get too concerned about audio cables but they do seem to impact on the TT setup.
Overall I firmly believe success lies in having the right synergy between all the bits, which makes it hard for those looking for a simple fix via just changing some bits here and there, carts included.
I suppose the really great thing about analogue is that everything makes a difference so the rewards for the terminal tweeker are pretty good.
My cart is nearly finished, getting a bit nervous now wondering if I have stuffed something up, fingers. legs and toes crossed!
The info regarding the Nagoaka is interesting, has me thinking of a couple of final tweake I can apply.
Finally I have got the cart all together, mounted up and running....yes first time.
There is a problem that I have to check as I have a hum on one channel, so probably a bad connection, the wires on the tonearm are very fine and I may have caused damage pulling it off etc, since it is only one channel it is likely the cart shielding is fine so that not a worry.
So here is what I can say so far.
I have not set up the cart properly, too impatient to see if it worked, so I will get to that so I expect it will be better still as it beds in and the set-up is finalised.
The first impression is just how much clearer the high end is, you can hear it in the attack on guitar notes and plucked strings and I can hear more detail than with the previously modded cart. There is a greater sense of ambience and distortion levels are definitely lower, right across the record.
Bass seems are little less powerful, but then it is only the first hour of playing so that might improve, however the bass is tighter on transients.
One thing I did not expect was that the surface noise seems to have been lowered somehow, though I.m not sure why, but it is definitely less upset by scratches and other disc issues.
So its early days but overall I'm very happy with the results, I feel it will be easy to listen too long term and I feel I have learnt a lot in the process. So long as I can fix that hum on the left channel.
Here is a list of what was done for those interested:
1) Metal casing was completely removed
2) Plastic mounting tabs cut off
3) Plastic chassis filed down
4) Wires from coil to metal pins rerouted so they did not twist around each other so much
5) Plastic stylus holder filed down and shaped so it had no hard angles
6) Balsa wood body made into which the cart chassis could fit, with no hard edges/corners
7) Aluminium inner shield made and earthed to minus pin
8) Coils embedded in epoxy
9) Stylus holder epoxied into chassis after the internal holding pins were pushed inwards to tighten the grip they have on the shank of the holder, the shank which is plastic was also thinned down prior to gluing in.
10) The balsa body had a integral cross bar to hold outrigger weights
11) The body was lacquered 6 times to harden the outer shell and give a nice finish
12) Once the body and chassis were mated all of the joints were epoxied to give a totally homogenous structure
13) 3 Cavities in the top of the glued up body were filled with very fine sand
14) The top of the body was capped with a small sheet of aluminium shim
15) Double side foam tape was added to the top of the cart.
16) An alloy plate with integral bolts was attached to the top of the foam so as to allow easy mounting and adjustment
17) The perimeter of the cart where it mounts onto the foam tape was given a bead of bluetac to make a better bond and strenghten the edge of the foam
18 The magnet was glued firmly to the cantilever, this seemed to be a weak point
19) The cantilever was notched just behind the elastomer and a very fine copper wire ring glued in place to prevent the cantilver pulling through the elastomer under pressure on lare modulations
20) The stylus tip was filed down considerably around the mounting area for the diamond to remove all excess metal
21) The shank ahead of the elastomer was filed down to taper towards the stylus
22) The shank was smoothed off with very fine sandpaper
23) A single loop of very fine cotton thread was placed around the shank, half way between the stylus and elastomer this was super glued in place.
24) The cantilever was mounted into the holder and the finest dabs of super glue touched to the surface just above the elastomer so it ran down to the lip of the elastomer and locked it in place preventing forward motion of the elastomer (this was quite nerve wracking as any glue on the elastomer would have hardened it and ruined it.
25) Metal weights were attached to each end of the cross bar
Well there is is, most of the ideas in this thread have been incorporated, and I hope it is of help to others, when I get a chance I will post the pics and description on my webpage.
Thanks to those who geve me the inspiration.
Zero One
There is a problem that I have to check as I have a hum on one channel, so probably a bad connection, the wires on the tonearm are very fine and I may have caused damage pulling it off etc, since it is only one channel it is likely the cart shielding is fine so that not a worry.
So here is what I can say so far.
I have not set up the cart properly, too impatient to see if it worked, so I will get to that so I expect it will be better still as it beds in and the set-up is finalised.
The first impression is just how much clearer the high end is, you can hear it in the attack on guitar notes and plucked strings and I can hear more detail than with the previously modded cart. There is a greater sense of ambience and distortion levels are definitely lower, right across the record.
Bass seems are little less powerful, but then it is only the first hour of playing so that might improve, however the bass is tighter on transients.
One thing I did not expect was that the surface noise seems to have been lowered somehow, though I.m not sure why, but it is definitely less upset by scratches and other disc issues.
So its early days but overall I'm very happy with the results, I feel it will be easy to listen too long term and I feel I have learnt a lot in the process. So long as I can fix that hum on the left channel.
Here is a list of what was done for those interested:
1) Metal casing was completely removed
2) Plastic mounting tabs cut off
3) Plastic chassis filed down
4) Wires from coil to metal pins rerouted so they did not twist around each other so much
5) Plastic stylus holder filed down and shaped so it had no hard angles
6) Balsa wood body made into which the cart chassis could fit, with no hard edges/corners
7) Aluminium inner shield made and earthed to minus pin
8) Coils embedded in epoxy
9) Stylus holder epoxied into chassis after the internal holding pins were pushed inwards to tighten the grip they have on the shank of the holder, the shank which is plastic was also thinned down prior to gluing in.
10) The balsa body had a integral cross bar to hold outrigger weights
11) The body was lacquered 6 times to harden the outer shell and give a nice finish
12) Once the body and chassis were mated all of the joints were epoxied to give a totally homogenous structure
13) 3 Cavities in the top of the glued up body were filled with very fine sand
14) The top of the body was capped with a small sheet of aluminium shim
15) Double side foam tape was added to the top of the cart.
16) An alloy plate with integral bolts was attached to the top of the foam so as to allow easy mounting and adjustment
17) The perimeter of the cart where it mounts onto the foam tape was given a bead of bluetac to make a better bond and strenghten the edge of the foam
18 The magnet was glued firmly to the cantilever, this seemed to be a weak point
19) The cantilever was notched just behind the elastomer and a very fine copper wire ring glued in place to prevent the cantilver pulling through the elastomer under pressure on lare modulations
20) The stylus tip was filed down considerably around the mounting area for the diamond to remove all excess metal
21) The shank ahead of the elastomer was filed down to taper towards the stylus
22) The shank was smoothed off with very fine sandpaper
23) A single loop of very fine cotton thread was placed around the shank, half way between the stylus and elastomer this was super glued in place.
24) The cantilever was mounted into the holder and the finest dabs of super glue touched to the surface just above the elastomer so it ran down to the lip of the elastomer and locked it in place preventing forward motion of the elastomer (this was quite nerve wracking as any glue on the elastomer would have hardened it and ruined it.
25) Metal weights were attached to each end of the cross bar
Well there is is, most of the ideas in this thread have been incorporated, and I hope it is of help to others, when I get a chance I will post the pics and description on my webpage.
Thanks to those who geve me the inspiration.
Zero One
Just a little follow up.
had the cart running now for a couple of hours, and fixed the hum problem, loose wires to the cart as suspected. The sound is just lovely, smooth and vastly superior to my previous modded carts for sure, compared to the original cart, well they don't even sound similar.
I will take some more pics of the finshed cart mounted and post soon.
Zero One.
had the cart running now for a couple of hours, and fixed the hum problem, loose wires to the cart as suspected. The sound is just lovely, smooth and vastly superior to my previous modded carts for sure, compared to the original cart, well they don't even sound similar.
I will take some more pics of the finshed cart mounted and post soon.
Zero One.
I've been busy, but I have been watching your progress.
What type of cantilever did you use? Is that a red sapphire stylus I see in the picture?
Where did you get the magnet? You may have stated this formerly, but the thread is now quite long.
I became frustrated with superglue a year or so ago. I have been experimenting with fingernail polish as a substitute. It has considerable virtue. It is much more controllable and totally reversible. There are many types and the strange pigments surely affect the texture and strength. There is such a thing a clear nail polish.
It is after all (possibly excluding the newer types that don't get the ladies high on acetone fumes) a very durable acrylic paint.
Superglue can degrade into a cloudy mess. It absorbs moisture. I used it years ago to repair the glue on ceramic needles for vintage turntables. Two or three years later it starts to change into a brittle mess. It was originally developed as a temporary glue for soldiers waiting to have the medic put their guts back together..
I went into a dollar store and bought about 20 different bottles for 50 cents each. Before I got the strange looks I said it was for electronics work. I originally used it to color code circuit board pins, etc. A type called Hard As Nails has nylon in it, white color. It is really some great stuff for detailed work. Use a sharp toothpick. It may have worked out for securing the cantilever to the elastomer, instead of the little copper wire.
Let us know what you think of the sound a week from now. What type of angle did you put on the stylus?
I tried to repair some old Empire 880 (early 60s) stylii that were bad in the box. The elastomer got so soft that it would collapse. I tried to use neoprene sponge as the suspension, but the stylus kept rolling to one side after a short period. I finally gave up.
What type of cantilever did you use? Is that a red sapphire stylus I see in the picture?
Where did you get the magnet? You may have stated this formerly, but the thread is now quite long.
I became frustrated with superglue a year or so ago. I have been experimenting with fingernail polish as a substitute. It has considerable virtue. It is much more controllable and totally reversible. There are many types and the strange pigments surely affect the texture and strength. There is such a thing a clear nail polish.
It is after all (possibly excluding the newer types that don't get the ladies high on acetone fumes) a very durable acrylic paint.
Superglue can degrade into a cloudy mess. It absorbs moisture. I used it years ago to repair the glue on ceramic needles for vintage turntables. Two or three years later it starts to change into a brittle mess. It was originally developed as a temporary glue for soldiers waiting to have the medic put their guts back together..
I went into a dollar store and bought about 20 different bottles for 50 cents each. Before I got the strange looks I said it was for electronics work. I originally used it to color code circuit board pins, etc. A type called Hard As Nails has nylon in it, white color. It is really some great stuff for detailed work. Use a sharp toothpick. It may have worked out for securing the cantilever to the elastomer, instead of the little copper wire.
Let us know what you think of the sound a week from now. What type of angle did you put on the stylus?
I tried to repair some old Empire 880 (early 60s) stylii that were bad in the box. The elastomer got so soft that it would collapse. I tried to use neoprene sponge as the suspension, but the stylus kept rolling to one side after a short period. I finally gave up.
Gday Hailteflon.
I will try to answer your Qs.
The cantilever is the original one from the cart, but clearly is now somewhat different, the stylus is diamond but is mounted with some sort of red glue, that in my crook close-up makes the whole thing look red, there is some red on the mount as well but it wears off with playing it seems.
The magnet is the original but is now firmly mounted with araldite, I think this is a very good thing as it was a weak point.
I have not tried nail polish, though years ago I used lots of clear polish in modelling to work with transparent model components, it was brilliant for that, I am sure it would have merit as it is very strong stuff indeed.
I agree superglue can be a messy thing, fortunately I spent many years doing very fine scale modelling and I seemed to have developed a reasonable degree of skill with it, I use Bostic brand and it seems to be very good, tough as nails.
Given the choice however I rather araldite, either fast or slow setting depending on the job.
I have never come across the "hard as nails" in OZ but it sounds good and may well have worked a treat as you say.
The stylus angle is just a little shallower than before. basically to compensat for my non std mat on the TT, it seems to have worked really well too.
I have looked at a few elastomers froold carts but like your experience most are pretty much had it.
Sound wise, I have put a few more hours on it and it gets better, It really is quite amazing if I may humbly say so, it has me wondering if one of the main reasons that MC carts often sound so good is due to the far better mounting of the cantilever as much as the difference in the system itself.
In the end it was a pretty hard thing to do, but I feel it was well worth the effort, now I can actually say I have built or totally modded evey component on my system for what its worth.
I will probably mod another cart or two. eyeing off one of the AT92E you see on ebay for 20 bucks or so, that should be a good starting point.
Many thanks for your interest.
I will try to answer your Qs.
The cantilever is the original one from the cart, but clearly is now somewhat different, the stylus is diamond but is mounted with some sort of red glue, that in my crook close-up makes the whole thing look red, there is some red on the mount as well but it wears off with playing it seems.
The magnet is the original but is now firmly mounted with araldite, I think this is a very good thing as it was a weak point.
I have not tried nail polish, though years ago I used lots of clear polish in modelling to work with transparent model components, it was brilliant for that, I am sure it would have merit as it is very strong stuff indeed.
I agree superglue can be a messy thing, fortunately I spent many years doing very fine scale modelling and I seemed to have developed a reasonable degree of skill with it, I use Bostic brand and it seems to be very good, tough as nails.
Given the choice however I rather araldite, either fast or slow setting depending on the job.
I have never come across the "hard as nails" in OZ but it sounds good and may well have worked a treat as you say.
The stylus angle is just a little shallower than before. basically to compensat for my non std mat on the TT, it seems to have worked really well too.
I have looked at a few elastomers froold carts but like your experience most are pretty much had it.
Sound wise, I have put a few more hours on it and it gets better, It really is quite amazing if I may humbly say so, it has me wondering if one of the main reasons that MC carts often sound so good is due to the far better mounting of the cantilever as much as the difference in the system itself.
In the end it was a pretty hard thing to do, but I feel it was well worth the effort, now I can actually say I have built or totally modded evey component on my system for what its worth.
I will probably mod another cart or two. eyeing off one of the AT92E you see on ebay for 20 bucks or so, that should be a good starting point.
Many thanks for your interest.
Zero One: You have raised an important issue. The magnet is probably only crimped onto the end of the cantilever. This could be a great source of distortion.
As far as I can see you have tightened the screws (so to speak) in your cart and it performs better.
Did you put anything on the coils to stop any sort of vibration?
I was listening to my Supertrack III (early 2x7 elliptical) yesterday and was disturbed by the distortion in the violins in the first movement of Rach II (German EMI recording). Turns out that I had not put any adhesive on the stylus assembly, to secure it to the cart body. Doing so brought a great improvement. I didn’t have any of George’s proprietary audiophile-grade cyanoacrylate (patent pending) so I didn’t get a 2.7db increase.
I use a type of automotive gasket maker that is unlike the usual types. This type is made by Versachem (ITW Performance Polymers) and it is so strong that it is useable as an adhesive. A large tube is only $3. It also does not quickly solidify and obstruct the opening in the tube.
I will try to source Araldite. I will probably have to take the chemical name and find a local manufacturer. I wish carbon tetrachloride was still available to the public. Research indicates that it is the solvent for nylon.
I am currently trying to envision how to get some sort of adhesive to flow down the end of the magnet and not get any on the suspension.
If you have ever seen one, I have some miniature “oilers”. These are very small rods (smaller than a sewing needle with a little screwdriver handle) with a spoon on the end for putting very small amounts of oil on very small mechanisms. These are hard metal and are great for cartridge work, including scraping. I may be able to use one to work some nail polish (may be too viscous) down the side of the magnet. Nail polish can be washed out with acetone.
I had not noticed how large the magnet is. Then add the anchor wire to the situation, no wonder they don’t perform flawlessly.
Audio Technica and Grado don’t have magnets on the opposite end of the lever, but they don’t sound any better, summarily. Even so, they are worth a close look. I have a Grado 8MZ which is the bottom of the Signature line in the early 90s (then $200), nude 3x7 elliptical. It is a good cartridge, but the Supertrack is better. I do not include the line contact Type V Supertrack in this category. It is the older elliptal stylii that are the best (in my opinion of course). Alignment of a line contact is almost impossible when one takes into account all of the variables. I read that the cutting stylus in a lathe is aligned by eyesight.
If you ever run across a Supertrack Type I, hold on to it. They are very rare. The first common Supertrack was actually the Type II. The Type I was an upgrade M44. I don’t know if the Type I says Supertrack on it or not. I never really cared much about the Supertrack until recently, when I ran across this new Type III stylus. A Type IV coil-body had been laying around here for about 15 years.
There are a lot of them for sale on ebay, but they are probably the old stylus in the box.
The magnet in the Supertrack II (visually same as the Type V magnet) is a smaller than in other carts, but it is still of considerable mass. Surely an advantage of the MC cart is that all of the magnet mass is eliminated and a small coil of wire is used instead. The better MM carts may have a balanced lever where the magnet end is of the same moving mass as the stylus end.
I have an older (probably late 70s) Denon MC cart with no stylus (someone gave it to me, it is a model 300 or something like that). There are two re-tippers in the world that I know of: Soundsmith and Expert Stylus. Time to build a MC preamp. Best regards, Mark
As far as I can see you have tightened the screws (so to speak) in your cart and it performs better.
Did you put anything on the coils to stop any sort of vibration?
I was listening to my Supertrack III (early 2x7 elliptical) yesterday and was disturbed by the distortion in the violins in the first movement of Rach II (German EMI recording). Turns out that I had not put any adhesive on the stylus assembly, to secure it to the cart body. Doing so brought a great improvement. I didn’t have any of George’s proprietary audiophile-grade cyanoacrylate (patent pending) so I didn’t get a 2.7db increase.
I use a type of automotive gasket maker that is unlike the usual types. This type is made by Versachem (ITW Performance Polymers) and it is so strong that it is useable as an adhesive. A large tube is only $3. It also does not quickly solidify and obstruct the opening in the tube.
I will try to source Araldite. I will probably have to take the chemical name and find a local manufacturer. I wish carbon tetrachloride was still available to the public. Research indicates that it is the solvent for nylon.
I am currently trying to envision how to get some sort of adhesive to flow down the end of the magnet and not get any on the suspension.
If you have ever seen one, I have some miniature “oilers”. These are very small rods (smaller than a sewing needle with a little screwdriver handle) with a spoon on the end for putting very small amounts of oil on very small mechanisms. These are hard metal and are great for cartridge work, including scraping. I may be able to use one to work some nail polish (may be too viscous) down the side of the magnet. Nail polish can be washed out with acetone.
I had not noticed how large the magnet is. Then add the anchor wire to the situation, no wonder they don’t perform flawlessly.
Audio Technica and Grado don’t have magnets on the opposite end of the lever, but they don’t sound any better, summarily. Even so, they are worth a close look. I have a Grado 8MZ which is the bottom of the Signature line in the early 90s (then $200), nude 3x7 elliptical. It is a good cartridge, but the Supertrack is better. I do not include the line contact Type V Supertrack in this category. It is the older elliptal stylii that are the best (in my opinion of course). Alignment of a line contact is almost impossible when one takes into account all of the variables. I read that the cutting stylus in a lathe is aligned by eyesight.
If you ever run across a Supertrack Type I, hold on to it. They are very rare. The first common Supertrack was actually the Type II. The Type I was an upgrade M44. I don’t know if the Type I says Supertrack on it or not. I never really cared much about the Supertrack until recently, when I ran across this new Type III stylus. A Type IV coil-body had been laying around here for about 15 years.
There are a lot of them for sale on ebay, but they are probably the old stylus in the box.
The magnet in the Supertrack II (visually same as the Type V magnet) is a smaller than in other carts, but it is still of considerable mass. Surely an advantage of the MC cart is that all of the magnet mass is eliminated and a small coil of wire is used instead. The better MM carts may have a balanced lever where the magnet end is of the same moving mass as the stylus end.
I have an older (probably late 70s) Denon MC cart with no stylus (someone gave it to me, it is a model 300 or something like that). There are two re-tippers in the world that I know of: Soundsmith and Expert Stylus. Time to build a MC preamp. Best regards, Mark
hailteflon,there are more retippers around the world today,it seems that anyone who can buy a few tips and has some tooling(sharp blades and superglue !!!!!!),he also takes the risk to try and retip or cut the aluminium tube and put some boron inside.I'm not cinical,I did that many times to broken cartridges for fun,and in some cases I had good results.BUT,retipping is a small part of the story of taking a cartridge to its peak performance.Suspension is to my opinion the most important thing in a cartridge's performance,and suspension rubbers worn out,and a new tip is not enough to bring the cartridge back to peak performance.Go on build your phono preamp,and send your Denon in for a full exchange.If Denon do not exchange or fully rebuild thei cartridges,then go for a new one.There are many nice low cost MC's today,that may cost less than a retipping,and most propably will sound better too.Try yourself to retip an old cartridge just for fun,not necessarily with a real tip,but just to see how much stress goes onto the cantilever,suspension wire,and coils.You cartridge's suspension,cantilever and coils will never be the same again,and believe me they won't become better either.That is why serious cartridge manufacturers do not retip,but fully rebuild or exchanfe their cartridges at a discount price.One last thing that came to mind as I was writing this,do not ignore the fact,that even very expenive catridge's matal parts,become oxidized,sucrifising performance.I know,the fun of DIY/TWEAKING will go with a new cartridge,but you will enjoy your records more,and for much longer.
Regards
Regards
Panicos: I agree with your concerns. This is why I have never had a retip done. Seems like it would stress the cantilever.
Soundsmith is the B&O specialist, authorized by B&O, so they must have something going right.
The standard process for tips that are not user replaceable, such as a Blue Point Sumiko is to replace the entire stylus assembly. They have one rebuilt and ready to trade for the old one, as I recall. The Blue Point is probably the best place to start with a MC. I have heard nothing but good evaluations, but the mass of the coil may be as great as the mass of a magnet. Is the signal higher because of larger magnets or larger coils?
I have noticed how the aluminum cantilevers oxidize. Leaving the dust on them causes this. I always brush mine off thoroughly before storing them even for a few months. The corrosion can eat holes almost through the metal very near the diamond.
I have no problem with letting the Denon sit for another ten years. It is sitting quietly with a Signet MC in a box. I have other things more important to build than a MC preamp. The question is, are MC carts really worth the expense? Only one way to find out. I'll think it over for another couple of years.
I was reading about the Supertrack II in an old magazine today. It was their first cartridge designed with an analog computer. Evidently they tuned the assembly with simultaneous equations. A MC may not be worth the expense. Mark
Soundsmith is the B&O specialist, authorized by B&O, so they must have something going right.
The standard process for tips that are not user replaceable, such as a Blue Point Sumiko is to replace the entire stylus assembly. They have one rebuilt and ready to trade for the old one, as I recall. The Blue Point is probably the best place to start with a MC. I have heard nothing but good evaluations, but the mass of the coil may be as great as the mass of a magnet. Is the signal higher because of larger magnets or larger coils?
I have noticed how the aluminum cantilevers oxidize. Leaving the dust on them causes this. I always brush mine off thoroughly before storing them even for a few months. The corrosion can eat holes almost through the metal very near the diamond.
I have no problem with letting the Denon sit for another ten years. It is sitting quietly with a Signet MC in a box. I have other things more important to build than a MC preamp. The question is, are MC carts really worth the expense? Only one way to find out. I'll think it over for another couple of years.
I was reading about the Supertrack II in an old magazine today. It was their first cartridge designed with an analog computer. Evidently they tuned the assembly with simultaneous equations. A MC may not be worth the expense. Mark
hailteflon,the high output of a h/o mc cartridge,is achieved mostly due to more coil turns on the armature,but always with the aid of a powerful magnet.Yes the blue point is a good one and at a good price.Regarding oxidization,it is not only the aluminium that gets corroded,but also the armature onto which the coils are placed,even the coil wires may be oxidized.That is the reason why I consider as a serious manufacturer,one that changes everything but the body,perhaps sometimes the magnet too.The supertrack was really ahead of its time,and even today many people are still using it instead of anything else.Personally I'm in favor of the moving coils,as I feel that from a price upwards,mm's cannot do in terms of pure sound qualities,do what a really good mc can do.Even areas like tracking have been considerably improved for the mc's during the last years.If you don't already own the blue point,you may also consider the 10X5 or 20XH Dynavector h/o mc's.Good luck to whatever you decide to do,even in two years from now.Don't worry,most of us have been waiting a good number of years till we get close to our tasks.No tasks means that life has no meaning.
Regards,Panikos
Regards,Panikos
Panicos: Sound advice. I was at the Dynavector site yesterday.
www.dynavector.com.au, then click on "cartridge notes."
This is their re-tipping policy.
Yes, and it is best to wait until one can be sure the task will be completed.
I have noticed that most of the MC carts, including expensive ones, have a relatively low compliance of around 12. If I were to design a cart I would opt for low mass, medium compliance. The reduced compliance probably eliminates some of the squirm (for lack of a better term) in the cantilever motion. Mark
www.dynavector.com.au, then click on "cartridge notes."
This is their re-tipping policy.
Yes, and it is best to wait until one can be sure the task will be completed.
I have noticed that most of the MC carts, including expensive ones, have a relatively low compliance of around 12. If I were to design a cart I would opt for low mass, medium compliance. The reduced compliance probably eliminates some of the squirm (for lack of a better term) in the cantilever motion. Mark
And another view, it can be seen that the cart has an integrated foam mount like the cartridge isolater, this is probably far more secure though as the whole top of the cart is designed to orwk with this to start with.
There is a thin bead of bluetac around the perimeter of the cart to aid stability between the cart and the isolator, looks a bit crook but works well.
There is a thin bead of bluetac around the perimeter of the cart to aid stability between the cart and the isolator, looks a bit crook but works well.
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