|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
137.254.7.164
I was warned 2-4 months for a rebuild! It took 'two' exactly, so I guess I was lucky! One extra month because I was on vacation when the cartridge was ready. In the meantime, I managed to now accumulate enough CDs so that I could go either way and also I rid my collection of any noisy LPs.
Sound-Smith also gives you a dozen page handout on how to install and maintain your newly rebuilt cartridge. Who's going to wait to read that? No alignment, just put it back where you knew you last had it mounted. I'm thankful for those l-o-n-g Cardas clips that the original owner installed, which makes it so easy to re-clip.
Sounded good, but I forgot to check the weight, oh no! Right on the money, though, at 1.9g and SoundSmith tells you your tracking range of 1.8-2.0 grams.
Sounds better than ever. Who knows how many years I was playing records with a worn cartridge? I bought the Benz Ace L used 13 years ago, don't even remember.
What about all those CDs that I've accumulated? Who cares!
Turntable is pretty modest Rega Planar 3.
Follow Ups:
You guys suffering from that?
Oh well. I haven't noticed any degradation of my record collection all this time. I'm looking for a record I've played 100s of times to see for myself.
I think you guys get too worked up over nothing. Tracking force: My shure gauge is hard to get an accurate reading for IMO. So, if I'm 5 or 10% off, I think it is within range and that is ALL that matters ;-)
SoundSmith says that antiskating should put the cartridge off of the lead-out groove and my cartridge has ALWAYS followed the lead-out groove??
Actually, Soundsmith recommends setting the anti-skate using the blank record surface in the lead out groove area, not the groove ... this is based on the belief that anti-skate should be set to balance the skating force from average groove modulations, and most test record methods result in it being set way too high since the test tracks usually have high modulation levels.
When you have it adjusted right, the arm will track on the SURFACE of the record (not in the groove) at the end of the record on the un-pressed flat space where the run-out groove is - it should track SLOWLY INWARDS toward the center at a MUCH SLOWER RATE than IF IT WERE ACTUALLY in the end groove. If you do that, then the best average Anti-Skating is set correctly.
------------------------
Favorite album of recent times, beautiful and completely mesmerizing: The Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus - Beauty Will Save the World
So you've been using a "used" cartridge for 13 years? And the guy before you, several years too I suppose?
I'm sure your record collection is in fine shape.......
Oz
Don't worry about avoiding temptation. As you grow older, it will avoid you.
- Winston Churchill
"Who's going to wait to read that? No alignment, just put it back where you knew you last had it mounted."
LOL. Good luck with your next retip!
You should pay close attention to possible distortion on playback...especially on the inner tracks.
Since you waited so long it is possible you have damaged your LP collection. If you wait until you hear distortion, you are likely doing damage to your LPs.
Now that the stylus is retipped pay attention to your LPs and if you notice distortion on your LPs you need to try a couple of things.
Carefully double check all alignment parameters of your cartridge (for gods sake don't rely on putting it back in the "same" place). If following a good alignment you still have distortion you need to try a new LP and see how that plays.
If the new LP (not a used LP that is new to you) plays fine you have damaged your LPs and there is nothing you can do other than replacing all of the damaged LPs.
A word to the wise. You do not save anything by putting off a cartridge retipp or replacing your stylus. Your LPs will likely cost more than the stylus or retipp job. Putting off the investment saves you nothing.
I hope you don't have to replace your LPs but it is a distinct possibility.
Ed
We don't shush around here!
Life is analog...digital is just samples thereof
I've noticed that you've had the SS Boron/Line Contact level job done on a 103R not that long ago.
I'm thinking of going down the same road. I loved the extremes.. and the "jump factor" of the Ruby/Line Contact before I trashed it.. and I miss it. That said.. I like the more laid back, slightly more sophisticated way the Dyna 20x2 I have been running inits place has been sounding.. but if I had to choose.. I'd choose the Ruby/Line Contact Denon.
Being that the mid-level SS retip is up to $350.. Was thinking maybe going for the $450 boron job.. Hoping I'd get a bit of both worlds out of it.
While I'm sure you've shared loads w the class already on this very topic.. Could you describe what you feel about the 103R w the boron cantilever once more.. Before I get my credit card out? ;-)
I'd really appreciate it.
Thanks, Marc
And I still have my 103D with the ruby cantilever and optimized LC stylus sitting in a box. If I were to compare both I would have to say that the boron/LC stylus retip gives you a slightly more neutral sounding cartridge. The ruby/optimized LC stylus is certainly excellent but is slightly "harder" sounding. It sounds a bit more analytical to me compared to the boron with LC stylus.
I prefer the boron cantilever and LC stylus retip job but in your system things might be different. In a more relaxed system I think the ruby/optimized LC stylus would be preferable. In my system the boron/LC is a very nice match.
Ed
We don't shush around here!
Life is analog...digital is just samples thereof
--
You don't say what model cartridge, so my advice might not be appropriate, but having set up hundreds, probably thousands of turntables, and with many different cartridges, the one absolutely consistent tendency of people who set their own tracking force is they want to set it on the low side of the recommended range because ... well, they think less weight means less record damage.No1 ... playing records with a properly setup cartridge and tonearm produces almost zero wear on the album itself. I'd like to say zero, period, as I have many LPs with hundreds of plays on their clock and no discernible wear on them at all.
However, one sure fire way to damage an LP after just a single play is to set the tracking force too light, because mis-tracking permanently damages the grooves of an LP record. That's as in forever.
Generally speaking a cartridge will track the outermost grooves without problem unless grossly mis-aligned, but if the groove walls are busy enough and the tracking force light enough, it will start chipping away due to mistracking on the innermost grooves, nearest the label. Just so you don't assume that if it plays nice at first that everything is automatically perfect.
So, my advice is to set the tracking force at the highest recommended setting. No, it won't wear the records out sooner. It just might save them, though.
Edits: 01/18/17
Benz Ace L
Post a Followup:
FAQ |
Post a Message! |
Forgot Password? |
|
||||||||||||||
|
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors: