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Grado Sonata

69.235.211.100

Posted on March 23, 2012 at 19:48:12
JDN
Audiophile

Posts: 1900
Location: So. California
Joined: February 15, 2004
This cart really likes to tail drag to get its best performance it seems. More so than any other cart I have ever owned in the past. But once you hit the 2 degree mark it sings.

 

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RE: Grado Sonata, posted on March 24, 2012 at 01:34:55
AnalogJ
Audiophile

Posts: 3450
Location: North Shore of Boston
Joined: March 7, 2003
I love the cart, but if one can swing the extra for the Master, the latter is better big time, adding deeper and tauter bass, as well as much more extension in the highs and more detail everywhere. The improvement is significant.

 

What are you using to measure the 2-degree angle?, posted on March 24, 2012 at 12:22:22
hesson11
Audiophile

Posts: 2277
Location: Florida
Joined: December 8, 2005
Or are you eyeballing it? If you care to describe the sound when it "sings" vs. the sound when it's not quite there, I'd be interested in hearing about it. THANKS.
-Bob

 

RE: What are you using to measure the 2-degree angle?, posted on March 25, 2012 at 07:56:57
JDN
Audiophile

Posts: 1900
Location: So. California
Joined: February 15, 2004
I downloaded a pdf protractor, printed it, then scribed a line at the 2 degree mark, I then cut it precisely with a lever arm paper cutter to get a straight 2 degree edge. I used an old beat up but straigh vinyl record placed it on the turntable, held the bottom edge of the on the vinyl surface, drpped the tonearm down in a groove, then drpped the arm till the other edge was in line with the front verticle edge of the cart. My arm on my MMF 5 was adjusted almost to the bottom of its travel about 6 playing cards from the bottom to reach this 2 degree mark. This 2 degrees is what grado reccomends and measuring from the front verticle edge of the cart is also there recomendation. I dont think i have ever dropped the arm this far in the past for my other carts, but 2 degrees is 2 degrees.
I have to run but i will describe the sound later when i return

 

As far as the sound, posted on March 25, 2012 at 09:48:31
JDN
Audiophile

Posts: 1900
Location: So. California
Joined: February 15, 2004
When the cart is level it has a full rounded maybe colored sound that some describe. You have to get the tail down to get a more air, and intricate detail from the cart. The midrange becomes very detailed and the seperation between instruments becomes more revealing. Then on top of that if I remove the antiskate weight it really snaps in to focus. With the weigt removed it still tracks just fine and passes all three of the antiskate distortion test tracks on side 2 of the hifi news test disk. I am using the matching Grado ph1 phono amp, which works well with this cart except for the high in my opinion floor noise level or hiss when the volume is high in between tracks. This however is due to the preamp and not the cart. The cart is very quiet with my Luxman CO2 preamp.

 

RE: As far as the sound, posted on March 25, 2012 at 09:54:08
JDN
Audiophile

Posts: 1900
Location: So. California
Joined: February 15, 2004
By the way the antiskate thing may be more of an issue with my mmf5 turntable than the cart. But surprisingly the cart tracks jus fine this way

 

Aha!, posted on March 25, 2012 at 16:47:07
hesson11
Audiophile

Posts: 2277
Location: Florida
Joined: December 8, 2005
Clever! I know that to measure the SRA directly by the tracing edge of the stylus itself takes some pretty fancy equipment. But now I understand what you're saying. I appreciate the explanation.

It makes sense that you had to move the arm down quite a bit. Michael Fremer has stated that to change the SRA by 1 degree, you need to move the arm height by 4 mm. That's quite a bit when you think about it.
-Bob

 

Thanks a lot, JDN. n/t, posted on March 25, 2012 at 16:48:26
hesson11
Audiophile

Posts: 2277
Location: Florida
Joined: December 8, 2005
n/t

 

RE: Thanks a lot, JDN. n/t, posted on March 25, 2012 at 19:29:45
Wojciech
Audiophile

Posts: 4115
Joined: June 23, 2009
From what I heard Grado Carts love heavy arms. My Sonata was a stinker on Rega RB1000 and Denon DA 307 light-medium arms. Joseph Grado himself made a remark that he cannot recommend high mass arm to users of his carts since there are not any available and it would be bad for business. Whats left is just to load a headshell.

 

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