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Grado cartridge/preamp loading setup??

216.18.8.34

Posted on March 22, 1999 at 12:20:32
Quest


 
Hello folks,

I'm new to this board here.I'm running a Linn Sondek LP-12 with a Grace 727 and a Grado ZTE+1 (I was a suffering poor college student before), running on my counterpoint SA-7.1 . my problem is, no matter how well I adjust the VTa and so on the cartridge sounds a bit weak on high frequency (still there but no "sizzles") and the sound is kind of muddled. I'm not looking for razor-sharp sound but then are there any ways I can make it better? the RIAA part of SA-7.1 is set at 47K loading for the cartridge.Will that helps if I alter it somewhat?
I knowit's time for me to move on to a better cartridge and I'm currently looking into Ortofon X-3 or Bluepoint. (Jerry Raskins sell both). Any comments on these cartridge?

May thanks for the help.

Sincere regards,
Quest

 

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Maybe its your cartridge, posted on March 22, 1999 at 12:46:54
Scott Woebcke


 
Grado is known to be on the warm side, you might want something a bit more bright. I dont know about the Sumiko. I have heard the Ortofon, it is a very sweet cart! I'd have no regrets buying it, but my phonostage is not a MC design, if yours is, it would be a safe buy. The Ortofon is warm, detailed, conservative in sound, not too bright or too warm. Perfect balance of flavors, it suits my taste you might have the same tastes as I do...If you do then it should be fun. The Sumiko is suppose to have a brigther sound, I love bright sound. Good luck

 

thank you :-), posted on March 23, 1999 at 08:28:31
Quest


 
:

 

Re: Grado cartridge/preamp loading setup??, posted on March 23, 1999 at 08:37:29
Vinyl Junkie


 
I bought my Sota Sapphire Mk III with a Premier FT-3 and Grado TLZ II.
It sounded good, but the highs where like you described. I replaced the
tone arm with a SME V. Major improvement in the overall sound and more
neutral. The highs are way better. Better low end without the color. But
the two things I noticed were that the high frequencies still seemed to
be a bit attenuated, and the very low frequencies were there but a bit on
the sloppy side. I was comparing the highs to what I was use to, which was
an Ortofon X5-MC and Super MC-30. Now that I have gotten use to the sound
of the Grado and compared a record and CD of the same title, I find that
the highs are just as good, but not as harsh. May be it depends on the
record and how well it was made (CD also). I thought that the cartridge
could be worn, so I took it in. I was told that it was fine and the stylus
had plenty of life in it. They told me that Grados tend to sound better
with fluid dampen arms, and when the rubber parts in the suspension of the
cartridge degrades, the lows will get sloppy and the highs will sound
slightly attenuated (detail, image, and depth will suffer slightly). The
rubber will be fine for about a year in warm, dry, smoggy places like in
Los Angeles (DARN!!!), longer in other places. I was going to switch
cartridges, but I think I'll just stick with it and replace the stylus
(which will have new rubber that has not degraded I hope). Smog and rubber,
bad mix.

I set the resistive load on my Pre-amp to 100K and that slightly improves
the frequency response of the highs.

 

think it's time to upgrade my Grados..., posted on March 23, 1999 at 12:14:35
Quest


 
perhaps with an Ortofon X-5/X-3. Need better sound anyways(something with abit speed and clarity).


Quest

 

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