New Carts, where should I start?

[Rothchild]

I've just taken delivering of the first couple of a bit of a random cart shop today, I'm now the proud owner of a Rega Elys 2 and a P55 from a fellow forumite here (apparently put together just up the road from where I live!)

I'm also expecting a couple of dodgy old Shure carts for a bit of fun, they should be with me tomorrow (N75 and M55).

So, I thought a small poll for the experts here to see what suggestions for where I should start, what I should be looking for and for any last minute tips or gotchas that I should bear in mind when fitting and running these new beasties on my Systemdek.

Whadyareckon?

[Rothchild]

Hah! First gotcha.

The Elys isn't as tall as the ortofon it replaced so by band 2 it's skipping about and when we get to band 3 it doesn't even touch the record anymore! Should I raise the platter (or lower the arm) somehow?

[Rothchild]

Oh well, I've given up on the Elys for now (until I can work out how to make it 'reach' the record all the way across!) But I'm very much enjoying the P77, definitely a step up from the OM cart. Might even spring for a JICO stylus for it....

Still no sign of the Shures and cos the Elys isn't operable I can't just yet offer any comparative analysis of them all.

[walpurgis]

Hah! First gotcha.

The Elys isn't as tall as the ortofon it replaced so by band 2 it's skipping about and when we get to band 3 it doesn't even touch the record anymore! Should I raise the platter (or lower the arm) somehow?

Use a spacer!

[Rothchild]

Use a spacer!

Yeah fair enough, what sort and where? Will a couple of washers under the headshell be sufficient (or too heavy)? (or a bit of cardboard or some other material that I might have ready to hand?)

[walpurgis]

Yeah fair enough, what sort and where? Will a couple of washers under the headshell be sufficient (or too heavy)? (or a bit of cardboard or some other material that I might have ready to hand?)

Really a headshell spacer would need to be of a fairly stiff and inert material like Paxolin or Tufnol.

I have plenty and I could make a spacer easily enough. Work out roughly how much less tall the Rega cartridge is compared to the Ortofon and tell me and I'll send you one.

[Rothchild]

Really a headshell spacer would need to be of a fairly stiff and inert material like Paxolin or Tufnol.

I thought they were cricketers! ;-)

Seriously though, that would be mighty kind of you if you could. It needs to be 6mm.

[walpurgis]

Are you sure it's that much? Sounds a lot. I may have to use an alternative material, hard plastic, hardwood or aluminium.

[synsei]

6mm?

[Rothchild]

Yeah, I put the the OM and the Elys on their backs on the table top. The tip of the stylus on the OM is 19mm from the table top, the Elys stylus tip is only 13mm from the table top. The OM is just the right hight, when I had it fitted the top of the headshell was nice and flat relative to the record surface.