Audio Technica ART1

[Mike]

Time to ring EsCo!...

It needs a re-tip. There's that unmistakable 'edgy buzz' most noticeable on vocals and piano. Some of it is probably set-up, which is a bit rough and ready at the moment, but the tell tale signs are there.

It's not too far gone though and I can tell that I'm going to like this cartridge. Looking at the little trace thing that's in the box there's much less of a treble lift than the other AT cartridges I've had (which isn't many TBH), just a touch of it right at the very top. Bass sounds very clean and detailed too, I'm going to enjoy this once it's sorted.

[Marco]

Mmm...... Did the guy who sold it to you Mikey tell you that it had this problem?

Also, which aspects of the set-up aren't ideal at the moment and how are you differentiating between this and a problem with the stylus?

Jeez, you never seem to be lucky and buy things which are sorted and ready to play music - there's always a faff involved!!

Marco.

[Mike]

Jeez, you never seem to be lucky and buy things which are sorted and ready to play music - there's always a faff involved!!

That's part of the fun!

I don't go in for this 'plug 'n play' nonsense, that's for pussies!

Yes, I was aware it may need a re-tip and also had the option to swap back if I wanted. But I don't want! All the money from this overtime I've done over the last few days has to spent on something after all!

[NRG]

Mike if it needs a retip then you best get it to ESco pronto 'cause you wont see it again until October!

[Mike]

Yeah, I've heard they're pretty busy these days, might have to look at a stand-in while it's on holiday.

EsCo where pretty quick last time I used them though, only about 10 days!

[DSJR]

Stupid question to such knowledgeable guys like yourselves, but have you checked the stylus is *really* clean?

Forget those suspension wearing ultra vibrating thingies and either get some of the "green stuff" or the AT609 fluid/brush. My OC9 was traded in for sounding awful (it did), yet a good clean has transformed it, if only staving off the inevitable re-tip at some point fairly soon (I've a diamond-less OC30 I want to do first...).

[Mike]

Good point, Dave, I'll recheck it.

I really should get my hands on a jewellers loupe or something.

[hifi_dave]

I'll second what DSJR said about cleaning. Give it a bl**dy good scrub and try again.

I had a cartridge once which the customer brought back as part of the whole system. He was ranting and raving about having his money back. The fault was no sound from the left channel and, sure enough, there was nothing at all. In desperation, after checking everything I could think of, I dragged out the stylus cleaner and attacked the stylus. Bingo - the offending channel worked. It was just some gunk on the stylus.

You never know, it might be some clag which is making the AT sound naff.

[oldius]

Old thread but undoubtedly the best cartridge I have either owned or heard.

[YNWaN]

I'll second what DSJR said about cleaning. Give it a bl**dy good scrub and try again.

I had a cartridge once which the customer brought back as part of the whole system. He was ranting and raving about having his money back. The fault was no sound from the left channel and, sure enough, there was nothing at all. In desperation, after checking everything I could think of, I dragged out the stylus cleaner and attacked the stylus. Bingo - the offending channel worked. It was just some gunk on the stylus.

You never know, it might be some clag which is making the AT sound naff.

That doesn't make any sense; there just isn't any mechanism whereby dirt on the stylus can take out just one channel. After all, both channels are read simultaneously by the one probe - the stylus.