Cartridge dampers/spacers/weights

[DSJR]

Cheap cartridge damper - an oblong of green (card table) baize between cartridge top and shell, especially if the shell is perforated as in the SME's. More permanent is the black-tac that SME introduced (works too for their perforated shells). Tom Fletcher also suggested a thin smear of glycerine between flat cartridge tops (Deccapod) and flat headshells (his Mentor arm in this case). Bloody things almost stuck together as it dried out...

[bob4333]

I fitted it to my SAE 1000LT last night.............

.........I think that this is my favourite cartridge. I am just kicking myself that I didn't order a spare.

+1 And so impressed I did order a spare. I'm still looking, but this is the cartridge I keep coming back to. Has beaten cartridges at 4 times the price

But, do I need a spare for the spare while they're still available............?

[CageyH]

I didn't think they were still available?

[bob4333]

Yes, it does appear the LT has finally sold out: new news to me so apologies. Bought my spare back in March this year so they were still there then.

But it appears the SAE 1000E is still there (which some prefer) and for the money it's a no-brainer. https://www.thakker.eu/en/pickup/sae...tridge/a-5170/

[CageyH]

The LT is back in stock.
I may have to get myself a spare, just wondering if it should be an E or another LT.

[bob4333]

Yes, looks like it!

I wonder where Thakker got some more from? I couldn't find anyone else currently stocking them and when checking after your note had assumed he'd finally sold the lot!

As they're now all NOS then however many E's and LT's are left the stock must be finite. The E does get some good press on the 'net. Tough decision, but then it is Christmas................

[CageyH]

I know what the LT sounds like, but have never heard the E.
That is what makes it tough. I have read the reports though, so I am tempted by the E.

[helma]

I'll bump up an old thread since I was playing around with cartridge spacers again - I need to shim my cartridges to get good VTA with my Lenco since the arm is mounted on the top plate and the platter on the Lenco sits very low in a recess, so the FR-54 doesn't go low enough to get good VTA without spacers. I've pretty much always noticed a difference between no spacer / spacer, even when adjusting VTA accordingly (on a deck where I can do that). Interestingly I think always the change has been positive with adding a spacer, even if usually quite subtle. So yesterday I was looking at my AT30E and figured the VTA could be a tad lower to be optimal and I needed a new spacer for that. Looking at what I have available, I took two pieces of 3-layer wooden blocks. Actually it's kind of like particle board sandwiched between two thin layers of veneer. I needed to put two of these pieces on top of each other to get about 5mm spacer. I used a bit of superglue to stick them together, cut them to size and drilled holes for screws. I replaced the existing 3mm spacer with this new one - the old spacer was of similar 3-layer construction, except the middle layer is solid wood as well. Of course the new one, being made of two pieces is actually six layers now.

I have used aluminum spacers in the past with good success, also different DIY wood spacers. I've noticed the wood spacers tend to sound a bit softer, the bass is not as tight as with the aluminum ones but the effect is very subtle and with some cartridges the wood spacers can help with midrange, making it a bit more 'lush'. I had high expectations for my new spacer, since I figured the weird particleboard mush in the middle would be great for damping and also it would let me fine tune VTA - with the old spacer I just have to drop the arm as low as it can go and then it's in ballpark. Well, I spin a record and what do you know, it sounds like shit. I mean absolutely horrible, oddly lean yet boomy bass, weird hollow sound to the midrange and just very ill defined overall. Not at all what I expected, I remounted the cartridge, tried different screws with varying amounts of torque but nothing helped, sounds awful. I even changed to my Ortofon MC10 Supreme to check out if everything just sounds like crap to my ears, but no, that cartridge with it's aluminum spacer sounded just fine. Back to the AT30E and yes, it sounds horrible. I switched back to the old spacer and all is good in the world again. That was by far the more pronounced effect I've ever heard a spacer have and it was not good in this case...

Anyway, my recent experience with that spacer that totally killed the sound got me curious - I used to think the material of the spacer doesn't matter that much and all the differences are rather subtle, but I learned differently. I mean this change was not subtle at all, it was way beyond any change of VTA for example, or different platter mats. So, what are the best sounding spacers you have used, and which cartridge and headshell you used them with and did you compare to any other type of spacer?