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Thread: what makes a good headshell?

  1. #11
    Join Date: Mar 2009

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    I'm Steve.

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    If you are fitting a SPU Royal N to one then HEAVY is what makes it good - the other things mentioned as well of course.
    System: Turntable : SP10 MKII slate plinth, Custom Ebony tonearm board, Arm : Fidelity Research FR64s, Cartridge : SPU Royal N. SUT : Lundahl 1:13. Phonostage : Icon Audio, Streaming RPi/Kali reclocker -> I2S -> DSP XO / Pre / 4 DAC's : WAF Najda, 5 Poweramps : 3 x EL84 SET's, 2 x D class amps on bass channels, Speakers : 5 way front loaded horn system: 2 X Tapped sub 15" LF drivers / 2 X Exponential mid bass 15" drivers / Tractrix 200Hz mid horns with JBL2482's, / Tractrix 550Hz upper wooden horns with factory refurb'd Vitavox S2's / Raal Lazy Ribbons as high frequency tweeters. Wires: good silver or good copper where best suited. DIY RCM.

    Maker of tonearm boards, armpods, Tannoy GRF style speaker cabinets, horn speakers, counterweights and more.
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  2. #12
    Join Date: Jan 2009

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    As far as I am concerned, a good head shell is not removable from the arm tube - not in the manner of the old SME system anyway. The design of removable head shells is rendered somewhat moot by the relatively lossy connection used at the arm tubs junction.
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  3. #13
    Join Date: Mar 2016

    Location: Barnet, london UK

    Posts: 2,146
    I'm Adam.

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    Quote Originally Posted by YNWaN View Post
    The design of removable head shells is rendered somewhat moot by the relatively lossy connection used at the arm tubs junction.
    and just how lossy would that coupling be?
    "lack of passion is fatal"


    Vinyl: Thorens TD-124mk2 / SME-312 Aluminium 'special' / SME M2-9R / STEREO: Etsuro Urushi Cobalt / Shure M3D / Ortofon SPU A95 / Cartridge Man Music Master / Shure - SC35C (US) / SAEC C3 MC MONO: Miyajima Zero B 0.7mil mono / Miyajima Premium 1.0 / Amps & SUTs: Radford STA25 mk3 / AD Audio 'Satchmo2' pre & LCR phono / Hashimoto HM-7 SUT / ETR-MONO SUT Digital: Audio Note 4.1 (with DAC5 upgrades) DAC / Roon / Tidal Speakers: Tannoy 12" MGs' in RFC custom 'Rutland' Cabinets with RFC crossovers / Tannoy ST-100 Super Tweeters Cables: LFD Grainless phono / RFC Mercury / Duelund DCA16GA tinned copper / Kimber 12TC / SW1X Audio Design USB-SPdif / Duelund DCA20GA interconnects / SW1X Audio SPDIF Aero 6 / Mains Power Conditioner / Box Furniture rack / Audiodesk Systeme Vinyl Cleaner / a very beautiful & understanding Wife!

  4. #14
    Join Date: Apr 2012

    Location: N E Kent

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    I'm Geoff.

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    Quote Originally Posted by YNWaN View Post
    As far as I am concerned, a good head shell is not removable from the arm tube - not in the manner of the old SME system anyway. The design of removable head shells is rendered somewhat moot by the relatively lossy connection used at the arm tubs junction.
    I agree.

  5. #15
    Join Date: Feb 2013

    Location: W Lothian

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    I'm Grant.

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    Prefer wood personally
    Regards,
    Grant .... ؠ ......Don't be such a big girl's blouse

    I've said it before and I'll say it again: democracy simply-doesn't-work
    .... ..... ...... ...... ................... ..... ..... ..... ..... .....
    FIIO K7 BT, M11 PLUS, BTR7, KA5 - OPPO BDP-103D - PANASONIC UB450 - PANASONIC 4K ULTRA HD TV - PIXEL 6 - AVANTREE LR BLUETOOTH - 2* X600 SOUNDCORE - HEADPHONES INCLUDE, FIIO, NURAPHONES', FOCAL, OPPO, BOSE, CAMBRIDGE, BOWER & WILKINS, DEVIALET, MARSHALL, SONY, MITCHELL & JOHNSTON - 2*ZBOOK'S- MERCURY BD ROM, ROON, QOBUZ, TIDAL, PLEX, CYBERLINK, JRIVER - MULTI HDD'S -

    Oh my god! There's nothing wrong with the bidet is there?

    “Nothing discloses real character like the use of power. It is easy for the weak to be gentle. Most people can bear adversity. But if you wish to know what a man really is, give him power. This is the supreme test. It is the glory of Lincoln that, having almost absolute power, he never abused it, except on the side of mercy".

    “You see these dictators on their pedestals, surrounded by the bayonets of their soldiers and the truncheons of their police ... yet in their hearts there is unspoken fear. They are afraid of words and thoughts: words spoken abroad, thoughts stirring at home -- all the more powerful because forbidden -- terrify them. A little mouse of thought appears in the room, and even the mightiest potentates are thrown into panic.”

    "You don't have free will. You have the appearance of free will.”

    “There's a war out there, old friend. A world war. And it's not about who's got the most bullets. It's about who controls the information. What we see and hear, how we work, what we think... it's all about the information!”


    ***SMILE, BE HAPPY***

  6. #16
    montesquieu Guest

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    Quote Originally Posted by YNWaN View Post
    As far as I am concerned, a good head shell is not removable from the arm tube - not in the manner of the old SME system anyway. The design of removable head shells is rendered somewhat moot by the relatively lossy connection used at the arm tubs junction.
    Totally disagree. The flexibility offered by a removable headshell - to easily use different cartridges for different applications (different eras of vinyl or even for different musical genres) - far, far outweighs any potential/theoretical benefit from a fixed headshell. Feel free to come round and see if any of my tonearms sound crap because of 'lossy' connectors.

    Frankly I think this is yet another hifi old wives' tale - there are good arms and there are bad arms, and some in each category have removable headshells, and some don't.

  7. #17
    Join Date: Jan 2009

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    A removable headshell is undoubtedly convenient - but that doesn't mean it is a good solution in sonic terms. Even SME abandoned the two pin bayonet system with the removable headshell of the M2 and 300 series. I think a removable headshell can be done well - just not in the way he headshells in this thread are implemented.

    whether the headshell is removable is only one element of arm design - but, all things considered, it is my view that this is one compromise easily avoided.

    -------

    If I were to hear your system then I might feel it sounded good - but this could easily be despite the removable headshell - who knows how much better it could sound were it fixed.....

    Alternatively, I may not like the sound at all and, similarly, this could have nothing to do with the removable headshell.
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  8. #18
    Join Date: Feb 2013

    Location: W Lothian

    Posts: 99,005
    I'm Grant.

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    Never had an issue with mine. So far.
    Regards,
    Grant .... ؠ ......Don't be such a big girl's blouse

    I've said it before and I'll say it again: democracy simply-doesn't-work
    .... ..... ...... ...... ................... ..... ..... ..... ..... .....
    FIIO K7 BT, M11 PLUS, BTR7, KA5 - OPPO BDP-103D - PANASONIC UB450 - PANASONIC 4K ULTRA HD TV - PIXEL 6 - AVANTREE LR BLUETOOTH - 2* X600 SOUNDCORE - HEADPHONES INCLUDE, FIIO, NURAPHONES', FOCAL, OPPO, BOSE, CAMBRIDGE, BOWER & WILKINS, DEVIALET, MARSHALL, SONY, MITCHELL & JOHNSTON - 2*ZBOOK'S- MERCURY BD ROM, ROON, QOBUZ, TIDAL, PLEX, CYBERLINK, JRIVER - MULTI HDD'S -

    Oh my god! There's nothing wrong with the bidet is there?

    “Nothing discloses real character like the use of power. It is easy for the weak to be gentle. Most people can bear adversity. But if you wish to know what a man really is, give him power. This is the supreme test. It is the glory of Lincoln that, having almost absolute power, he never abused it, except on the side of mercy".

    “You see these dictators on their pedestals, surrounded by the bayonets of their soldiers and the truncheons of their police ... yet in their hearts there is unspoken fear. They are afraid of words and thoughts: words spoken abroad, thoughts stirring at home -- all the more powerful because forbidden -- terrify them. A little mouse of thought appears in the room, and even the mightiest potentates are thrown into panic.”

    "You don't have free will. You have the appearance of free will.”

    “There's a war out there, old friend. A world war. And it's not about who's got the most bullets. It's about who controls the information. What we see and hear, how we work, what we think... it's all about the information!”


    ***SMILE, BE HAPPY***

  9. #19
    montesquieu Guest

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    Quote Originally Posted by YNWaN View Post
    A removable headshell is undoubtedly convenient - but that doesn't mean it is a good solution in sonic terms. Even SME abandoned the two pin bayonet system with the removable headshell of the M2 and 300 series. I think a removable headshell can be done well - just not in the way he headshells in this thread are implemented.

    whether the headshell is removable is only one element of arm design - but, all things considered, it is my view that this is one compromise easily avoided.

    -------

    If I were to hear your system then I might feel it sounded good - but this could easily be despite the removable headshell - who knows how much better it could sound were it fixed.....

    Alternatively, I may not like the sound at all and, similarly, this could have nothing to do with the removable headshell.
    SME haven't abandoned it it's currently used on several of their arms.

    Where's the evidence that the sound is compromised? Some of the best arms in the world have a removable headshell. (And some of them don't).

    Your opinion has no evidence behind it.

  10. #20
    Join Date: Apr 2011

    Location: London

    Posts: 4,419
    I'm Robert.

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    Quote Originally Posted by montesquieu View Post
    Totally disagree. The flexibility offered by a removable headshell - to easily use different cartridges for different applications (different eras of vinyl or even for different musical genres) - far, far outweighs any potential/theoretical benefit from a fixed headshell. Feel free to come round and see if any of my tonearms sound crap because of 'lossy' connectors.

    Frankly I think this is yet another hifi old wives' tale - there are good arms and there are bad arms, and some in each category have removable headshells, and some don't.
    Have to agree
    My System:
    Amplification - Sansui AU-alpha 707 DR
    Turntable - Technics SP10 MK2-Technics EPA-250 Tonearm-Yannis Tome 423.5Plus tonearm cable-Eichmann KLEI Absolute Harmony plugs.
    Ortofon Cadenza Black moving coil cartridge-Fritz Gyger S re-tip. Panzerholz plinth.

    CDP - Pioneer PD-91
    Speakers - Spendor D7 on Soundcare SuperSpikes
    QED Silver Spiral speaker cable-airloc banana plugs
    Mains - Ultra Pure silver plated un-switched socket-Missing link EPS 500 silver plated plugs-Hi-Fi Tuning gold plated silver ceramic 13 amp fuses

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