View Full Version : Fitting a new cartridge - Help?
Since I got my RCM been playing a lot of records and I think my stylus has come to the end of it's life as I am now getting some high frequency distortion which doesn't sound good at all. It is about 12 years old.
I've never fitted a new cart myself, I've always had the dealer do it in the past. Am I right in thinking I have to remove the tonearm from the deck, fit the cartridge then replace it? How easy is it to balls it up? Tonearm is a Linn Basik plus. Advice appreciated.
chris@panteg
01-05-2011, 11:06
Hi Martin
I would strongly advise you to go to a good dealer , i started fitting my own cartridges about 3 years ago now , i wouldn't say I'm all that confident though .
Is HifiDave near you ?
Hi Martin
I would strongly advise you to go to a good dealer , i started fitting my own cartridges about 3 years ago now , i wouldn't say I'm all that confident though .
Is HifiDave near you ?
Hi Chris
No he's in Essex, I think. The only dealer within striking distance is Richer Sounds.
Jac Hawk
01-05-2011, 11:38
I think i'm right in assuming the arm has a detatchable headshell, so first off take the headshell with cartridge off, then you can take the cartridge off, download a protractor from vinylengine http://www.vinylengine.com/cartridge-alignment-protractors.shtml there are a few to choose from but choose one that suites your arm combo, follow the instructions and bobs yer uncle, as they say
chris@panteg
01-05-2011, 11:42
I had a Basik plus , its not got a detachable headshell
Like the Ittok , its best to remove it from the deck , to avoid damage to the bearings !
http://www.zenn.com.sg/Linn_Basik_.JPG
chris@panteg
01-05-2011, 11:48
Hi Chris
No he's in Essex, I think. The only dealer within striking distance is Richer Sounds.
Oh Bugger :scratch:
my other option is a replacement stylus for the 540 but at £180 it's a bit steep. Would a 510 replacement fit the 540 cartridge?
chris@panteg
01-05-2011, 12:07
my other option is a replacement stylus for the 540 but at £180 it's a bit steep. Would a 510 replacement fit the 540 cartridge?
well it looks identical , should be fine i would have thought , try that and see how you like it .
Stratmangler
01-05-2011, 12:19
According to this they're compatible http://www.needles-and-spins.co.uk/pd_ortofon_510.cfm
The 500 series (and the GT) all seem to share the same body (I have a GT stylus in what was a 510 cartridge body with no probs).
Since the 500 series is actually rather good and led to the current series, I'd try for a 520 if you can, as it'll be more refined than the 510 and more closely approach the 540 in sonics.
Get a bottle of AT stylus cleaner and thoroughly scrub the existing stylus to within an inch of its life - you never know ;)
When replacing the stylus, take the stylus guard down to "horizontal" - in other words, half way to the fully down position. The assembly can then be firmly wriggled out from the body, but it is a pain to do..
Had I been doing the job, I'd have removed the tonearm cable (locking Allen key in pillar), and taken the arm off the deck, taking the opportunity to check the arm-base-bolts for firm tightness (these can work loose over the years as the arm-board compresses). The arm itself could do with a check now, as it's twenty five or so years old - the #0 crosshead screws holding headshell to pipe and pipe to bearing housing and also CAREFULLY, the tiny Allen bolts holding the bearings on the pillar - watch the green stud-loc fixing the screws/bolts in place - I used to add a further drop or two more of stud-loc between the rear headshell mounting and arm-tube (there's a gap) and found the arm sounded less "brash" and thin-toned after..
The main concern now with Basik Plus arms and the detachable-shell Basik LVX version is the counterweight decoupling soft-rubber "tube," which returns to its almost liquid state after this time. If the counterweight appears to spin freely on the rear stub, then the suspension is shagged and will either have to be replaced (Linn don't support spares now I think) or re-jigged in some way. This DOES make a difference to the sonics I found.
Good luck ;)
Cheers all - I have ordered a replacement 510 stylus from Musonic, not too pricey.
Dave, don't think I will attempt removing the arm as its inviting disaster (I'll practice on someone else's TT;), however the counterweight seems fine even after 20 years.
hifi_dave
01-05-2011, 16:30
If you don't mind a drive, I will do it for you. Usual fee is 2 x cream doughnuts, though a couple of cream slices will do.
Jammy wotsit, he doesn't seem to have increased in weight over twenty odd years, so he can eat all the cream-donuts he likes :(
hifi_dave
01-05-2011, 18:30
My waist size has gone up a notch or two though..:doh:
alfie2902
01-05-2011, 18:44
A replacement stylus seems a good option in this case.
IMO though if you own a TT you should learn to change a cart, remove & adjust your tonearms! It's not the black art dealers led people to believe years ago!
When your cart is worn out, or worse still has met an untimely end (No wooly Jumpers etc) take it off & put it on a few times. It's only a couple of screws & 4 tags or maybe 6 tags if your lucky enough to own an AN Io Ltd. Get to know your tonearm how it works, how it adjusts! Be gentle though it's a precision instrument & you wouldn't want to stress it, bend or break it!
Vinyl Engine is your friend here as they have manuals for most tonearms that you can download. Also they have a huge variety of downloadable alignment protractors to play around with! Can be a pain getting it printed to scale with some printers though. It can be worth playing around with different alignment methods i.e. Baerwald, Löfgren & Stevenson to see which works best with your tonearm cart combinations too.
Just be careful it's all doable at home with a little practice.
chris@panteg
01-05-2011, 18:56
A replacement stylus seems a good option in this case.
IMO though if you own a TT you should learn to change a cart, remove & adjust your tonearms! It's not the black art dealers led people to believe years ago!
When your cart is worn out, or worse still has met an untimely end (No wooly Jumpers etc) take it off & put it on a few times. It's only a couple of screws & 4 tags or maybe 6 tags if your lucky enough to own an AN Io Ltd. Get to know your tonearm how it works, how it adjusts! Be gentle though it's a precision instrument & you wouldn't want to stress it, bend or break it!
Vinyl Engine is your friend here as they have manuals for most tonearms that you can download. Also they have a huge variety of downloadable alignment protractors to play around with! Can be a pain getting it printed to scale with some printers though. It can be worth playing around with different alignment methods i.e. Baerwald, Löfgren & Stevenson to see which works best with your tonearm cart combinations too.
Just be careful it's all doable at home with a little practice.
Good post Alfie :)
Its fear of the unknown ! But still there are some of us that are just too cack handed , and accidents can happen ! That can put you off for life , a friend of mine has a brand new IO gold but is petrified to fit it , it sits in a draw :eek:
If it was cheapie cart , i would offer to fit it , but an IO gold ! oh no , no ,no.
alfie2902
01-05-2011, 19:36
Good post Alfie :)
Its fear of the unknown ! But still there are some of us that are just too cack handed , and accidents can happen ! That can put you off for life , a friend of mine has a brand new IO gold but is petrified to fit it , it sits in a draw :eek:
If it was cheapie cart , i would offer to fit it , but an IO gold ! oh no , no ,no.
Hi Chris,
Get your friend to send the Io Gold :stalks: up to me I'll practice for a short while fitting it to my TT Then after a few weeks or so I'll pop down & fit it to his TT ;) :lol:
Should be fine with the guard on! But it is another matter when it's someone else's ££££ cartridge, go on do it for him :) You can't leave such a cartridge in the draw!
chris@panteg
02-05-2011, 00:41
Hi Chris,
Get your friend to send the Io Gold :stalks: up to me I'll practice for a short while fitting it to my TT Then after a few weeks or so I'll pop down & fit it to his TT ;) :lol:
Should be fine with the guard on! But it is another matter when it's someone else's ££££ cartridge, go on do it for him :) You can't leave such a cartridge in the draw!
Alfie , do you know Kevin Scot (Definitive Audio) ?
He's a customer of Kevin's , looking at your kit , I'm thinking you must be !
alfie2902
02-05-2011, 01:05
Alfie , do you know Kevin Scot (Definitive Audio) ?
He's a customer of Kevin's , looking at your kit , I'm thinking you must be !
Hi Chris,
Yes, I know Kevin a little, only as an occasional customer though. I can't really afford to shop at Definitive tbh! Most of my kit is bought 2nd hand so I don't think it very fair for me to take up his time if I can't afford then to buy from him. Kevin is very good very friendly if you go to Definitive though, the last time I was there I left empty handed after 5 hours listening & chatting, an hour and a half of that was spent listening to his £200K horns on the end of ££££ of Kondo amps the likes of which i'll never afford.
Kevin would fit the Io for him no doubt though!
chris@panteg
02-05-2011, 01:21
Hi Chris,
Yes, I know Kevin a little, only as an occasional customer though. I can't really afford to shop at Definitive tbh! Most of my kit is bought 2nd hand so I don't think it very fair for me to take up his time if I can't afford then to buy from him. Kevin is very good very friendly if you go to Definitive though, the last time I was there I left empty handed after 5 hours listening & chatting, an hour and a half of that was spent listening to his £200K horns on the end of ££££ of Kondo amps the likes of which i'll never afford.
Kevin would fit the Io for him no doubt though!
Same here , Kevin's stuff is way out of my league , though i did buy some Border Patrol psu's and a 310 from him , yes i think Paul was going to get Kevin to fit the IO , best thing for him i think .
alfie2902
02-05-2011, 01:41
Same here , Kevin's stuff is way out of my league , though i did buy some Border Patrol psu's and a 310 from him , yes i think Paul was going to get Kevin to fit the IO , best thing for him i think .
Perhaps, you could talk your friend through fitting his Io mate? He will need to get over it's value & learn just to respect it's delicacy otherwise he will be too nervous to use it! It could detract from his listening pleasure if every time he has to cue the Io it's done with trepidation, like my post earlier you need to become familiar with your kit even if 1000s of pounds worth of cart!
I would suspect there's lots of dealers closer if he's near you, that would fit it for him though! Or other Io owners. Pete can't be that far from you & may fit it?
chris@panteg
02-05-2011, 01:53
Alfie , Paul has had several IO's and a Grasshopper or two , he's the sort of chap that will pay Kevin to come to him and fit it !
The TT is interesting being a very high mass design by Tommy Horning , arm is Kondo wired SME V.
chris@panteg
02-05-2011, 02:01
Sorry for the thread drift folk's :)
This is the TT
http://www.horninghybrid.com/grafik/turntable_.jpg
http://www.horninghybrid.com/grafik/motor.jpg
alfie2902
02-05-2011, 02:06
That big chrome Tommy Horning TT does look very interesting! How does it sound?
Well, If he's got plenty of cash, why not? Would be a nice position to be in! Oh to have owned Io's & Grasshoppers... Hmmm... maybe one day if I get lucky!
alfie2902
02-05-2011, 02:10
Sorry for the thread drift folk's :)
This is the TT
http://www.horninghybrid.com/grafik/turntable_.jpg
http://www.horninghybrid.com/grafik/motor.jpg
:eek::stalks::eek::stalks::eek:
chris@panteg
02-05-2011, 10:26
Alfie , i haven't heard it yet , Paul lives in Northampton , I'm dying to hear it myself .
These are the kind of decks that charm the eyes for all of five months until the finger marks start to eat into the finish and the belt leaves a ghastly looking running-mark on the platter. After a few years, you'll wish you'd bought a techie and done it up, or an NAS, which requires no doing up whatsoever :lol:
chris@panteg
02-05-2011, 11:27
These are the kind of decks that charm the eyes for all of five months until the finger marks start to eat into the finish and the belt leaves a ghastly looking running-mark on the platter. After a few years, you'll wish you'd bought a techie and done it up, or an NAS, which requires no doing up whatsoever :lol:
Dave , Paul has already owned and used a Mentor , oh and a couple of Voyd's including the one i had , a Kuzma and Pink Triangle's , even an LP12.
I saw him at Whittlebury , i was telling him about my Techy and he looked at me like there was a death in the family and that i should be pitied :nono:
Dave , Paul has already owned and used a Mentor , oh and a couple of Voyd's including the one i had , a Kuzma and Pink Triangle's , even an LP12.
I saw him at Whittlebury , i was telling him about my Techy and he looked at me like there was a death in the family and that i should be pitied :nono:
Kind of says it all really, doesn't it. "Eye-Fi.... with too much money to burn"
All the decks he's owned recently are amongst the best ever made for playing the vinyl, which is the limiting factor with all of them IMO.
Enjoy your Techie's and laugh quietly to yourself :lol:
I may regret selling my mentor in a moment of destitution, but the chap who bought it still uses it apparently, although it's had a variety of tonearms on it in the intervening seventeen years.
Anyone know how quick Musonic are to deliver? I'm already getting vinyl withdrawal symptoms...
First class post usually. I've used them twice recently and have received excellent service from them both times :)
First class post usually. I've used them twice recently and have received excellent service from them both times :)
Okay, sounds good:)
Got my new 510 stylus on Tuesday, that's quick given I ordered it on Sunday and Monday was holiday. But Oh Dear! I wasn't really prepared for how much of a downgrade it is:( Sounds clean and clear enough but it just aint as good as the 540 by a long, long margin...Not sure I can live with it long term, maybe I will adjust?
chris@panteg
07-05-2011, 11:23
Got my new 510 stylus on Tuesday, that's quick given I ordered it on Sunday and Monday was holiday. But Oh Dear! I wasn't really prepared for how much of a downgrade it is:( Sounds clean and clear enough but it just aint as good as the 540 by a long, long margin...Not sure I can live with it long term, maybe I will adjust?
Maybe it needs a few hours on it ? But i think you should start saving for the 540 stylus !
I'm having to downgrade my turntable from the 1210 to my cheapy SL-Q21 as there is a fault on the cartridge/309 set up which i can't figure out :scratch:
Worryingly the SL-Q21 , isn't as much of a downgrade as i expected which leads me to think my 1210/309/AT95HE is very poorly set up .
Maybe it needs a few hours on it ? But i think you should start saving for the 540 stylus !
I'm having to downgrade my turntable from the 1210 to my cheapy SL-Q21 as there is a fault on the cartridge/309 set up which i can't figure out :scratch:
Worryingly the SL-Q21 , isn't as much of a downgrade as i expected which leads me to think my 1210/309/AT95HE is very poorly set up .
I could have bought the 540 I was just being a skinflint...and overlly optomistic. Ah well, you live and learn.
I told you to compromise with a 520...
Same goes for the OM20 too, the OM10 sounding just a touch "raw."
chris@panteg
07-05-2011, 12:02
I could have bought the 540 I was just being a skinflint...and overlly optomistic. Ah well, you live and learn.
The thing is Martin , once you get used to a certain cartridge, for example my mate John has an original AN IO , and has been using this cartridge in his Helius Orion/Voyd since 1993 and i asked him the other day , would you ever consider downgrading it , he thought about it for a few seconds then :doh: not bloody likely lol ;)
I truly don't mean to patronise, but I've DONE this comparison many times. The 540 really is a great magnetic and it will be difficult to live with one of the cheaper ones I think.
I told you to compromise with a 520...
Same goes for the OM20 too, the OM10 sounding just a touch "raw."
Yeah I know, I shoulda listened:doh:
I truly don't mean to patronise, but I've DONE this comparison many times. The 540 really is a great magnetic and it will be difficult to live with one of the cheaper ones I think.
From now on I am just going to do everything you tell me to Dave:)
From now on I am just going to do everything you tell me to Dave:)
Works for me! :D Well, except for ignoring him when he told me I should be buying the EAR 509's the other week - doing what Dave tells me is one thing, doing what Dave tells me and then having my balls ripped off and fed to me for dinner is another... :eek: ;)
Sorted my problems with this 510 tip - I was just tracking it too heavy:doh: - I couldn't undersatnd why it sounded like such a bag of spanners.
It is £50 Ortofon tip so I could not believe it was sounding so bad.
Then - thinking what else could possibly be wrong - I noticed I was tracking it at 1.62 - backed it off to the recommended 1.5g, adjusted the anti-skating, and suddenly! - perfect! Sweet vinyl sounds once again:)
Still not as good as the 540 but a compromise I can live with for now.
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