Just changing the head shell???

[richard l martin]

Hi there. I just wanted to share my recent experience. A couple of nights back I was a bit board and I had found a head shell that I had forgotten about. I liked the look of it so I set to removing my cart from the current one and re mounted it. I spent a bit of time aligning it, re balanced the arm and put a disc on. When it started playing I was amazed! It was as if I had fitted a much better cartridge! At first I put it down to the fact that the record was almost virgin so I dug out a country compilation, charity shop special. Some snap crackle and pop but the overall sound blow me away! Most notably twas the improvement in the top end. Now its much sharper with more detail but aside from that the bass is a lot tighter and well under control. I listened to both sides of the rather scratched recording and it sounded great with the stylus tracking as if on rails right to the end of the groove. Now I have records strewn all over my living room as I cant stop playing them. They sound soooo good! But I just cant see why changing a head shell would have such a profound affect on the sonic performance of my turntable. Can anyone explain this to me? Im not complaining though! Rich. Oh and I forgot to mention, the stereo imaging is also a lot better as well.

[Reffc]

Can only be one of two things in reality:

you had a misaligned cart prior to changing the headshell and now it is properly set up or;

the headshell mass has changed the overall effective mass of the arm (increased it?) altering the arm/cart resonance behaviour at HF (better details etc) or;

a combination of the two. This is the most probable reason for the change. People, once they have initially set up a cartridge, rarely go back to check it, but you cannot under estimate the importance of proper cart alignment, and I mean millimetre perfect for the chosen alignment geometry. People also rarely like to admit that they may have had an improperly aligned cart to begin with :lol:

[awkwardbydesign]

Or there was a resonance or even chatter due to bolts not tightened properly. Or a materials mismatch; my Decca International takes plastic or metal headshells, and they sound different.

[richard l martin]

Hi there. The head shell that I have fitted is quite a bit heavier than the previous one. But should that have such a huge affect? I was going to buy a new cartridge, im glad I did not. Maybe I can do more to further improve it although I have to say that now my vinyl sounds a whole lot better than cds. Well to my ears anyway.

[Reffc]

Hi there. The head shell that I have fitted is quite a bit heavier than the previous one. But should that have such a huge affect? I was going to buy a new cartridge, im glad I did not. Maybe I can do more to further improve it although I have to say that now my vinyl sounds a whole lot better than cds. Well to my ears anyway.


It can do Richard. One thing that a heavier headshell can help with depending on cart/arm compliance is tracking ability. If alignment is tweaked slightly and tracking improved through a slight increase in mass working with the compliance, it can be a significant improvement. It depends on where the original headshell/arm compliance was compared with the ideal (8 to 13 Hz or close to). Its not the be all and end all, it's a guide, but some carts show improved tracking when a little mass is added to the headshell. My best guess without understanding how accurately it was originally set up is that its likely a combination of a better alignment and the extra mass helping out. Whatever the reason, enjoy and don't fret about it ;)

[richard l martin]

It can do Richard. One thing that a heavier headshell can help with depending on cart/arm compliance is tracking ability. If alignment is tweaked slightly and tracking improved through a slight increase in mass working with the compliance, it can be a significant improvement. It depends on where the original headshell/arm compliance was compared with the ideal (8 to 13 Hz or close to). Its not the be all and end all, it's a guide, but some carts show improved tracking when a little mass is added to the headshell. My best guess without understanding how accurately it was originally set up is that its likely a combination of a better alignment and the extra mass helping out. Whatever the reason, enjoy and don't fret about it ;)

Ha yes I will do. Thank you. Kind regards

[awkwardbydesign]

In the end, if you are now enjoying the music more, that's the important thing.
BTW, too many Richards here, it's confusing. :lol: