Audio Technica AT95se set up in Garrard SP25 MK IV arm

[Jimbo]

Hi folks,

Can anyone tell me how to set up an Audio Technica AT95se cartridge in the arm of a Garrard SP25 MK IV.
Do I need a stylus set up protractor or can it me set up without?

[DSJR]

The SP25/Autoslim range of decks have very short arms by Hifi standards and to be fair, the kind of cartridge fitted to these had tracking error as the LAST thing to worry about :lol:

Make sure the mechanism of the deck is working properly, ESPECIALLY the trip pawls on the main cam under the platter. reams and reams have been written (typed?) on the Vinyl Engine website and also the excellent (for this kind of deck) UK Vintage Radio site where, in the audio-Hifi 'room,' there are sticky threads given over to how the auto trip operates and other wonderful stuff the likes of myself lap up and retain (why couldn't I retain the stuff I was supposed to learn at school - I'd have been a graduate with ease if I had...).

Basically, the arm when balanced with the AT95E, should be free to move from rest to beyond the inner grooves without sticking. Old Garrards suffer hugely from what I call 'Garrard Glue,' which is dried up oil and grease. For some unknown reason, Garrard oiled the auto-trip pawls on the cam and these gum up on most if not all of these decks over forty years old (my 60mk2, AP76 and Zero 100 had the trip pawls as well as any pivoted parts seized solid on receipt). The platter has to come off, the cam taken off (easy) and the pawls removed, thoroughly degreased and replaced DRY so they rattle on the cam. Do a service on the entire deck (all service data for this series of decks is on the VE sits library - you have to join to get access) and reassemble.

Fit the cartridge as squarely in the C2 slide as possible, using the little wedge if you have it to get the cartridge top as parallel as possible to the record (the arm will slope down slightly as befits the autochanger base it was designed on). Track at a smidge under 2g and set the bias slider to '5' (trust me, I've done it with an AT95E in an SP25 :eyebrows:). The sound should be fine, if not the last work in refinement.

Good luck...

http://www.vinylengine.com/library/garrard/sp-25.shtml (the SP25 mkIII is basically the same as the IV for all intents and purposes)

http://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/showthread.php?t=96272 (the author of this article knows almost as much about Garrard decks as I do - only joking - and has a substantial presence on VE as well by a different monika)

[Beobloke]

Hi folks,

Can anyone tell me how to set up an Audio Technica AT95se cartridge in the arm of a Garrard SP25 MK IV.
Do I need a stylus set up protractor or can it me set up without?

The slide-in cartridge carrier on the SP25MkIV has no facility for back-and-forth alignment, so just bolt it in, balance the arm and set tracking weight/bias and off you go. Personally I track them at 2g exactly and bias at 1-1.5 but have a play and see what you think.

As to Dave's comments about Garrard grease and the mechnism - they're spot on!

[Barry]

When I had my Garrard SP25 (a Mk. II, I think), the first thing I did was to remove the link that activates the end-of-side lift mechanism!

The deck was my first and after about a year of use gave it to my faither who used it for many years. Even after twenty-odd years the platter still ran true and would take over two minutes to come to a complete standstill after spinning at 33 1/3 rpm.

[Macca]

What do SP25's fetch nowadays? Twenty years ago you literally couldn't give them away. Lenco GL75s too.

[Barry]

What do SP25's fetch nowadays? Twenty years ago you literally couldn't give them away. Lenco GL75s too.

Very little I would have thought!

[Jimbo]

Thanks for the advice and help chaps. Looking forward to hear the AT95e although the original Sony cartridge looks exactly the same even down to the colour. I wonder if Audio Technica made these for Sony back in 1976. Forgot to mention the Garrard SP25 is sitting in a Sony music centre hence the Sony cartridge fitted as OE to the Garrard arm.
The Sony speakers don't sound that bad and as a free system it is bringing a lot of pleasure to my girlfriend who has become a vinyl addict!!��

[Jimbo]

Just quick update on AT95e cartridge fitted now to Garrard SP25 MkIV. Big improvement over stock Sony cartridge,much more dynamic and better balance all round. Really brings vinyl to life.
Very easy to fit and set up,tracking at 2g and seems less prone to sibilance and distorting in the final grooves of an LP.
Would recommend this cartridge to anyone who wants a very very cheap cartridge and bang for bucks, I bet there is no other cartridge out there that could give you this performance for so little money!:eyebrows:

[DSJR]

The 95E is a goodie and I think current styli are better polished and set than ever. I still like the Rega carbon version of the AT91, but have to admit the 95E takes its abilities a little further up into the lower treble. The 95E can make for a sort-of giant killer in a vastly better turntable system as well :)

Re the auto-trip on these Garrards. Cleaned and working properly, they won't impede the arm at all. After the SP25 mk2, the slider from arm end to main bearing was modified to run in a delrin lined 'slot' (I can't remember what year this was done, but later mk2's may well do this also) and this removes this item from arm sticking issues IME. I also tried adding a small clear nylon? washer underneath the slider locating screw at the arm end and got a tiny further improvement on the AT6 at least.

http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q8/DSJR_photos/000bac3b.jpg (http://s132.photobucket.com/user/DSJR_photos/media/000bac3b.jpg.html)

[karma67]

once you have got used the the standard 95e stylus try the upgraded HE stylus from the states,its bloody fantastic!
http://www.turntableneedles.com/Cartridge-AT95HE_p_3926.html

[struth]

decent low budget cart. used 1 for years and still have 2. 1 of which is still in its packaging