Recommendations for tracking force sscales

[Pigmy Pony]

I'm a bit embarrassed to say this, but I have NEVER replaced a cartridge, ever :doh: I'd always bought turntables with carts installed, and only ever changed stylii. I only realised this when I acquired an MC cartridge for my deck, a Qunitet Blue. My first ever MC.

I got the loading dipswitches on my phono amp sorted, and fitted the new cart with no disasters, but when it came to tracking force, well...the tonearm has no markings on the counterweight, so needed to fully rely on scales. Which I'm guessing is more reliable anyway.

However, the scales are a crappy looking plastic affair that looks like a seesaw, and I'm not sure how accurate that can be. But I gave it a go, and tried a record I'm well familiar with (Tears for Fears' Sowing The Seeds), and it actually sounds great! I can't put it down to expectation bias, as I expected it to sound shit.

But I still have doubts about the tracking force. Oh, and 'bias' - there is no calibrated scale for this, just a poxy little sliding button. Any suggestions would be appreciated (Go digital you numpty! I heard someone say).

[worrasf]

I use one of these digital ones and it's always been fine: https://www.analogueseduction.net/stylus-force-tracking-gauges/tonar-trackurate-digital-stylus-pressure-gauge-black.html

I also use the old fashioned Shure stylus balance : https://www.shure.com/en-GB/products/accessories/sfg-2?variant=SFG-2

I often use both as a double-check and TBH the old fashioned balance always gives the same result as the modern digital one.

Regarding bias - after much reading around the subject I now use the Soundsmith method: https://www.sound-smith.com/faq/how-do-i-adjust-anti-skating-my-cartridge

[Pigmy Pony]

Thanks for that Stephen, that Soundsmith advice for anti-skate looks like something even I can do. And no purchase to be made!

Those scales look the business, but rather more expensive than I was hoping - I know I sound like a tightwad, but really as I've gone 40-odd years without one it may only get used once or twice.

Something I've just noticed - the Ortofon 'seesaw' gauge I've been using is different to the ones on Ebay - theirs are calibrated in 'g' (grams I assume), while mine is in mN (newton Metres?) So God knows what the cartridge is now set at :doh:

[struth]

if it looks fine and sounds fine and scales say its fine then.....:D

[worrasf]

Thanks for that Stephen, that Soundsmith advice for anti-skate looks like something even I can do. And no purchase to be made!

Those scales look the business, but rather more expensive than I was hoping - I know I sound like a tightwad, but really as I've gone 40-odd years without one it may only get used once or twice.

Something I've just noticed - the Ortofon 'seesaw' gauge I've been using is different to the ones on Ebay - theirs are calibrated in 'g' (grams I assume), while mine is in mN (newton Metres?) So God knows what the cartridge is now set at :doh:

The recommended tracking force for your Quintet blue is 2.3g which equates to 22.5 mN if that's any help

[Pigmy Pony]

if it looks fine and sounds fine and scales say its fine then.....:D

Well yes, the first two are true, it just the scales thing - I have absolutely no idea what my cart is set at, I don't want to prematurely knacker my stylus and/or records. If I can just be happy I've got the VTF, I'll be trusting my ears for the rest.

I expect this cartridge will be less critical of set up than my 2M Black, so for me "near enough is good enough". Heresy!

[struth]

i take it the scales came with the cart... if it balances out it will be pretty close to optimal

[Pigmy Pony]

i take it the scales came with the cart... if it balances out it will be pretty close to optimal

No, I already had these scales knocking about, they may have come with the previous cartridge.

[Pigmy Pony]

The recommended tracking force for your Quintet blue is 2.3g which equates to 22.5 mN if that's any help

That is helpful, and is pretty much what I had set it to when I had mistaken mN for grams. So happy days :)

[Barry]

Those Ortofon 'see-saw' balances are to be trusted
They are purely mechanical, unlike the digital scales on offer, which can be upset by interfering magnetic fields.
The only thing to bear in mind with mechanical scales is the surface on which they rest must be horizontal. Use spirit level to check for the latter, with the platter in several different rotation positions.

Regarding the setup of the bias, no method is perfect. Most arms offer a bias which varies as the cosine of the arm's angle with respect to that at the start of the record, whereas others arrange for the bias to be constant. Neither are strictly correct.

[mercalia]

you can get electronic ones cheap on Ebay. Mine came with a small weight to test it. I also tested mine against the Ortofon see-saw balance and they both agreed