I've recently replaced the old DJ cartridge I was using on my 1210GR for a Nagaoka MP110H but its sounding a little dull at the moment. It hasn't had 30 hours yet so there's still time for it to change, but one thing I noticed was that the tonearm seems to be leaning downwards slightly. The 1210GR won't go below zero on VTA so I'll need a thicker mat to sort that out, which was in my upgrade plans anway. I'll probably get the Achromat for now as it falls within my budget.
Is there any way to accurately (and cheaply) determine the 'flatness' of a tonearm? ie how do I know if VTA is wrong?
Does anyone know if the MP110H is shallower than an Ortofon Concorde?
Does the 1210GR need the special 1210 version of the Achromat? The platter does look and feel as though it has a lip, but the supplied Technics rubber mat just lies flat across the top of it.
Is the 1210 Achromat 5mm thick? If its the 3mm version it's of no benefit to me, if I need to use it to alter the VTA.
I'm getting back into vinyl and want to get it set up properly, hence caring about the minutiae this time around...