For lots of hifi friends, the ultimate Linn Sondek LP12 is fitted with the Naim ARO unipivot pick up arm on a special made ARO Keel sub-chassis.
The ARO was originally designed to fit the Linn LP12 turntable using a Linn cartridge, namely the Linn Troika. Linn cartridges have typically a stylus to bolt distance (the offset distance between the stylus and the cartridge mounting screws) of 7mm. In the absence of a sliding base, or sliding options in the fixed headshell of the ARO, the overhang is not adjustable. When used with a non-Linn cartrdige, the overhang might be off the curve, causing distortion.
I will not start to discuss here the importance of a correct overhang, although this is an interesting question. I start this new thread to exchange some experiences using non-Linn cartridges in the Naim ARO.
Generally, cartridges with a stylus to bolt distance (SBD) of 7-10mm are acceptable for an ARO. Most of the cartridge manufacturers does not state the SBD in the specifications of a cartridge.
Most of the ARO users use Dynavector cartridges, with a SBD of 8mm. I personally use a Fidelity Research MC201, with a SBD of 10mm.
Does anyone have other experiences? Maybe even medium output cartridges around 1mV with a 7-10 SBD?
I know there are probably other threads about this same subject, but it might be interesting to update this question.
What about Soundsmith cartridges on ARO?