Bruce J. Richman
March 24th 04, 09:03 PM
johannzimbal wrote:
>Hi,
>
>I have a Stanton Str8-20 turntable. It's a belt driven, straight tone
>arm, plastic body, pretty light, inexpensive turntable. It's going
>through a realistic receiver. I use it to mostly play old records
>that I get for $1 to $10 so that I can explore some great older music
>without breaking the bank.
>
>As you can see, my stereo is not high-end, but nonetheless, it sounds
>pretty decent. The only problem is that the turntable came with a
>relatively low quality Stanton 500B cartridge (20 to 14 kHz, sperical
>stylus). Because of this cartridge, very high frequency music,
>especially "Ssssss" sounds in vocals, is distorted.
>
>Could someone please recommend a cartridge for $75 or less that would
>make this setup sound better. I'm not looking for the best of the
>best, just something that will be able to play any music without
>distortion.
>
>I tried a Grado prestige black cartridge, but it didn't sound as
>vibrant and full-bodied as the Stanton cartridge, especially in the
>mids. Plus, apparently, it isn't made to be used with a stright tone
>arm.
>
>Thanks very much,
>
>Johann
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
That's a surprising finding IME. Grado cartridges generally are perceived by
most listeners as being relatively full-bodied and "warm" relative to some
other cartridges. Indeed, that is one of the factors that may explain their
popularity amongst users of lower-priced cartridges. AFAIK, there is no
restriction on their use with straight tone arms, and many of their models, if
not all of them, are frequently used with straight tone arms - type of tone arm
found in most modern record players.
I would suggest that you reconsider buying the best Grado you can afford, and
then perhaps, unless you are comfortable with the task, consider getting a
dealer to install the cartridge for you. Such variables as tracking force,
vertical tracking angle and azimuth adjustment can often affect the sound of a
cartridge in negative ways, if not optimized for your particular tone
arm/turntable setup. Also, if your table has antiskating adjustment, that too
should be factored in to the setup equation.
Bruce J. Richman
>Hi,
>
>I have a Stanton Str8-20 turntable. It's a belt driven, straight tone
>arm, plastic body, pretty light, inexpensive turntable. It's going
>through a realistic receiver. I use it to mostly play old records
>that I get for $1 to $10 so that I can explore some great older music
>without breaking the bank.
>
>As you can see, my stereo is not high-end, but nonetheless, it sounds
>pretty decent. The only problem is that the turntable came with a
>relatively low quality Stanton 500B cartridge (20 to 14 kHz, sperical
>stylus). Because of this cartridge, very high frequency music,
>especially "Ssssss" sounds in vocals, is distorted.
>
>Could someone please recommend a cartridge for $75 or less that would
>make this setup sound better. I'm not looking for the best of the
>best, just something that will be able to play any music without
>distortion.
>
>I tried a Grado prestige black cartridge, but it didn't sound as
>vibrant and full-bodied as the Stanton cartridge, especially in the
>mids. Plus, apparently, it isn't made to be used with a stright tone
>arm.
>
>Thanks very much,
>
>Johann
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
That's a surprising finding IME. Grado cartridges generally are perceived by
most listeners as being relatively full-bodied and "warm" relative to some
other cartridges. Indeed, that is one of the factors that may explain their
popularity amongst users of lower-priced cartridges. AFAIK, there is no
restriction on their use with straight tone arms, and many of their models, if
not all of them, are frequently used with straight tone arms - type of tone arm
found in most modern record players.
I would suggest that you reconsider buying the best Grado you can afford, and
then perhaps, unless you are comfortable with the task, consider getting a
dealer to install the cartridge for you. Such variables as tracking force,
vertical tracking angle and azimuth adjustment can often affect the sound of a
cartridge in negative ways, if not optimized for your particular tone
arm/turntable setup. Also, if your table has antiskating adjustment, that too
should be factored in to the setup equation.
Bruce J. Richman