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

Johann Zimbal wrote:


(Bruce J. Richman) wrote in message
...
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

Thanks Bruce. Maybe the angle at which I installed the Grado was
wrong. My turntable only has a counterbalance, but no anti-skate
setting or anything like that.

Could anyone here please recommend a dealer in New York City that can
install a cartridge correctly for me? I know of one DJ shop that
sells turntables. Would that suffice?

Johann








Unfortunately, I'm in South Florida and personally knowledgable about dealers
in NYC. However, VPI turntables - my favorite brand (and personal choice) are
manufactured in New Jersey (www.VPIIndustries.com) and their tonearms
(straight) are frequently used with Grado cartridges (made in Brooklyn).
I would suggest getting in touch with VPI for a recommendation of a
turntable-friendly dealer in NYC. Alternatively, you might want to consider
joining the Phonogram mailing list - a free, subscriber-based mailing list
which has many vinyl enthusiasts, including writers and manufacturers,
available with a vast fund of knowledge re. turntable & tone arm setup.
Finally, another possible source of information would be the "Vinyl Asylum"
portion of the Audio Asylum website - www.audioasylum.com.

Good luck.



Bruce J. Richman