[infinitesymphony]

Yeesh... I guess $40 is a pretty standard price. Thanks for the options.

I sent several e-mails to LPGear last month and they never responded to any of them.

I just sent another one asking about the weight/material of the Zupreme headshell. It seems odd that no one has listed the headshell weight.

IIRC, the weight of the tonearm+headshell system in the PL-400 is 17g total. Do you know the individual weights of the stock PL-400 tonearm and headshell? What overall weight should I be trying to achieve?

I just took off my Pioneer PL-400's headshell to examine it, and I'm having a difficult time imagining that it's aluminum. It looks, feels, and sounds like hard plastic. Then again, I've never had a turntable before.

 

[memepool]

Again it's not the weight of the headshell that is crucial in this instance but rather the mass of the material from which it is made. Magnesium posesses a very low mass without compromising rigitity which is why the SME IV and V are made from it. Although these arms are too heavy for most suspended subchasis decks like the Linn Sondek their Effective Mass is a medium 10-11gms.

I will try and explain this. A tonarm and counterweight and headshell and cartridge all have an individual weight which is defined by gravity and a mass which is defined by what materials they are constructed from.

Once you bolt them all together and mount them on a deck though, you balance the weight of the parts against gravity by means of a pivot with the counterweight so the only weight that the record sees is what you dial in to track the cart.

But the arm behaves differently depending on the density of the material from which it's made and how this interacts with the springiness of the cartridge as it tracks accross the record. Force, Mass, Motion...

This is a pretty complex subject. SME make a good job of explaining the physics of it here http://www.sme.ltd.uk/content/Series-V-1330.shtml

Also AJ Van Den Hull's FAQ is interesting. He offers the same kind of advice in lowering the mass of a Fidelity research arm. http://www.vandenhul.com/artpap/phono_faq.htm

So you need a magnesium headshell for it's low mass properties.

The weight of the headshell is actually only important in so far as you need the counterweight on the arm to be able to zero balance whatever you load on the front end of it.
I will double check the range of cart weights they recommend for use with the Pioneer tonearm but I am thinking that most of the headshells I see on ebay these days are designed to work with heavyweight arms like the FR so a lighter one is probably the safest bet. So you want a Magnesium headshell which is not too heavy as well otherwise your counterweight won't be able to balance it....

 

[infinitesymphony]

Thanks for the explanation about the importance of matched compliance. I'm sure I'm not the only one who's asked, "What does compliance matter if my stylus gauge says 1.2g even with a heavy headshell?"

Both the Rek-O-Kut and LPGear.com Zupreme headshells are listed as weighing 12 grams with the leads installed, so I'm assuming the Zupreme is magnesium...

Either way, I've decided to avoid the problem for now and go with the low-compliance AT440MLa cartridge mounted to my stock headshell.

 

[memepool]

Quote:

Originally Posted by infinitesymphony /img/forum/go_quote.gif Both the Rek-O-Kut and LPGear.com Zupreme headshells are listed as weighing 12 grams with the leads installed, so I'm assuming the Zupreme is magnesium...

It's like David Scott dropping the feather and the hammer on the moon on Apollo 15.
So when you zero balance your tonearm you take gravity out of the equation and all that remains is the density of the material that the tonearm is made of, how many atoms it contains.
Magnesium contains fewer than Aluminium so it's lower mass. This Zupreme is some sort of 'aerospace' alloy but they don't tell you how it compares to any more familiar materials so it's not much help really.

I found the manual for your PL 400 here

http://www.vinylengine.com/library_m...d_model=PL-400

It states a range of 4-9grams for the weight of the carts the tonearm counterweight can balance with the stock headshell. The ADC XLM II weighs 5.75 grams.
So if you weigh the stock Pioneer headshell on a scales you will be able to compare this figure to those of the various magnesium carts on the web to ensure compability. The ADC Magnesium headshell I have weighs 7grams which seems very light compared to the new ones on the web.

The AT440MLA is a killer for the money, it used to be way more expensive. Should easily outperform your Empire cart by a wide margin.

 

[dvw]

Quote:

Originally Posted by memepool /img/forum/go_quote.gif There seems to be a lot of NOS ADC stock around and then there are the JICO replacements as well so I don't think there is any issue with replacement stylii.

Hi Memepool;

Can you recommend a place I can get Jico replacement for the XLM Mk II? I got two of them that I bought for $10 in the 80s.

I don't mean to highjack this thread. Just wonder if you know there is anyone in US that can retip a Ortofon MC20?

Thanks

 

[infinitesymphony]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dvw /img/forum/go_quote.gif ...XLM Mk II? I got two of them that I bought for $10 in the 80s.

Just curious... What's your opinion of the sound quality of that cartridge compared to other cartridges you have heard?

 

[memepool]

Lot's of choices....

The stylii for the XLM series are all interchangeable. What separates them between MKI and MKIII is the dimensions of the diamond which get finer the later the version. So finding one that will fit is no problem but finding one to original spec or one that improves on original spec, like the JICO SAS aim to, is also a possibility. Good explanation of the different profiles here http://needleexpress.com/faq.htm

The seller that infinitesymphony got his XLMII from

http://cgi.ebay.com/ADC-XLM-ll-PHONO...QQcmdZViewItem

claims to be able to supply replacement stylii, although he also claimed this was the universal headshell version which it obviously isn't so do cross examine him to make quite sure what he is on about. Pretty resonable prices though compared to

http://www.adelcom.net/ADCCart1.htm

who seem to carry most of the old ADC range and replacement stylii

http://www.adelcom.net/ADCStylus1.htm

But they are vague about whether they are original or not, which you would think they are for those prices

although they do specify a fine Shibata tip which is orignial spec for the MKIII


LPgear carry there own branded replacements which they say are sourced in Japan but again don't give much info
http://www.lpgear.com/Merchant2/merc...ct_Code=ADC221



Then there is Jico, who carry both a conical and eliptical replacment but don't tell you the dimensions of their eliptical tip or whether it's a propper nude / shibata and unfortunately there doesn't seem to be an SAS version yet.
http://www.export-japan.com/marketin...products_id=34

Perhaps you should email Jico and see what they say. Maybe they can make an SAS version?

Needledoctor looks like they have original MKIII ones and the price isn't too bad either. Again check to be sure
http://www.needledoctor.com/Online-Store/ADC

As far as the Ortofon goes, lovely cart BTW

Garrot Brothers in Australia are the most famous and offer a range of profiles and prices. http://www.decibelhifi.com.au/category28_1.htm

I think Needledoctor offer to send it to them for you as well but it's probably going to be cheaper to take care of it yourself.

Have you checked with Ortofon? http://www.ortofon.com/
Maybe there is a part exchange or something as I think they still make these too.

 

[infinitesymphony]

The NOS ADC XLM II that I bought from that seller is up for sale in the FS forums:

FS: ADC XLM II Phono Cartridge, NOS, for $60 shipped. That might be cheaper than finding a replacement stylus.

 

[3000]

Hope you don't me hijacking your thread, but I got a favor to ask. I will be getting a Pioneer PL-112d from a friend this weekend, only one downside.. it doesn't have a belt anymore. So I was hoping if someone knows what length/width of belt I would need with this particular turntable.

 

[infinitesymphony]

All you need to do is lookup a replacement part from a vendor. They usually sort belts by turntable model numbers. For example:

Pioneer PL-112D turntable belt from LPGear.com.

Another belt from an eBay seller.

 

[dvw]

Thanks Memepool for the info. I did contact Orotofon. They don't do retip. They'll do a trade in for 25% discount. The price is a little too steep for me.

Infinitesymphony, quality of cartridge varies all over the place. It kind of like speakers. I have a friend he has a pair of speakers that cost $250,000. There were only three pairs made as prototype. That's the best speaker I ever heard.

So my opinion on the XLM is for under $100, this is a very nice cartridge. I think there's a Stereophile review on this cartridge. you might be able to find it on the web. For me I only pay $10 in the clearance sale, so it's incredible sound for me.

I am bias towards MC. But because of the stylus is not replaceable, my everyday cartridge is Shure M97XE simply for its trackability. Getting the ADC going again will be nice, but not at the price Needledoctor wants to charge.

The way the prices are going. Maybe I need think about stocking up on stylus.

 

[infinitesymphony]

I found the Stanton H4S headshell (supposedly magnesium) at the local Guitar Center for $10.95!

It comes with 2g and 4g extra weights as well as a set of wires. I removed the weight, attached the Empire cartridge, and reset the overhang and VTF on the turntable.

The bass sounds slightly clearer, and the frequency spectrum sounds a bit more balanced. This could be due to the headshell material and/or the new headshell wires. Either way, an absolute steal. Now I can switch cartridges whenever I want.

The Audio-Technica AT440MLa is on its way right now...

Now I'm debating which headshell to use for it... The original Pioneer aluminum or the Stanton with added weights. The specs for the AT440ML at cartridgedb.com seem to indicate that it likes a high mass system.

One difference I noticed between the Pioneer and Stanton headshells is that the Pioneer appears to use a large copper plate connected to the ground pin, whereas the Stanton has nothing on the underside. A good design decision to discharge static?

 

[infinitesymphony]

Wow... Wowowow. Biggest tweak of the year: Empire 500 ID with worn-out stylus and old headshell leads --> Audio-Technica AT440MLa with new stylus and gold headshell leads.

It's a dramatic improvement indeed. The cartridge is new, so there will be some burn-in time. I can understand why most people would consider this to be a bright cartridge, especially when new. Coupled with my neutral system and old tonearm leads, the synergy is good.

IMO, the absolute best part about the cartridge is the micro-line stylus. Hiss? Pops? Sibilant smearing? Almost completely gone. I found a great local hi-fi shop the other day and talked with one of the salesmen about that type of stylus, and he said that smaller stylus profiles can often read past the areas where most of the damage and dirt are located.

Whatever the case, best <$100 upgrade ever. I'm using it with the original Pioneer headshell, though I probably should have mounted it in the more flexible Stanton headshell. I'm running just over the recommended VTF of 1.4 grams. If I ever find the bass lacking, I'll probably add some force. A few forum users have expressed a preference for 2g VTF with the cartridge.

 

[memepool]

Quote:

Originally Posted by infinitesymphony /img/forum/go_quote.gif IMO, the absolute best part about the cartridge is the micro-line stylus. Hiss? Pops? Sibilant smearing? Almost completely gone. I found a great local hi-fi shop the other day and talked with one of the salesmen about that type of stylus, and he said that smaller stylus profiles can often read past the areas where most of the damage and dirt are located.

He's absolutely right.

 

[derekbmn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by infinitesymphony /img/forum/go_quote.gif Wow... Wowowow. Biggest tweak of the year: Empire 500 ID with worn-out stylus and old headshell leads --> Audio-Technica AT440MLa with new stylus and gold headshell leads. It's a dramatic improvement indeed. The cartridge is new, so there will be some burn-in time. I can understand why most people would consider this to be a bright cartridge, especially when new. Coupled with my neutral system and old tonearm leads, the synergy is good. IMO, the absolute best part about the cartridge is the micro-line stylus. Hiss? Pops? Sibilant smearing? Almost completely gone. I found a great local hi-fi shop the other day and talked with one of the salesmen about that type of stylus, and he said that smaller stylus profiles can often read past the areas where most of the damage and dirt are located. Whatever the case, best <$100 upgrade ever. I'm using it with the original Pioneer headshell, though I probably should have mounted it in the more flexible Stanton headshell. I'm running just over the recommended VTF of 1.4 grams. If I ever find the bass lacking, I'll probably add some force. A few forum users have expressed a preference for 2g VTF with the cartridge.

Congrat's on a KILLER cartridge ! I have had the best results (to my ears) with a VTF of 1.7 grams.