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Stupid question about mc cartridge tracking

K

kimmiles

pfm Member
OK: pretend that I'm completely stupid!

Bought a s/h Inspire Apollo/Micro Seiki MA505/Ortofon Quintet Black AND a Leema Elements Ultra phonostage to replace my Technics SL150/II + Tecnoarm combo.

Since I bought it, I just CAN NOT get anything right about it! There were issues about 'drifting', tracking, motor noise and, perhaps most frustrating of all, the correct loadings for the cartridge (resistance, gain and pF!!!)

I tried a different phonostage, the Arcam rphono, with even WORSE results re tracking; distorts like bu***ry on complex musical passages.

Can loading affect the sound in this way??? Is the arm at fault? Am I????

Getting really despondent about all of this: almost wish that I'd kept the Technics combo (no issues with this set up AT ALL!!)

Any advice? Thanks.
 
How comfortable are you about TT and cart set up? The Quintet Black tracks pretty well, as do all Ortofon cartridges. If the cartridge won't track properly, there are a number of possible causes. I'm assuming that the VTA and height of the tonearm is correct.

a) does the arm move freely? (remove all the downforce and just get the tonearm balanced with the air lift down - does the arm move freely from side to side?) sticky bearings can cause mistracking

b) have you set the cartridge downforce correctly? If in doubt set it at the manufacturer's maximum recommended level (range 2.1 - 2.5 g) - try it initially without any anti-skating and then adjust the anti-skate (if the cartridge tracks ok)
 
As above, loading can’t effect tracking and won’t produce audible distortion, no matter how incorrect the loading is. Nor can the phonostage effect these things. The only bits that can cause mistracking are the arm and/or the cartridge.

What do you mean by ‘drifting’? Slow speed drift of the D.C. motor?

I strongly suspect your cartridge is aligned incorrectly and/or there is a problem with the arm (could be sticky bearings or the bias arrangement - could even be the arm wiring where it passes through the bearing, but not the external cable). Problems with the arm would cause the cartridge to jump but wouldn’t likely cause distortion. Problems with the cartridge alignment would do all the things you are complaining of though.
 
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Thanks for all of the advice.

By drifting, I meant that the arm drifts left or right no matter what amount of anti-skating that I apply.

I have just changed to my 2M Black (and changed the loadings): only played about 2 minutes of music so far but the situation seems to be better (although the Quintet Black is a much smoother cartridge).

Will see what the evening brings as that would seem to suggest that it is the Q Black that is the issue?
 
kimmiles said:
By drifting, I meant that the arm drifts left or right no matter what amount of anti-skating that I apply.
Click to expand...

If you mean the stylus jumps out of the groove and then slides across the record randomly then you have a pretty serious issue with either your arm or your cartridge. First, check there actually is a stylus on the end of the cartridges cantilever as it has been known for them to fall off.
 
I don't know the TT/arm combo, Kim, but was it all set up when you bought it or have you fitted some of the bits? Definitely got the arm and cart aligned correctly using the appropriate alignment?
 
The only times I've had a problem with "drifting" as you describe it was when the pressure on the stylus in the groove was relieved by such a build up of fluff (alright, my records are dirty!) that it lifted the stylus out of the groove so that the tracking weight was being applied to the fluff rather than the stylus. Sounded horribly distorted as you describe.

If the arm's drifting sideways there can't be a positive connection between stylus and groove, could the bottom of the cartridge be riding on the record surface?
 
Maybe by "drifting" he means the lowering mechanism doesn´t lower in a vertical line - it either drifts left or right of the desired point so he cannot set up a certain track. Sounds like some Regas I have seen where the anti skating is magnetic and never zeroes.
 
re Chris' comment above: that is exactly what I meant.
Have changed the cartridge to my 2M Black with much more success, so it obviously was an issue with alignment for the Quintet Black.
I've ordered an Ortofon headshell which might improve things with the QB.
One thing: the arm lead is touching the Apollo base under a bit of pressure. With respect to an earlier comment, might this be an issue?
Thanks for all of the advice.
 
If it only "drifts" on cueing then maybe there's a strip of rubber that's meant to hold the arm tube in lateral position on the lift/lower mechanism, if so that rubber often becomes hardened/contaminated after years of use.
Here's what I advised a year or 2 ago.

The lifting mechanism (on the Ittok) has a strip of rubber on the top of the lifting "quadrant" and this can get a bit smooth and hard after years of use. Try cleaning the top of that rubber strip with a solvent cleaner (isopropyl alcohol/meths/gin!) to restore the grip on the arm tube as it lowers.

Might be worth a try, don't see what it would have to do with distortion mind you!
 
Strange thread. If it's simply an arm lift/cueing problem, what's that got to do with the other issues in the o.p.? Unless, of course, the arm lift isn't clearing the arm on lowering sufficient to allow the correct VTF. This would cause mistracking and consequent sonic malfunction. Just a thought.
 
If you bought it on EBay, I’d send it back for a refund. Not sure about how long you have to put in a claim - I think with EBay it’s around 30 days but if you take it up with PayPal you’ve got 180 days ( unless that’s changed). In the case of taking it up with PayPal you shouldn’t approach EBay first. Maybe someone else can confirm this or advise if what I’ve said is wrong. I reckon you’re never going to be really happy with the deck so if I were you I’d do my best to get a refund and go back to something similar to what you had before.
 
Another good idea from Mike!

There's clearly something going on here that's not obvious on the end of a computer link.
 
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