stylus force gauge
- Thread starter puroagave
- Start date
I see them on eBay...Hong Kong and Japan sellers. No US sellers it appears. I may have to buy one.
I use the same VTF gauge shown in post #1 but good to three decimal places.
Recently got this one with the VPI table, good to two decimal places. Crosschecked it against my other gauge and they read identically.
Recently got this one with the VPI table, good to two decimal places. Crosschecked it against my other gauge and they read identically.
I originally got mine direct from a domestic hifi Japan store and shipped via a Japanese shipping firm. Saved me close to 50% off what ebay sellers were selling for.
Ebay sellers have dropped their prices a bit compared to 6 months ago so price difference not that great now.
I am surprised they are not released by Ortofon outside of Japan. However Ortofon Japan do their own thing compared to head office
Ebay sellers have dropped their prices a bit compared to 6 months ago so price difference not that great now.
I am surprised they are not released by Ortofon outside of Japan. However Ortofon Japan do their own thing compared to head office
I have one like the one on the OP. It came with my TechDAS cart along with tweezers cart leads and screws. My trusty really old Clearaudio finally died on me so I used the freebie.
I almost had a heart attack because it was riding high and I couldn't use the lifter to set the stylus down on it so had to do it manually. I like them low slung weighing areas a whole lot more just for that added sense of security.
I almost had a heart attack because it was riding high and I couldn't use the lifter to set the stylus down on it so had to do it manually. I like them low slung weighing areas a whole lot more just for that added sense of security.
Yeah my Clearaudio died years ago too
And I lost the the AC adaptor along the way to the Cartridge man stylus pressure gauge. Now that was a nice piece.http://www.thecartridgeman.com/digital_stylus_force_guage.htm
Yeah my Clearaudio died years ago too
http://www.thecartridgeman.com/digital_stylus_force_guage.htm
I have the Cartridge man scale. It is nice. Little too spendy though. You should be able to find a replacement AC adapter. You just need to know the voltage, amperage and size of the connector. The voltage, and amperage is on the link in your post.
i used to have the technics stylus pressure gauge with analog readout, it worked well i gave it away years ago and rely on the shure balance beam. i've seen these digital SFGs on ebay for ~$35 - anyone have one and are they accurate?
These are pretty good and accurate their downside is 5 grams max limit, that's not enough for those with some vintage cartridges. Another minor issue is that you'll get slightly different reading if the stylus isn't centered on that dot. Otherwise it good value.
Ortofon scales (disclaimer; I am an Ortofon dealer) are both high quality and more sanely priced than some other ones I see and they work with cartridges that have heavier tracking weights. At the end of the day I don't see the need for 2 or 3 digital places, tracking weights are a starting point and the better arms already bring you right there without any scales. Fine tuning is done by listening!
david
Then why does Jonathan Carr tell you to set the Atlas at *exactly* 1.72 gm? There is a reason. Personally with the VPI arm and counterintuitive combo I can easily and reproducibly set the VTF by 0.001 gm and it makes a difference.
Why does one want precision? It has to do with optimally placing the coils in relationship to the magnet and flux fields and tracking.
And it's great the Ortofon can sat VTF for vintage cartridges but that probably is only of interest to 0.0001% of analog lovers.
Myles, does J Carr say that or the manual?
My manual says between 1.65 - 1.75 with 1.72 recommended.
Btw,that is why I bought the new Ortofon guage and never the old one as it has more than one decibel place.
Cheers
That's what you said in your first post. I bought a new gauge precisely because it did go to 3 decimal places.
You have to ask Jonathan, I never heard that and it needs to be clarified that under what conditions does 1/100th of a gram difference in tracking weight is vital when even a small change in room temperature will throw off that 1/100 gram. In my experience, given that you know how to setup your arm and cartridges combo there's alway a little play for the sweet spot in manufacturer's recommended targets. Many of them like Ortofon will give you a range of gram or more tolerance with a recommended starting point.
And so what, I can reproduce the same results with my 50+ year SME arms!
Wow, you must have Vulcan hearing and a system of infinite resolution set up in a special atmosphere less environment in outer space, because on planet earth and an average human being without super hearing abilities won't be able to hear 1/1000th of gram change in tracking weight, and that's if you can even create such an impossible testing condition and putting aside little facts like friction and heat.
Precision in your methods and approach to setting up an arm/cartridge/table combination yes, but that's not what you're claiming here. You're arguing absolutes and theoretical tolerances where measurement, of a 1/1000th of a gram, makes a noticeable difference in a situation where there are no absolutes, a plethora of external influences to achieve subjective goals set by individuals with different priorities. Even in a theoretical world I would very much doubt that Jonathan, whom I know well and someone who's aware of sample variances in this type of product would lock himself to 1.72 grams as an absolute. The best any scale or manufacturer target weight can do is give you starting point, that's all.
Count me in that group!
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I just ordered the ds-3 from a Japan seller on eBay. I like the idea of the scale being much closer to the thickness of a 200 gram record versus the acoustech I use now. In any event, when setting weight, the VTA better be the same as that when you play records otherwise thy VTF will not be what you think it is.
The ds-3 is approx 2mm above the surface. Just below a 180gm lp.
Perfect for the majority of lp's
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