The Colibri “Master Signature”
- Thread starter Tango
- Start date
My Master Signature now has roughly 103 hours on it. I started out with 1.5g VTF and am getting ready to lower it by 0.05 -0.1 to 1.45g - 1.4g to see how that sounds. What VTF are others using after 100 hours? After a bunch of trial and error, I have settled on a VTA and it is sounding superb. This is a very good cartridge.
Peter, thanks for the great picture. Do you have the mirror sitting directly on the TT platter?
Hi Al. You are most welcome.
Yes, I have a very small mirror just larger than a postage stamp. It is directly on the TT platter. The mirror thickness is similar to a standard 140g LP. It's a bit tricky as my MS is mounted on an SME 3012R and the azimuth follows an arc as the arm is lowered (due I think to the fact that the bearing angle does not match the headshell offset angle, though I am not sure). Regardless, I found it is best to set azimuth as close as possible to the surface of the record. The photo taken with a magnifying app on my iPhone shows the cantilever and its reflection line up pretty well. I also placed the tiny vdH bubble level on the headshell to confirm that it is level at the record surface. Adjusting azimuth did improve sonics, especially once I settled on the best VTA.
Just FYI, and I don't know where these number came from, an LCR meter can be used to measure cart DC resistance and Inductance without frying coils.
Peter, I run a VdH Crimson on a Reed 3P and I need to shore up the azimuth setting. I will try your method.
'roughly' 103 hours.
what is it exactly?
Peter; come on Man! let's not get all loosey-goosey here. you have a reputation to uphold.
'roughly' 103 hours.
what is it exactly?
Peter; come on Man! let's not get all loosey-goosey here. you have a reputation to uphold.
Funny. I wrote “ruffly” because I have logged exactly 310 LP sides. I estimate each side is 20 minutes, so I divided 310 by 3. That is “Ruffly“ 103 hours give or take.
Yes when he's at the office, but he is now in China. I have been at their office many times. I speak more with his son who measures most carts. He showed me the measuring last time i was there 2 weeks ago.
I have one vtf scale with two decimal and another with one decimal point. My vtf is 1.4 with single decimal scale. I no longer go crazy with two decimal. You guys are so perfectionist with tiny little things.
I may forget the scale and just use the weight on the arm. Then again I’ve learned what a difference one single card can do to VTA. I’m trying my best to tango.
Do you have access to a test LP with a 1000 Hz track and a voltmeter? Measure the output of the preamplifier with a standard 47 kohm load (considering the low impedance of the cartridge this means no load) and with a 50 or 100 ohm load (Rload). Than cartridge impedance = Rload x ( V (47k) - V(Rload) ) / V(Rload) .
Don't know if yr photo (nice) is before or after adjustment, and not sure if its fair to gauge from a photo on a Web page, but it looks like the stylus is slightly canted to the right.
Do you have a preference for a visual method versus measuring crosstalk? I'm kinda torn between them.
Doing visual I use a first surface mirror with a small tube-shaped microscope look for / adjust for an upright X formed by the point-to-point diamond and its reflection. That was adapted from Neil Golden's method for measuring SRA - before the USB microscope.
I admit I noticed that as well. The resolution (focus) of the image may be the issue. If it sounds great, then it sounds great!
been frustrated with my vdH Koa Master Signature 1.1mv. it seemed very splashy and had a severe hum issue. tried it at the lowest gain on the dart pre, and on the fixed output of the CS Port phono, and could not get it to settle down. so i've not been listening to it. last night just to make sure all was well with my dart phono, i installed the 10 hour old vdH Strad .38mv I also have. it was fine.
also i need another channel of phono for my mono cartridge, or maybe one of my stereo carts, so have been considering an SUT to use with one of the spare MM outputs on the CS Port phono for the Master Sig. but an SUT really worthy of the Koa MS in my system would not be cheap. i was figuring maybe i need to sell the Master Sig and move on to something else that fits in better.
then it dawned on me; maybe that 1.1mv output MS would work well with one of the 40db of gain CS Port MM outputs? so tonight i removed the Strad .38mv and re-installed the MS 1.1mv. the captured phono cable on my Durand Telos Sapphire just barely reached the CS Port MM output......but it did reach.
bingo! the Koa MS 1.1mv sounded at home from the get go. the gain was comfortable with plenty of room up and down the volume range. no more overloading. zero hum. zero drama. right now the MS has under 20 hours on it. the cool thing is i can now put it anywhere on any of the tt's and know i have a channel that works. and i can see where it can go. without having to spend more money i have my 4th channel of phono, so now can get my mono cartridge going. and it seems like the CS Port is a synergistic match for the Koa MS so far.
maybe others are doing this too; i've not seen that if they are. and i need to spend more time to assess the whole performance equation. a few hours and 4-5 sides in it seems promising.
it's nice when something just works out all around. and i'm looking forward to finding the best tt and arm for the Master Signature 1.1mv.
also i need another channel of phono for my mono cartridge, or maybe one of my stereo carts, so have been considering an SUT to use with one of the spare MM outputs on the CS Port phono for the Master Sig. but an SUT really worthy of the Koa MS in my system would not be cheap. i was figuring maybe i need to sell the Master Sig and move on to something else that fits in better.
then it dawned on me; maybe that 1.1mv output MS would work well with one of the 40db of gain CS Port MM outputs? so tonight i removed the Strad .38mv and re-installed the MS 1.1mv. the captured phono cable on my Durand Telos Sapphire just barely reached the CS Port MM output......but it did reach.
bingo! the Koa MS 1.1mv sounded at home from the get go. the gain was comfortable with plenty of room up and down the volume range. no more overloading. zero hum. zero drama. right now the MS has under 20 hours on it. the cool thing is i can now put it anywhere on any of the tt's and know i have a channel that works. and i can see where it can go. without having to spend more money i have my 4th channel of phono, so now can get my mono cartridge going. and it seems like the CS Port is a synergistic match for the Koa MS so far.
maybe others are doing this too; i've not seen that if they are. and i need to spend more time to assess the whole performance equation. a few hours and 4-5 sides in it seems promising.
it's nice when something just works out all around. and i'm looking forward to finding the best tt and arm for the Master Signature 1.1mv.
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Glad it all worked out. I have been having similar issues with my cartridges which are all pretty low output MCs and my EMT JPA phono which really only has one input intended for a low output MC (0.25mV). Tang has kindly sent me his Airtight SUT which has 3 inputs so they are going into the SUT and then into the MM input of the EMT. Bingo. They are all singing beautifully. Unfortunately my Avid Acutus with Benz LP can't reach the EMT. Not quite sure what to do about that as I don't really want a 2m long phono cable...
Howie. Maybe you Forgot I said this before. The JPA66 can be configured at time of ordering to have two or three inputs with gain more than 70db for low output MC. My second unit has three inputs for low mc carts. Have your dealer send it back for reconfigured.
Kind regards,
Tang
Yes, it is very slightly off, but it was much worse before. It also depends on the camera angle. This is as close as I can get it with my hands to being completely straight. It is an awkward adjustment because I can't rotate the headshell finely enough to get it any closer. It does sound excellent. This method has given me good results. Perhaps they could be even better. I may try again.
I have never tried to measure crosstalk. I don't have the gear to do it.
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