Cartridge Help for Beginner

[Geological]

Hello,

I have been reading the threads here and I am so glad that I found a forum with so many experienced people offering REAL advice that works. Right up front I want to say thank you!!

Within the past few months I have purchased:

Marantz 1060B int.amp
Marantz 2020 tun
Technics SL-Q300 phono

The system works very well with no scratchiness in any of the dials or switches.

I do want to get a higher end cartridge for my phono. I currently have an ATU13L2. I don't have any idea what will interchange with that cartridge in another brand or an upgrade A-T.

I was also wondering if anyone runs an equalizer through their phono. I don't, but have considered it.

Thank you.

[JoeE SP9]

The equalizer through the phono thing, DON'T. In all my years in audio I've never done it nor have I heard of anyone with any sense doing it.

Connect an equalizer in the tape monitor loop.

I just checked the VE manual database. Your TT is there. It has a straight arm and uses P-mount cartridges. This severely limits your choice of cartridges.

The only way you'll be able to upgrade your cartridge is to replace the TT.

[lini]

Geo: Your cart is a renamed AT122LP, which is already a pretty good one - but if you'd like even higher quality, you could simply upgrade it with a new ATN132EP, ATN142LP, ATN152LP or ATN152MLP needle. Alternatively you could also go for any AT120 family needle from the ATN130E up (including newer siblings like the ATN440MLa or ATN150MLX) - must confess that for my taste the larger halfinch-mount cart needles look rather odd on the T4P/P-Mount bodies (while the slim T4P/P-Mount needles to me still look pretty nice on the halfinch-mount bodies...).

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini

[JoeE SP9]

Thanks to you lini I learned something new. I wasn't aware you could change regular mount stylus assemblies with P-Mount ones.

[lini]

Joe: Oh, that pretty often is possible - in many cases the needles even look the same. But of course one needs to consider the compliance either way. I.e., putting a typically pretty highly compliant T4P/P-Mount needle on a halfinch-mount body won't make much sense, if the arm is too heavy - just like not any halfinch-mount style needle will be compliant enough to work with the typically light to very light T4P/P-Mount arms.

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini

[dlaloum]

But in this case all is fine...

Your cartridge body is effectively the same as the AT120E, AT440MLA and AT150MLX... all of which are current models and you can look up the reviews on these cartridges...

Being 1/2" mount their VTF requirements (tracking force) vary, where a p-mount is fixed at 1/25g - however the SL-Q300 does have the ability to vary the VTF from 1g to 1.5g I believe - you should check this! - the counterweight should have an adjustment with a scale showing 1 to 1.5 - this scale is only accurate if you are using a stylus designed for the p-mount, the 1/2" styli are a bit heavier, (around 0.2g) and ideally you should get a VTF scale/gauge to check the adjustment.

There are other period styli from earlier models that were replaced by the current ones too...
So 1/2" mount styli:
http://www.turntableneedles.com/search. ... &search=GO
"true" p-mount styli:
http://www.turntableneedles.com/search. ... &search=GO

Also
http://www.stereoneedles.com/audio-technica.html


Remember the cartridge bodies are to all intents and purposes identical differences between the bodies are very subtle - differences between the styli are not so subtle, much more evident and audible - you can take your cartridge all the way from a very basic 212-D6C at $22(don't do it, the VTF is actually inappropriate for a p-mount setup! - it will never track correctly!) - to the wonderful ATN152LP $190.

In between, the ATN140LC $90 is the earlier version replaced by the current ATN440MLA $130, - it is excellent and a great buy.

At $40 the ATN132EP is excellent http://www.turntableneedles.com/Needle- ... p_954.html


Nice TT, and a good cartridge - just get a good stylus and you will be in business

bye for now

David

[lini]

Careful, David: At TTN only the Jico copy is not quite 40 bucks - but the original will be 60 bucks more, i.e. almost 100 bucks, while Streoneedles lists it for not quite 70...

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini

[Whitneyville]

Over here, the OEM ATN-152's are no longer available, but LPGear.com has their "house brand" (possibly JICO???) ATN-152MLP Shibata stylus available for $159.95, as well as the LPGear replacement for the ATN-122LP for $89.95. At least some of LPGear's replacement stylii are JICO, as some I've purchased say so on the "jewel box" and on the stylus and little sheet inside.The Technics T4P TT I acquired has an A-T-152 cart on it and a brand new LineContact stylus came with it. As far as I can tell, this is the only LineContact T4P A-T made. The LineContact makes my Epic Sinatra's (which look unplayed) sound even smoother and richer. The vocal stands out well from Nelson Riddle's orchestrations. An excellent match of a high compliance cartridge and light tonearm and stylus cantilever? Sure. But the Line Contact stylus makes a difference I think. The better quality T4P A-T stylii are an endangered species on this side of the pond. A-T markets some in Europe and lots in Asia, but very few in North America. I called their US office a couple of weeks ago and they told me they don't plan to "support" T4P stylii beyond 2015 in the USA. They won't prevent "grey marketing", but they also won't have MSRP's either.

[Snead]

No more AT p-mounts in 2.5 years? That's valuable info, WV, thanks for spilling it!

I suppose that'll mean the demise of the 92ecd, perhaps the best budget bargain out there. I have no use for p-mounts, so why do I feel a little sad?

The ranks are thinning...

[lini]

Wv: Both Stereoneedles and Bluz Broz Entertainment still list the ATN152LP (the latter as expensive as usual *sigh*)... And no, the AT152LP wasn't the only LinearContact T4P model - there also were the AT122LP, the AT142LP, the AT331LP/8008, the AT231LP and the one or other renamed variant of these. And the AT152MLP even sported a MicroLine.

Well, and the interesting, high quality T4P needle variants over here are just as discontinued as everywhere else - what's still available of these is all new old stock (dwindling and with rising price tendency).

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini