my first table

[jc_the_trucker]

Good day to all,

I just bought my first turntable against the suggestions of my family, and I wanted to know if I picked well or not. Its a JVC JL-A20. Bear in mind that I spend most of my life on the road, so I didn't want to spend a ton of money on something I only get to use once a month.

also I'm considering replacing the cartridge at a later date. It has a shure m44e on it at the moment. Is that even worth replacing? If so, what should I replace it with?

[Spyes]

I never used the JVC turntable myself, though I'm curious about how much it cost you?
As for the cart - yeah, I would recommend replacing it at some point. It depends on your budget, but even under $100 you can find some great stuff.

[jc_the_trucker]

I think I may have over-spent a little bit at $150. But I bought it in a specialty shop because I didn't want to risk some ebay person damaging it in shipping, or just sending a broken one.

Anyway my pink floyd and rush LPs sound better than the CDs ever did, even on the big stereo we have at the house

As for the cartridge, I did a little research and found that this table will accept any half-inch cartridge. I think I'm willing to spend around $100 or so for it. That wont be for about two months though because of my crazy work schedule

[nat]

I would suggest getting a new stylus rather than buying a new cartridge -- the lower level Shures have many fans, and while you don't want to damage your records with a worn stylus (and checking under a microscope is not easy, even if you have a microscope), so getting a new one is good insurance. You could get a whole new cartridge, but it would likely cost more, and you might not like how it sounds, whereas you apparently like the current cartridge. So buy a good new stylus, and then listen and learn (and save) until you can make an informed choice of a new cartridge.
I don't know your table, but the A series JVCs seem to garner a fair amount of praise, so you probably did well (and whether you did or not, you like the thing, so why worry about it after the fact?).

[dlaloum]

The JVC's are under-rated tables.

That table should be a nice entry level jobbie - easily a match for anything new under $1k.

It also (like most entry level quality tables), has quite a bit of potential in terms of tweaks and improvements... (mostly related to damping, isolation and vibration control, of the table/rack its on, the plinth, the platter and the arm)

The Shure M44 is from the same family of cartridges as the M70/72/75/90...

Some regard them as more musical than the M95/97 and V15 series, although perhaps lacking in the detail and definition these upper end Shure cartridge have.

The M44 can be configured with anything from a spherical, through eliptical and hyper-eliptical to a Jico SAS stylus...
Budget permitting (the SAS is $180) - you can take the table in its current form a long long way...

bye for now

David

[jc_the_trucker]

All of those suggestions sound very good, I hadn't thought to much about vibration issues.

I think the biggest thing I need to do is get a more solid table to put it on (my temporary solution was a folding tv dinner tray), and probably a longer set of RCA cables so I can move it to a lower traffic area of the room (its right by the door).

Thanks very much guys!
Jared

[jc_the_trucker]

The M44 can be configured with anything from a spherical, through eliptical and hyper-eliptical to a Jico SAS stylus...
Budget permitting (the SAS is $180) - you can take the table in its current form a

Any rhyme or reason to the shapes and styles of styli? Is one shape better than another or does it come down to personal preference? Anyway, I'm not sure I'd really want to spend more on a stylus than I did on the table at this point in the ball game, but is there anything specific you would suggest?

Thanks for the help
Jared

[dlaloum]

Without getting into technicalities...

Best sound with most modern and post 50's records is achieved in the following order... (worst to best)

Conical / Spherical (cheapest option)
Eliptical 0.4mil
Eliptical 0.3mil
Eliptical 0.2mil
Line Contact / Shibata / HyperEliptical / FineLine / VitalLine - Pricing starts at $50, most are around $100
Exotic Proprietary shapes (MicrLine, SAS, Pathfinder, FritzGeiger, Replicant etc...) - Pricing starts at #140 and the sky is the limit

The other aspect is that line contact styli have lower wear (both the stylus and the records) so everything lasts longer and better.
Typically a Line Contact stylus can be expected to have 3 times the life of an eliptical or conical (all things being equal...) - so although more expensive, they do frequently provide great value.

My own approach is that the minimum choice I would opt for would be a 0.4 mil eliptical (although you should be able to find a 0.3mil at almost the same price!) - but if at all possible, a Line contact stylus is a far better option.

(Note the M55 cartridge was the same as the M44 - with an eliptical stylus fitted, so the elipticals are often labelled N55E...)

Here are some good elipticals
http://www.turntableneedles.com/N55E-Ty ... _4039.html
http://www.edsaunders.com/shurestylus.htm
http://stylus.export-japan.com/product_ ... ts_id=1014
http://www.lpgear.com/product/SHSM0055EM.html

Here is the "ultimate" needle for the M44
http://www.lpgear.com/product/eSHN055E.html

I have not been able to track down any standard line contact types for the M44/M55/V15-I (same mounting)
So the list goes straight from eliptical up to SAS - which is a HUGE jump

bye for now

David

[jc_the_trucker]

Wow that's a lot of information!

Well I just examined the stylus it came with under my jeweler's loop and it appears to be conical. I'm guessing that the magnification on it is not enough to determine the condition it's in so I guess I ought to replace it anyway, even if not for the advantages in sound quality.

I'll probably opt for the .3 elliptical as you suggested because that's probably going to be the best bang for the buck, and possibly upgrade to something nicer when that one wears out and hopefully I have a little more money to throw around on my hobbies.

Again, thanks so much for the help!
Jared

[dlaloum]

Enjoy the music

[Coffee Phil]

Hi Jared,

I agree that you should have something more substantial that the folding TV dinner table, but be careful about cable length. Cable capacitance matters. If you must locate the turntable far from the rest of your system, get a separate phono stage and put the long cable after the phono stage.

Phil

All of those suggestions sound very good, I hadn't thought to much about vibration issues.

I think the biggest thing I need to do is get a more solid table to put it on (my temporary solution was a folding tv dinner tray), and probably a longer set of RCA cables so I can move it to a lower traffic area of the room (its right by the door).

Thanks very much guys!
Jared

[cafe latte]

Hi Jared,

I agree that you should have something more substantial that the folding TV dinner table, but be careful about cable length. Cable capacitance matters. If you must locate the turntable far from the rest of your system, get a separate phono stage and put the long cable after the phono stage.

Phil

All of those suggestions sound very good, I hadn't thought to much about vibration issues.

I think the biggest thing I need to do is get a more solid table to put it on (my temporary solution was a folding tv dinner tray), and probably a longer set of RCA cables so I can move it to a lower traffic area of the room (its right by the door).

Thanks very much guys!
Jared

Agreed. Long cables on a turntable will be high capacitance and will mess with the freq curve of the cart. I would be putting up a solid shelf also as a dinner tray is just not stable enough. Congrats on your new table though and welcome And very cool rig by the way!!
Regards
CL

[jc_the_trucker]

And this is exactly why I joined this forum! I didn't know capacitance was a huge issue. But one thing at the time. I think I'll order a new stylus tonight, and then when I get home next time I'll either build or buy a sturdy table to put it on. then who knows what.

Had a good day at half price books tho, picked up some nice used records.

Thanks folks!
Jared