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Arm/cartridge weight measurement


I have a Thorens TD-110 with a Shure M97xE cartridge. While
this is a decent table, its strong point is not in
accurately measuring the weight of the stylus on the vinyl.
Recently, the weight became too light (extremely distorted
sound).

I adjusted it to be a bit heavier and it sounds better, but
not as good as it was a couple of months ago. Now I am
paranoid - what tools will I need to make sure the cartridge
is set up correctly? It was just installed a few months ago
by a local pro, but I would like to learn how to do this
myself.

Thanks,
Mark
pyite

Showing 1 response by sdcampbell

sdcampbell
2,136 posts
 
What you need is a stylus force gauge, which measures the tracking force of the stylus on the record (as opposed to the actual weight of the tonearm / cartridge). The least expensive decent stylus force gauge is the Shure SFG-2, which costs about $20. It uses a balance arm, and can measure tracking force up to 3 grams.

The Shure stylus force gauge is available from lots of audio outlets, but the easiest way to get one is to order it online from the Audio Advisor. Click on the following link for more info:
http://www.audioadvisor.com/store/productdetail.asp?sku=SHUGAUGE&product_name=SFG-2%20Stylus%20Pressure%20Gauge
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