Yes, there is a break-in period on cartridges. There are also some adjustments, such as VTA that are required when you change cartridges. Play it for about 20 hours, and then adjust the VTA by ear. You can start out with the VTA adjusted so that the tonearm is level with the record surface while it is playing. Then adjust by tonal balance by lowering the pivot end of the arm to increase bass, and raising to decrease bass, in very very small increments. Once you get a tonal balance that is close, you can very slightly adjust it to place the surface noise out of the plane of the music. |
twl's responce is definitely true and good advive. I would also add that what you desribe is as perfect and accurate desciption af the vta being too high as I could imagine. It is also what some cartridges sound like as they break in. Cartridges vary as to their sonic characteristics as they break in but they all change, and therefore also require some readjustment. (the suspension has to loosen up). 20 hours is a good # where most cartridges will change the most drastically, twl knows more cartridges than I do, and I would add that it would'nt hurt to go ahead and do a vta adjustment now so you can get more enjoyment out of it while it breaks in, just so long as you don't make yourself crazy chasing adjustments that are changing while it breaks in. |
Above, all true. While I have seen quite a number of folks recommend the Dynavector with the Spacearm, I find them inherently on the bright side of neutral. 30 minutes is not long enough a time on which to base an opinion, though. |
I suggest that 50 hours is about right for most modern cartridges. Sorry but that's the way it goes. Also VTA comments are right on.
I suggest this, make certain that the cartrige is parallel in ALL axis to the vinyl surface. I.e. asmiath (I know it's not spelled right. That is head shell adjustment so the cartrige i parallel, you can rotate it a bit. Use a mirror to assure alignment, then for VTA start with the arm tube parallel to the record. I suggest that you try moving down just a hair and listen. If thats not it go a little the other way. It will lock in the soundstage when it's right. Also listen for surface noise. Back end of the cartridge down will lessen surface noise and make for a slightly darker duller sound when you've gone too far. On the other end when it's too high it will sound shrill and surface noise will be very evident. Assuming your records are in good shape. A bad record is a bad record.
If you don't have VTA adjustment, then shim the base of the arm. Get a shim pack. It's a pain but worth it.
jeff |
I have a Goldring Erioca MC that took a really long time to break in. I bet I loged in over 100 hours before I was happy with the sound. The bass got progressively tighter and lower while the highs smoothed out. Also, I feel that the sounds gets better after the first 20 minutes of each listening session (suspension warms up). |
Hello Mythtrip:
Welcome to the wonderful world of analog. All of the above suggestions are good, the tips are excellent, and with some variations they will improve your system.
VTA for instance, I have two arms and both manufacturers recommend horizontal VTA, meaning the arm is parallel to the record surface (level the TT first!). However, after much adjusting I have found that both sound better slightly tipped back (low on the pivot end), but neither arm is at the same height.
Break-in on my Dynavector 17D-II Karat was somewhere between 50 and 80 hrs. The improvement was noticable after about 50 hrs., and seemed to be completely settled in at about 80.
Another variable is the tracking pressure, one arm sounds best at 2.2 grams (RB 600), the other at about 1.8-9 grams (SME 3012-R). Go figure!
If all else fails, and I find myself getting too anal, tequila is the best overall tweak.
Best regards,
Dave |
Dave a joint and a beer are better I've heard. |
If the cart is ''tuned'' by the maker how does he know how the
cart will sound after , say, 40 or 80 hours of use?
Or, rather, if the cart is tuned than the cart should sound as
tuned without any need for ''break in''. According to me
'break in'' is a kind of wishful thinking (grin). |
this thread is from 2003 ! |
Alright, who is digging up threads from 2003? Are we THAT bored? I miss going out to jazz clubs and concerts and good restaurants and meeting with friends, just as much as the next guy, but was 2003 that good a year for threads on Audiogon? I hear that 2002 was even better, with better sex.
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Lol @lewm
This is not the oldest one I have seen excavated over last couple weeks, last week limo dug up one from 2000.
So I guess the answer is that yes some people are bored,.....VERY bored.
But it is all good!
Better than no posts at all agreed? |
Our own brain is trying to save our own selfrespect by suggesting
that the cart you paid , say, $6000 for and which sounds like crap
will sound ok with, say, 100 hours of break in. I assume that the
reason is Freudian ''super ego'' which wil never accept its own
stupidity (?).
|
@nandric
I do not actually disagree but my recent new Miyajima Madake sounded good out of the box and even better after 50 hours. The presentation opened up and relaxed a little more. Of course I realigned everything at 35 hours and that I’m sure was involved... If it does not sound “good” new it never will sound excellent IMHO. Rick |
Statements of belief or, more general, ''propositional attitudes, lack
consitent logical interpretaion. On the other side technical specs
can be cheked by measurements. Look, for example, to technical
specs of Allearts carts. One can hardly believe that hose are ''real''.
But they are real otherwise measurements would prove the
opposite. If break in can improve the sound then the specs
should be also improved which should be measurable,
I can't imagine better specs for Allearts carts.
|
That has always been my suspicion, Nandric. "Break-in" is the period during which you can gradually forget what you had before that might have sounded better or just as good, before you spent your big bucks. But that's the cynical view, I guess.
|
Dear Lew, We are both skeptical oriented. Skeptic 1. Nothing is
for shure my friend!'' Skeptic nr. 2: ''are you sure about that
my friend?'' |
A good cartridges sounds good from the start after everything aligned properly, well maybe 2-3 days to make sure, after one week of listening do not expect much if you don’t like the sound (if there is no issue with wrong tonearm or weak phono stage).
A bad sounding cartridge can’t transform to a good sounding cartridge after 200 hrs of use (just because of the the burn-in process).
But as a humans we need some time, we must be a certain mood, listening music if fun, a therapy, a meditation. Maybe it is a break-in process for our brain when there is a new component in our system. We need some time to live with it in our system before we can make a decision. |
Logicaly ''break in'' assume reliability of our ''sound memory''.
Otherwise comparison between different ''time points '' would not
make sense. The problem is that our sound memory is not
reliable. We probably accomodate to our carts after some period
of time. My (other) brother Don refuse to use comaprison ''better
than...'' but instead ''they sound different''. |
Better to one might be different to someone else? (grin) |
