Headshell recommendations for AT33SA on SL1200G

Thanks to everyone for the feedback and the recommendations so far!

I have done some research on the subject myself in the meantime, and it would appear that, in line with the feedback provided by @agrippa, @pintree, @hdm & @rauliruegas, the stock headshell weight is in the sweetspot for a 6.9g cartridge with & 17cu @ 10Hz compliance, at least according to the calculator provided by @ericsh, and as long as my assumption is correct that the stock arm and headshell have a combined effective mass of around 12g.

If this is all correct, I will stick with the stock Technics headshell for now, and assess the sound to give me a baseline for any future upgrades.

@diceman72

You can read this artricle and calculate, anything within this range is fine.
But you have to know toneam effective mass before you will make any calculation, if it’s not given by the manufacturer your calculation can be wrong unless someone who own Hi-Fi Test LP can measure the actual resonance frequency. I have Technics turntables and i’m using Hi-Fi Test LP (highly recommended) to measure vertical/lateral resonance.

Using a test record you don’t have to know anything about cartridge compliance or tonearm effective mass. You will measure it with the record and you will see the result by your own eyes.  

How can you do that online if you’re not sure about tonearm effective mass ?

Or not sure about cartridge compliance, because you convert it from 100Hz to 10Hz first and it is not 100% accurate.

Technics headshell is fine, but you need Hi-Fi Test LP to measure (and you will see it) the resonance of your particular cartridge on your particular tonearm.

All online calculation is theory and can be wrong practically, if you want to make sure you have to measure your own cartridge/tonearm resonant frequency using HI-Fi TEST LP with recorded signal on it, you will see when your cartridge and tonearm will start shaking at certain frequency and the voice on the record counting resonance frequency. This is what you need.

This is what you get with Hi-Fi Test LP:

"Tracks 2 & 3: Cartridge & Arm, Lateral & Vertical Resonance Test
These two tracks are used to test the resonant frequency or your tonearm and cartridge combination in both the vertical and horizontal domains. These tracks offer both a visual and auditory indication of the resonant frequency; the stylus will “wobble” and the test tone will warble. A resonant frequency between 8 - 15Hz is ideal."

For different cartridges on your Technics tonearm you need different headshells, you can get lighter one and heavier one for use with different cartridges (if the compliance is different), then you are fine in any situation. But you have to check it (always) with Hi-Fi Test LP, not with online calculators.

The AT33 carts are very short and you will need a headshell spacer. I’ve tried many and the best for this cart on that arm are sold on eBay (seller: voiddone). They’re made out of black delrin plastic and include 1.5mm and 3.2mm thicknesses. Don’t bother with the plastic mounting hardware that’s included because the screw head’s diameter, washers and nuts are all slightly too big for the cart and the headshell slots.
I’d use the Technics headshell with the 3.2mm delrin spacer. Replace the stock headshell wiring with the leads that come with the cartridge; the gold plated clips are the right size and the wiring is an upgrade. Use the mounting hardware that comes with the cartridge. Done.

The AT33 carts are very short and you will need a headshell spacer.

In this situation thicker mat can be used instead of cartridge/headshell spacer, something like SAEC SS-300 or Micro CU-500  (best mats ever made in my opinion).