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Interesting difference between 12" and 9" tonearms

So I just got my 1987 Decca Super Gold cartridge back from John Wright with a Decapod fitted and new Paratrace stylus. Modified Garrard 401 with 2 arms. (see my Virtual System). I installed it in my 9" Jelco TK-850 and it didn’t sound good. Lots of surface noise and missing inner detail. I adjusted VTA and VTF and improved it some but it hadn’t a patch on the other Decca (Garrott Bros Gold with new LC stylus and Decapod) on the 12". A little irked, I tried it in the 12" version of the same arm on the same table. Same cables and armboards. Ridiculous. Transformed. Minimal surface noise. Tons of detail. Crystal clear. Musical as all hell. In fact, I can’t stop playing album after album. Ridiculous! (Cross posted from a comment on @halcro post)
noromance

Showing 2 responses by rauliruegas

rauliruegas
13,125 posts
 
Dear @noromance  : My post was only to tell you that the 9" with that cartridge resonates at 16hz, not good match . That'a all.

In the other side each one of us like different kind of distortions and that's why you like the knife bearing.

I remember very well, because I owned, the warning that Dr. Sao Win  puts in the LOMC cartridge MC-10: don't use with knife bearing tonearms. I was owner of the SAECs 560 and 8000 knife bearings and even that are very good looking and builded with a high quality level as performers are really bad. But to each his own. No problem.

Regards and enjhoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R. 
rauliruegas
13,125 posts
 
Dear @noromance  : Your TK850 and Decca cartridge could be a not good match because the resonance frequency in between is 16hz and additional to that the Jelco comes with knife bearing that develops more resonances/distortions that gimbal bearing designs.

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.
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