LONDON Decca, Tzar DST and similar cartridges

Thank you guys :) It's more of a "plum"-type of a sound. Very short. It comes through the speakers when I lower and rise the cart. I doubt the cart has any damage as it tracks the most demanding opera/orchestra tracks like a charm! Even dirty vinyls. It doesn't really bother me but elsewhere got read that it is sort of normal with non-optimal setup, esp. the VTA. I've contacted Brian, let's see what he says. This beauty definitely desires every effort to optimize the setup!

I always ‘mute’ the amp before raising or lowering the cartridge to avoid any chance of ‘unnecessary trauma’ to the speakers.
That’s just good practice and would avoid your experiences if you did likewise 😊

@halcro  - smart :)
Here is an info I got form an experienced Decca user:
"Clicking and clunking sound when stylus is lowered into or raised from the groove is, IMO, mainly associated with VTA/SRA settings. At some point of VTA/SRA adjustment, the contact noise will disappear. Of course, other adjustments such as bias, leveling, tracking angle, etc. also come into the picture. Make adjustments as needed."

And another bit of info from the net:
"It really does seem that the better the diamond profile, the less of a problem the extreme treble is and obviously arm damping and resonances aids this as well. You can always tell if a Decca is misbehaving as the nasal sounding "snap" as the stylus enters the groove is quite pronounced."
Was wondering if other LDR users second that. I definitely have this short "snap" sound, which until recently I though was inherent to the design. 

Just tried the LDR raising and lowering it without the ‘mute’ engaged....and I get a ‘squeak’ when raising the arm but not when lowering it.
And the squeak occurs regardless of any position on the vinyl....so I’m going to proffer that it seems normal.
It is still inaudible with the ‘mute’ engaged 😁

@halcro I’m waiting for Brian and John to comment. When I lowered the VTA a little bit, the squeak became less pronounced. To lower further I have to take the TT out of the plinth and work on the EMT930 tonearm rest...a pain :/

Anyway, halcro not sure if you read my earlier comments on the cart - it is a revelation!! I’d like to thank you for providing so much valuable info on it which helped me discover this gem! I've started buying more records and invested in costly vintage tubes for my amps :)

@bydlo I'm pleased you were able to 'trial' the LDR via my videos and find it a "revelation" 😃
I have been listening to it just the last day and agree with you....
I would not recommend that you adjust the VTA just to try and eliminate this sound because I believe it's quite normal.
The reason I think there is no 'squeak' when I LOWER the arm, is because the hydraulic lifter on the FR-66S lowers it gently in a very controlled manner.
Because the LDR has no cantilever, I think there is no 'flex' when the cartridge contacts the groove or leaves it.
Therefore I'm convinced it is perfectly normal and nothing to worry about...🤗
Happy listening

Yeah, it's just that tinny, microphonic Decca sound when the stylus hits the groove. If you are gentle, it can be minimized.

Hi @Bydlo glad you’re enjoying the LDR !
I’ve probably arrived late on this bit of this excellent thread, but just to let you know I’ve always had the sort of “squeak” you refer to- I think it’s normal and I recall reading a (gushing) Ken Kessler review of the LDR where he alluded to something of that nature too.
A couple of other points to throw into the mix : my LDR is mounted on an FR66 tonearm and I tried a few different headshells along the way. I’ve ended up with an Arche headshell , but the one that stood out for me with the LDR apart from this was the Yamamoto African ebony wood headshell which was really good with the LDR (in my system at least !).
This will sound OCD, but using titanium headshell screws in the Arche also made a material improvement, as did using good quality headshell wires (the aggolos silver ones being very good and flexible for ease of fitting).
Finally, I use Vertex AQ silver tonearm cable from the Brinkmann Balance into the Allnic H3000 phono stage set at 47k.I read the various stuff about changing that 47k impedance to a lower number ( I honestly can’t remember what but I’ll check and let you know ) and Vertex made me a bespoke cable that did that , and yes it again made a significant improvement (it was a while ago but I recall it pretty well got rid of any slight steeliness in certain high frequencies).
If you’re lucky enough to be able to change from 47k on your phono stage then it’s worth experimenting, although (and here I haven’t a clue what I’m talking about in actual physics) I’m told by Vertex that the true impedence is affected by the cable,  so it’s not just what the knob on the phone stage necessarily says. 
Best regards and enjoy the music !

I auditioned the Tzar on a Reed 3p tonearm - can’t remember which armwand - and Reed turntable. The best cartridge I could ever listen to and hope one day to get. It benefits from a heavy mass arm as far as I understood.

Hey good morning.  I'm curious if any London Decca/Tzar owners have experience comparing their carts to the Soundsmith moving irons, and/or the SS strain gauge (i understand the SG system is not a MI cart)?  I'm interested in moving towards the MI carts for all the positive user experience shared on this thread and others.  I also like the idea of the strain gauge because in the words of Paul Cavalconte (NYC DJ), its perform's like a Decca that actually tracks.  I also like that its a system that removes the cost of a phono preamp, actually seems like a reasonable good deal.   I have not heard either in person (Other than on youtube clips and that Paul Cavalconte uses the strain gauge to rip vinyl for his radio show using the strain gauge).  Would love to read any users thoughts on comparisons.  Also, any London Decca, Soundsmith or Tzar owners in NE Ohio area that wants to spin some records, I'll bring the refreshments!  Thanks.

The LDR has a cantilever, it is just oriented in a different direction. The problem is that the groove must now lift the entire mass of the assembly and not just the effective mass. Thus, tracking and record wear suffer. There is a reason nobody else makes a cartridge like this. Only the British could come up with a design like this. The Tzar I have never seen of heard so no comment there.

Isamu-Ikeda made various cantileverless models in Japan, they are LOMC