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Newbie Issues: Grace F9 with Micro Seiki DD-40

Hey all - total newbie here. I’ve only been researching phono setups for a few months. I ran into some serious playback issues after trying to replace my cart. Wondering if anyone can tell me what is causing it?

A friend actually gave me a DD-40 with original MA 505 tonearm (14 g effective mass) and stock headshell. So I have been thrown into this (awesome) world of hifi in an effort to live up to this amazing gift. The DD-40 came with a Stanton 681eee cart and I immediately replaced the broken stylus with an LP Gear replica as a placeholder before upgrading. To my ears it sounds really really good after calibrating it properly (I am an entry level digital audiophile but this is my first analog experience). 

Because my setup is MM for now I have fixated on the Grace F9 series as my first cart upgrade. I bought a used F-9 L on ebay from someone with great reviews and an easy return policy. The problem is the playback is absolutely horrid:

- distorted muffled sound
- incessant skipping
- needle gets stuck between tracks

I have recalibrated and readjusted many many times including starting from scratch and calibrating the entire TT and tonearm setup. Every time it still sounds the same. While doing the same steps but going back to the Stanton cart works just fine. I even replaced headshell wires and have nice cables (Kimber Kable and Van den Hul) and a Furman power conditioner. It’s running through the phono input of a Pioneer SX 838. 

When I increase the tracking force beyond the recommended range for the Grace the skipping issue gets a bit better but not really. And the sound always remains distorted and muffled - that never improves.

Visibly the cart, cantilever and stylus look totally fine meaning not bent or broken. But again I’m just a newbie and have not put anything under a magnifying glass.  

So all that said, with the issues I described above, what do you all think is the problem?

1) Worn out needle?
2) Bad / bent cantilever?
3) Busted cart?
4) Bad newbie calibration?
5) Cartridge / tonearm mismatch?
6) Something else?

Any help would be greatly appreciated - thanks!

YL
hauie88

Showing 9 responses by hauie88

hauie88 OP
23 posts
 
@mofimadness 
@lewm 

One question for you all - does the skipping I described make it seem more like a stylus issue?

I figure a busted cart could cause the sound distortion but could it cause the skipping?

Would a worn out needle cause both the distortion and the skipping?

hauie88 OP
23 posts
 
@lewm thanks I totally hear you. This seller has 100% positive and thousands of reviews and has already accepted my return so hopefully it goes well. Is there another MM cart you’d recommend given what I’ve written above?
hauie88 OP
23 posts
 
Do you know how to adjust tonearm for different cartridges ?
Are you sure your tonearm adjusted properly?

Hey @chakster thanks for the reply. The way I adjusted the tonearm for the Grace is the same process I used for the Stanton I have. So that’s my frame of reference. Every time I switched between one to the other to test (probably a total of 7-8 times), the Stanton put out exactly the same (good) quality sound and the Grace was awful as described in my original post. 

I downloaded the original manual for the tonearm and followed the instructions each time... connecting headshell wires, adjusting overhang, tonearm height, counterweight and lateral weight adjustments, tracking force setting and finally antiskating adjustment. Then I use an alignment protractor to set the null points according to the tonearm specific specs. I then use a vertical height gauge to set the lifting arm to the proper height above the record surface as according to the TT manual (needle tip 1 cm above) and check azimuth and if the arm is parallel. 

Is there any step you can see that I’m missing?

Assuming for a moment that I’m being clumsy as a beginner and not being as accurate and finely tuned with these calibrations as someone more experienced  - could that cause such extremely different sound outputs? Especially because going through the same process with the Stanton turns out great every time?

Will look into posting a couple pics now...

Thanks!

Yuhau
hauie88 OP
23 posts
 
@mofimadness I’ll give that a shot just in case - thanks!
hauie88 OP
23 posts
 
Hey @chakster thanks for that pic. Here are a few pics of mine:

Cartridge and stylus

Stylus and cantilever

Cartridge connector pins

I know my zoom skills aren't great but seems to me the stylus tip is a lot smaller / flatter on mine?

Thanks!

Yuhau
hauie88 OP
23 posts
 
Hey thanks all for the help! I will take a look at your recommendations for new and vintage carts. 

What do you all think of the Shure VST or V15 series?

@rauliruegas When you say the cartridge has damaged it’s suspension is that something inside the cartridge? Or is that physical damage you can see from my pictures?

Generally speaking how sensitive are carts and stylus parts to damage? What are your experiences with accidentally damaging your carts and needles in the past? I am definitely returning this one for a refund and I don’t believe I damaged it (maybe at most the needle fell a couple inches from my fingers to a rubber pad I was working over) but just curious for future reference. 

Thanks!
Hauie


hauie88 OP
23 posts
 
Ok thanks all for your help and advice! It's all new to me to really appreciate you helping me along.
hauie88 OP
23 posts
 
I hear all of your advice and it's settled - I'll look into (eventually) getting BOTH a new cart and a (working!) vintage cart, haha.

@chakster that is truly a beautiful cart. All your suggestions sound amazing but they also seem to be quite rare so I'll just have to be patient to see when they come up. Have you had any experience buying from Reverb? 

I have already shipped the Grace F9 back for a refund so fingers crossed everything goes smoothly. Then it's back to the drawing board. 

For new carts - and given my setup and newbie status - what price range do you all think I should target? For now I just want to be able to live up to the components I have. I don't want the cart to hold the system back but I also don't want to go too crazy and lock myself into a top of the line cart before I learn more about all this.

Thanks!

Hauie
hauie88 OP
23 posts
 
Hey @mofimadness sure thing. How about in the $500 range? Just has to be MM.
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