For whatever it's worth at this point in time, there is an older thread here on the subject of defective Sumiko Blackbird cartridges. Apparently, the coil wires are known to short out one channel, probably on rare occasion. |
By the way, have you seen, or has anyone else mentioned, the old thread wherein it is revealed that the Blackbird is well known to have this particular problem? Several people have complained of this same phenomenon, usually due to a loose or broken coil wire. It recently bumped up to the top; otherwise I had forgotten about it. Dates back to 2013, I think. |
Well, that makes two of us. |
"Check the resistance on the right channel take your ohm meter and touch the positive probe to the positive pin on the cartridge and the negative probe and touch the negative pin on the right channel."
As has been pointed out to the OP, this is not always a safe practice, with respect to LOMC cartridges that have a few turns of very fine coil wires wound around the core. The current from a typical meter, especially a cheap one, may be sufficient to fry the coil wires and thereby destroy the cartridge. |
Audio Technica, Dynavector, Ortofon. Those are all excellent old-line brands with high reliability and known for their no-nonsense presentation of music. I own at least one of each of the above, so I am speaking from personal listening experience, which is the only way I ever give advice. You can't go wrong with any of those. I would not have recommended a Sumiko cartridge, for whatever that's worth. |
My point is that I do not think you can blame the seller for the malfunction of the cartridge, fairly. Because something may have happened to it in shipment or during set up. So after you found the problem, the seller seems to have acted honorably by offering to refund your purchase price and accepting the cartridge in return. At least that is my understanding based on your previous posts. Now it seems you are angry with him or disillusioned with him, because he told you that soundSmith could fix the cartridge in very short order. That is quite a different issue, and I don’t think it’s quite fair to be upset with him because Peter at SoundSmith does not confirm his statement. This is all assuming that he is still willing to take the cartridge back from you and refund your money. That is the basic issue, in my view. That’s why I say you would be better off not to say anything negative about him while this exchange is still pending. This is in your own best interests. Of course it is also in the best interest of the seller to keep you happy.
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It’s probably a good idea to get your money back before you insult the seller via the Internet. I’m sure he can read, too.
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If you got your money back, or if you eventually get it back, I wouldn’t condemn the seller. It is very plausible that the cartridge worked fine in his hands, both channels.
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tochsii, It's going to cost money if you initiate any action with SS or VAS, so be sure in advance that the seller will cover those costs. After all, you are doing him a favor as well; he needs to know what's wrong, so he can make an informed decision about whether to repair it, either for your sake or for his. I would include him in the decision making all along the way, if you prefer to get the repairs done on your own initiative. Most of us have been down this road before, if not with a defective cartridge, then with some other piece of used gear purchased on-line.
If your Blackbird has a short in the coil wire, a la the story related by djf, then it's likely to be toast, unless the disjuncture can be visualized and re-soldered. |
Chakster, is there a website where defective cartridges are sold exclusively?
i just wonder how you know so definitely the value.
tochsi, my own opinion of the sumiko is not high, even with 2 good channels. Do what you like, but I’d take the opportunity to get out of the deal, if I were you. You seem like a good guy, so good luck either way.
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Tochsi, yes, swap red with white, then blue with green, then hook it up and listen, and don’t let anyone make you anxious. Sounds like you are dealing with a responsible seller and it’s still possible that the fault lies in your system. (I have purchased many used cartridges in my life with no issues.)
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Now switch the connections at the rear of the cartridge itself. If the problem moves from one channel to the other when you do that, you will know that it is the cartridge that is defective. At that point, I would consider returning the cartridge to the seller for a full refund. Why should you have to fix or deal with this issue?
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You imply, but don't say explicitly, that the cartridge functioned in both channels at some point after you purchased and installed it into this very same system. Is that the case? Or was it "dead on arrival" in the R channel? |
