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Removable headshells 101

Due to the influence of Raul's thread on MM cartridges, I believe that some of us (perhaps for the first time), have acquired a tonearm/s with a removable headshell?
In my case, there was a vacuum of knowledge or information about what makes a good headshell and for the last 6 months a great deal of my time and effort has been expended in acquiring personal hands-on experience.
Perhaps a Forum to share experiences will help new adherents to this once denigrated (by the High End) segment of tonearm design?
halcro

Showing 12 responses by nandric

nandric's avatar
nandric
4,086 posts
 
Like Stanwal I was also around in the (good) old days and
also took the washers out. But to be honest I forget the reason why... I also agree with my old mate reg. Jelco 750
wich has different names as well different price in different countrys (Sumiko in the UK and ? in Germany).
To my knowledge the best headshell for the price. If the money is not an issue you may look for those Orsonic or
(Clearaudio) Stability headshells.

Regards,
nandric's avatar
nandric
4,086 posts
 
Dear Raul, Marllene Ditrich was wondering why so many women
are clothed so badly. According to the diva:'one can get
at present very decent clothes for $100000'.
The most of us don't own a store full of headshells nor
full with decent clothes. So when we buy some this naggish
money question may play some role. One wants a good headshell for a tolerable price. But you are right reg.
reviews in the HI-FI Magazines. This way I learned about
the Orsonic, Stability and even some Jelmax by wich I thought that they made a typo. BTW Dertonarms Magzine 'Das
Ohr' (1980?) in wich 10 headshells were ranked with the help of ordinal numbers. I am not able to understand your
conviction that an forum is somehow more objective. Ie one
get usualy 15 different answers from 10 persons.

Regards,
nandric's avatar
nandric
4,086 posts
 
Dear Raul, The expression I used was 'objectivity' not 'trust'. I don't believe that you will choose any component because of your trust in somebody but because you
believe in your own capability to make a choice. The most of us need in the first place the information about 'what there is' or what is available. This information we can get from HI-FI magazines, forums, friends,etc. We then try
to compere technical info about preselected items,etc and
then make a choice. When we actualy own the item in casu we can be satisfied or disatisfied. I have subscription i.a. for Sterephile for more then 10 years but never bought anything recommanded by Fremer. But as you noticed
I have some headshells recommended 30 years ago by the German Magazine 'Das Ohr'. It may be an coincidence but I noticed that Dertonarm refered to the same headshells. We
know each other for about 2 years so no conspiracy was possible 30 years ago. There may be persons who buy their
gear because Fremer of Pearson recommended them but I am not among them. Not because I trust or distrast them but
because I learned to make my own choice.

Regards,
nandric's avatar
nandric
4,086 posts
 
By adding up variables one get the natural effect of the
'chosen one'. The MM thread is actualy reduced to 4 persons
because the rest needs to get a degree in electronics to be
able to participate. Some added education in administration is also needed to keep 145 AT, 160 Technics and other kinds of carts secluded. I want mention the styli. Buying MM carts in order to be able to write about them is a very strange hobby. May I ask the questinon if and when those guys are listening to the music? I have the impression that thy only have the time to listing to the test records of wich they need at least 4 examples in order to prevent overheating of the LP. What for heaven's
sake is the sence of testing two carts a day? What possible sence is in owing 100 different carts? This whole fuss has nothing to do with music but with some egos who want to be 'super egos'. Adding an separate thread about the headshells speaks for it self. The other is actualy dead. Is this what some other nations refer to as the degeneration of the Western society?
Regards,

nandric's avatar
nandric
4,086 posts
 
Dear Halcro, My father was familiar with i.a. Adam Smith who was the first to mention something called 'division of labor'. The wealth of nations is somehow connected with this division but this 'principle' also imply that we all benefit from each other. But if simplicity of an theory is
a virtue (like Popper thought) then I should mention my mom. According to my mom there are only good and bad people.
BTW I have a valve so when I notice some steam comming from
my ears or some overheating I adjust the valve.

Regards,
nandric's avatar
nandric
4,086 posts
 
Dear Banguo363, I am suprised that such a eloquent person
can make such kind of comparision. Social activity is universal and not restricted to 'pluralistic democracy'.
The question of the sence of those activitys is impossible
to answer a priory. But my experience is that those activitys make us 'social being'. But your comparision looks like this: John killed two persons and rob two banks but,you know, nobody is perfect. Ie all kinds of activitys are somehow equal qua sence or nonsence( what is the sence of a,b,c...n).
Now regarding the info you got from MM thread. To me the
difference between MC carts and MM carts is this.If you fancy whatever MC cart you can buy one. If you fancy some
MM cart, say , a cart of the month, you may need to wait ad
calendas grekas to get one. The scarcity principle is already at work so you had the chance to buy the AKG 100 for $2900. But you also mentioned your pocket book while I mentioned Marllene Ditrich. So despite your contra arguments I am convinced that you will keep your pocked book in check.This however does not suggest that you will
ever own,say, 10 MM carts. And this make, according to me,
some possibility to discriminate between sence and non sence. BTW if you was able to read nearly 4000 contributions to this thread you should be also able to discover many statements about the headshells.

Regards,
nandric's avatar
nandric
4,086 posts
 
Dear Blam, It was not my intentions to suggest in any way
that Dertonarm was the owner of this Magazine. We usualy
have no idea who the owner is nor care about. BTW I thought
that reviewers also refer to 'their Magazine' but obviousy
without ownership implication. This was what I meant with
'his Magazine'. I am not the right person to say anything about English grammar but English must also have those 'possesive' expression wich are in no way connected with the ownership. BTW I am a lawyer with specialisation in private law.
Regards,
nandric's avatar
nandric
4,086 posts
 
Hi Pryso, This is the problem of the abundance of information: I forget my 'source'. Anyway that is way I bought Clearaudio Titanium. An obvious copy of Orsonic.
But if Raul's and Halcro's objections also apply to Clearaudio I have obviously lost more money then those who have bought the Orsonic. Being cautious is alas not sufficient.

Regards,
nandric's avatar
nandric
4,086 posts
 
Hi all, I am also informed that those Orsonics are made in
China. There is however ,say, 'similar' German version:
Clearaudio Aluminum and Titanium. I own Titanium but never
used the thing. Anyway very nice wire are included in the price:
200 Euro. Anyone try those?

Regards,
nandric's avatar
nandric
4,086 posts
 

Well despite all troubles and irritation I still prefer removable headshells. The reasons are many carts and the ''endless'' time

needed to mount a cart on an fast headshell. Alas the situation

is the same as before in the sense of the same annoyance. One

can't chose in this sense between those damn clips or those

damn headshells. I don't believe that attribute ''the best'' can

be used for any headshell but the same can be recommended as

before. Sumiko (alias Jelco HS 25; etc. ) because of price/

qulity relataion, Orsonic 101 ( the heavy kind), Clearaudio titanium

and aluminum and (some) of those AT with screw threads at the

under side. Those must have the ''movable 4 pin connector'' in

order to adjust stylus distance. No such choice is, alas, available

for the clips. All except Clearaudio are hopeless . There are

two kinds:  2mm and 1,5 mm but they never fit. Besides they break

easily. This is more dramatic by fast headshells of course. For my

best carts I use Clearaudio clips and solder them on my own silver

Litz wire. For the other I use Sumiko with its own headshell wire.

Not super but well decente.

nandric's avatar
nandric
4,086 posts
 

@2channel 8, With ''fast headshell'' I mean not removable kind.

Some of my tonearms are with silver some wit copper wire. I own

two FR-64 with either , Reed 3P with silver and Sumiko 800 with

copper wire. The curious thing is that the most seem to prefer copper

wire by cartridges but not by tonearms and phono-cables.

nandric's avatar
nandric
4,086 posts
 

@maxon,  I am not sure about difference between Jelco HS 25

and HS-30. Anyway I would never buy any headshell without

''movable 4 pin connector''. With this kind one can adjust azimuth

as well the stylus eff. length. This exclude wooden headshells which

can't accommodate ''movable 4 pin connector''. The screw which

need to tighten 4 pin connector in the headshell  has not sufficient

hold (in the wood headshell). Jelco is sold under different names with

different prices but is the best offer qua price-quality relationship

(+/- $60).



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