Tonearm / Catridge matching?


I have a potentially stupid question about tonearm in general, and linear tracking arm in particular. I am using the Rockport 6000 tonearm, and in his reviews, Michael Fremer had repeatedly stated that the 6000 sounded excellent, but a little weak in the bass. He stated that “ The 6000’s relatively low vertical effective mass put its resonance frequency above the ideal 8-12 Hz region with moving coil cartridges of average weight and typically low compliance, causing the bass to begin rolling off prematurely”. He also stated that Rockport had solved this problem in the 7000, and the arm on the Sirius III, by using heavier armtubes.
Now, if the objective is to make the armtube heavier (so it has a higher effective mass), and assuming the armtube is already rigid enough on the 6000, can I simply add a little lead spacer between the cartridge and the headshell to increase the effective mass and achieve similar result. If this method is workable here, does it also apply to fix pivot arms. Am I missing something here?

Thanks in advance

Michael
thekong

Showing 1 response by thom_at_galibier_design

Hi Michael,

No, you are not missing anything.

Bear in mind when you add weight in the form of a shim between cartridge and headshell, you are changing the material interface - sometimes for the better ... other times for the worse. To try to isolate the variables, start by adding mass (a couple of grams, and compensate for your tracking force change, of course) to the top of the headshell.

When you're adding so little mass as a proportion of the arm's effective mass, you're not changing it's mass distribution significantly. Frank Schroeder for example makes two different cartridge carriers (see the close-up photos on my website, if you're curious). One is aluminum, and the other (brass) is 5 grams heavier ... for adjusting the arm to different cartridge requirements.

Enjoy the journey.

Cheers,
Thom @ Galibier Design