Cartridges height

A friend told me his Denon DL304 is about 17mm. from stylus to top cartridge
I'm crying because I know the DL304 is a very good cartridge .. thanks to a good phono that can work with its 0.18mv output obviously .. but I need min 18.5mm. tall cartridge or I 'll have to raise with a mat and I don't like to add another mat to my TW Acustic Raven One
It already comes with a Millenium carbon mat
Looking at Denon DL304 pictures seems taller than 17mm.. don't you think?



Do I have a drunk friend? I'm hooping he is ...


If you know the height of good cartridges around .. please add here! .. sigh!

 

Surely you adjust the height of the arm to ensure it is level once the cart is fitted (and with a record on the platter) so the physical size of the cart doesn't matter?

 

Very true but AFAIK that usually involves a lot of faffing with arm spacers etc, I had this problem the other way round on a Goldring GR-1 when I put an Ortofon OM-10 on it, cartridge size is something many people don't seem to consider.

In my case the cartridge was a lot deeper than the existing one, to the point that even when the arm was fully raised it was still skimming the vinyl

I'll be much more careful to get one of equal height when the time comes to change the Shure on my PL-12....

 

I can't go down 18.5 mm cartridge height .. .. sorry but I know very well how to get a perfect VTA .. but when a Michell Tecnoarm with the VTA adjustment



.. fitted on the base can't go down because it is already down at its max .. the only thing to do , if the cartridge is too short .. is to raise by a thick turntable mat.
The thing I exactly hate!

 

Get a better arm. The one you have is a bit basic given the cost of your TT. I would recommend you have a listen to an SME V.

 

I have had the SME20/2A so with the SMEV .. no airy sound!
If I would have some money to spend on a new arm .. that surely is the Graham Phantom B-44 MKII

 

True! Airy sound means out of phase.

Good luck!

 

I have had the SME20/2A so with the SMEV .. no airy sound!

At last....someone who has experienced exactly the same thing as me. The SME sterile, no music, no air sound. I used an SME V tonearm for about 2 months and had to take it back because it lacked life. Put a Graham 2.2 on the SME 20 and yes it was MUCH better but still something was missing. Changed the SME 20 to a VPI HRX and voila - 'life'. The SME just kills music. Well engineered but so what!

I had problems with the SME V and smaller cartridges. The tapered arm tube (part nearer the bearing end) can easily 'scrape' the edge of the record if you are using a not so tall cartridge.

 

Sme 20 + 5 arm

Hi guys

Yes I agree with RobM, about the SME model 20/Sme 5 combo. It can indeed sound the way he and the first poster said, the answer is to put the Graham Phantom B 44 on the Sme 20. Bob Graham developed this arm with the SME model 30 as the Motor Unit. The B44 will go on the Model 20 TT if you use the ic 70 arm cable with the plug moved to a right angle.

I agree that the arm wand on the Sme 5 arm can catch if the carts small, but you can use a spacer to avoid this. This has never happened to me, but its been close a few times.

The SME 20 Graham Phantom combo is very good IMHO. I changed cart to day and fitted a s/h Ortofon 7500 cart, that I got along with the SME Model 20 which was also S/H. I will use a few old lps to see if its okay or not. If not no big deal it was FOC with the TT. I checked it with a powerful magnifying glass, looks okay, needed a clean.

I was using a VDH Frog Gold cart on this combo. Very nice but not right/perhaps, so over the next few days I will be trying a few others out of my collection just to see what they might do for the sound.

A Graham Phantom or Wheaton Tri Planner arm would be options for the Raven. The Graham 2.2 is a great arm but the B44 is better.

Regards D Louth 77

 

What is the mechanism by which this 'out of phase' quality is achieved; please explain?

 

Er, it was a joke. Out of phase sounds "airy". Try it.

My SME 20/2A + Benz LP sounds fine. But if other "audiophiles" think it's not quite up to it, then I guess they must have higher standards than I do. ;-)

Should I worry?

 

Uhmm... I didn't get a sterile sound ... I was meaning I didn't get air .. no breathing soundstage .. while the message was very heavy very focused but too concentrate lacking the breathe

I had the Van den Hul Grasshopper IV on my SME20/2A and the Koetsu Rosewood Signature

 

If you use an SMEV with the supplied vdH cable it does sound dark, coarse & lifeless. So don't! Simple.

 

I had the same thing, I never understand why the supplied cable on an otherwise fine piece of engineering is so poor. They should source their cables from missing link and keep it British!

 

It came from a time when I presume someone advised them that such an expensive arm needed a 'designer' cable in order to be taken seriously. Unfortunately they picked one of the worst sounding cables you can find. There's nothing much wrong with the mechanical function of the arm as far as I'm concerned. I'm always amused when I read people describing it as 'grey', 'sterile' or 'unmusical'.

 

Probably that's the sound you get with that horrible vdh/sme cable .. unfortunately , at that time , I haven't tried other cable solutions

 

Missing Link Log-Rhythm MK-2, was a very nice one if that helps and you can try it, before you buy it, if you ring up and ask nicely!

http://www.the-missing-link.net/

 

Thanks Smeagol for this link .. very interesting cables manufacturing ..

Many europeans buy US power cables thinking they work with the 230AC Voltage .. absolutely wrong!

It's totally different a power cable well thought and born to carry 115AC Volts and not less than 30amperes from an European cable that must carries 230AC Volts and max 16amperes

So I think we have to buy power cables well thought for our volts and current and not for the USA standard

Uhmm.... food for and interesting new thread .. lemme open one...

 

I did it!

https://www.audio-forums.com/as-rediect/showthread.php?t=20918

 

It does seem odd, as it isn't what I'm hearing. The vDH cable is dreadful, including the ill-fitting RCA plugs which are fitted. I replaced mine with a home-made item with bullet plugs.

Perhaps I should trade-in the unmusical SME 20 for a Technics DJ deck. ;-)