Sumiko Blue EVO3 Question

Hi,

Anyone on here have this cartridge?

I have just fitted mine to my new deck and am concerned about the clearance of the exposed cartridge body and the cantilever in relation the the record, by that I mean, the angle of the cantilever is very shallow and as a result the body of the cartridge is nearly touching the record. The cartridge is brand new BTW.

I have had a look at it on the Sumiko web site and it appears to me that the stylus is well below the cartridge body. It is so low in fact that I had to increase the arm height to stop the cartridge body rubbing on the record.

Can this be right?

All comments greatly appreciated!!

Thanks

 

I'm using one at the moment.... have not noticed this at all, in fact I'd say it had a decent amount of clearance compared to other cartridges I've tried, like Ortofons.

Are you sure you've got the tracking weight right? too much will push the cartridge down.

I'll take a picture of mine and post tomorrow when I'm home if you like.

 

check your tracking weight......asap !

 

I have the TW set at 2g, I used an electronic scale to confirm it and I'm pretty sure this is the manufacturers recommended weight.

It just doesnt look right, even when not on the record and looking at it from the side, the stylus tip is only fractionally lower than the cartidge body.

I will take a photo later and put it on this thread to see what you think.

I dont want to lower the weight if I can avoid it. When it comes to the VTA though, am I right in thinking the arm should be parallell to the platter? If so, then I really have a problem because if the arm is supposed to be parallell, or even lower than the cartridge then the body will not clear the record.

Thanks again

 

The arm should be parallel with the record surface, not the platter.

 

I agree

......that will heel down the back end of the cart!

set the arm parallel to the playing surface of a mid weight lp and it should be good for any thickness lp.

 

Unless your electronic scale has been specifically made for checking cartridges, or a normal one that has been 'adapted' then it is possible if the cartridge has strong magnets in it for the cartrdige body to be pulled down towards and metal parts underneath the scales measuring platform, then false readings could be given.

Although it looks cheap 'n' cheefull the Shure SFG-2 stylus gauge really is quite an accurate tool to use. When TNT tested it, it was found to be accurate to about 0.05g! which is pretty damn good.

It sounds to me that if your arm tube is parallel to the record surface and the back of the body is nearly touching the records surface then either your VTF is too high , or your carts suspension is collapsed, or the cantelever is bent.....

 

Some of the cheap electronic scales sold on eBay are particularly prone to this. I posted a picture over on PFM some time ago with a fridge magnet clinging to the pad of one such device. Get a Shure as Tim recommends of splash out on a Technics SH-50P1 which pop up from time to time at £50-100.

 

Thanks for all the replies.

Anyway, I have taken a photo of the cartridge at rest so to speak- I hope it comes out ok.

The turntable is a VPI Scout and it quite easy to adjust the arm height. I still think the cantilever doesnt look right, but it still sounds great. I am just worried that if I play a slightly warped LP, that it might send the arm skating across the record.

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c258/rega3/DSCN1427.jpg

Thanks all

 

That doesn't look quite right to me either.
Unusual to see a cantilever not follow the line of the generator housing IMO. Could be unique to that design but I'd contact the manufacturer and send them the pic for their opinion. Might also be best to stop using it in the meantime to avoid damaging your records.

 

Thanks

Have contacted the manufacturer and dealer, will post replies when I get them.

 

That's a bent cantilever, no dobt about it. On my Evo III it directly follows the line of the housing.

 

yep certain looks "odd".....

is it square with the arm from the front ?

The pic could have been taken with the arm on the lp ....with the tt stationary...we could have deduced a number of things from that !

The arm and cart should follow warps ..unless they are really bad !

 

The cantilever is square from the front, and when the cartridge sits on the LP, the cantilever bends slightly, decreasing the distance between body and LP. I tried taking a photo when on the LP but couldnt get the camera to focus properly!!

Thx

 

here's mine - with a tracking force of 2g the cantilever is still in line with the generator when sitting on the record.

 

Almost certainly bent then

 

Looks like too much tracking force to me. Try backing it off a bit and see what happens. Can you set it on your turntable by making the arm balance, set the force to zero there. Then just dial in 2g. See what happens then

 

Except if you look, it looks like that when it isn't actually on the record.

 

Sorry Uncle you are right. I couldn't see clearly on my laptop monitor. It does look bent.

 

Alanbeeb,

That is the way I would have expected to see it and you have confirmed therefore that it is bent!! I knew it wasnt right!!

Thanks