[Steve_2000]

Hi,

Has anyone else been frustrated by Stanton's recommended tracking force of 2-5g for their Groovemaster v3 MP4 carts? What should the ideal weight be for simple every day home use? I've tried contacting Stanton but no reply as of yet.

Also, the cartridge height range in the Technics SL1210M5G manual specifies 17-23mm, however the Groovemaster cart is just 15mm. Would this pose any problems or should the tonearm height just be set to "0" as generally recommended?

Any advice would be gratefully appreciated.

Many thanks,

Steve

[Chris Frost]

Most Hi-Fi moving magnet cartridges track between 1.5 and 2.0gm. Any more than that and the suspension will collapse.

A DJ'ing cartridge can tolerate a greater tracking weight. They have to if the bass cabs are causing the console to shake too. The trade-off is the wear on the grooves. If you can track at a lower weight in the recommended range then that's better for your discs.

The Technics arm is height adjustable. With a conventional cartridge it is possible to shim to add height. This won't be possible though with the plug-in type cartridges such as the Stanton.

As a general guide the the tone arm should be level when the arm height is adjusted correctly. Setting the arm a bit higher usually makes the bass lighter and sharpens the top end. But that's talking about Hi-Fi use where there are no tone controls on the amp. You'll have bass and treble controls on the mixer to compensate.

[Steve_2000]

Many thanks for your reply, Chris.