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Topic: tracking weight question (Read 7899 times) previous topic - next topic
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tracking weight question

probably a stupid question, but what is the recommended tracking weight for playing records?

when I started collecting vinyl I was told that the least tracking weight was best and so I've had it at something like 0.5g... which after googling for a few seconds seems way wrong. I know I need to stay within the specifications of the cart also.

really just wondering if any damage can be done by not having enough tracking force, I'd have assumed not unless my tonearm is flying across the record. seems to have better sound with a bit more weight (about 1-1.5g) although my biggest concern is wear to records.

any answers greatly appreciated, kinda am lost though

tracking weight question

Reply #1 –
The optimal tracking force depends on your pickup. You should adjust it according to the manufacturer's recommendation.

Not enough tracking force may result in uncontrolled bouncing of the stylus inside the record groove, causing irreversible damage. If you hear better sound when increasing the force, you should use this. But never less force than recommended.

Also take care to replace the stylus regularly, if you use it too long the contact areas will develop flats that, if they become too extreme, might work like a smoothing plane

tracking weight question

Reply #2 –
I currently use about 2grams on my turntable. Like yourself I used to think that less was better (less force = less wear I thought) but I found I was getting some "essing" distortion and it got a lot better when I started using the correct weight.

tracking weight question

Reply #3 –
i dont get any (noticeable) distortion but with less force clicks and pops are MUCH more evident, in some cases almost drowning out the music.

It's not a particularly good cart to begin with, and I cant seem to find any information on it... I'll try looking a bit more and if I find nothing will probably stick with 1.25ish

[edit]
googled and found mentioned twice that 1.5 - 2.5 is recommended, going with 1.75 and noticing much better sound

tracking weight question

Reply #4 –
Quote from: DEVluke on
i dont get any (noticeable) distortion but with less force clicks and pops are MUCH more evident, in some cases almost drowning out the music.

It's not a particularly good cart to begin with, and I cant seem to find any information on it... I'll try looking a bit more and if I find nothing will probably stick with 1.25ish

[edit]
googled and found mentioned twice that 1.5 - 2.5 is recommended, going with 1.75 and noticing much better sound


Different cartridge/stylus units have different tolerances to skipping/tracking and pops/click type noise. If this is your main issue, even with ideal mass loading, consider getting a unit that is known for minimal artifacts of this type in playback. I purchased a Denon DL-110 based on it's wide reputation for being able to extract data from used records with minimum artifacts, due to it's extremely small elliptical stylus which reads deeper into the grooves as compared to most stylus units. This stylus also has a very flat frequency response, which is important to me, as I want minimum coloration.

-Chris

tracking weight question

Reply #5 –
its been used about 1g less than lowest recommended for a while now, so I probably should replace it. Might look into getting something different, possibly get an entire new turntable as my current one is only relatively low end and above all, more importantly than getting the best sound I want to have the least wear on my records.

tracking weight question

Reply #6 –
Quote from: DEVluke on
its been used about 1g less than lowest recommended for a while now, so I probably should replace it. Might look into getting something different, possibly get an entire new turntable as my current one is only relatively low end and above all, more importantly than getting the best sound I want to have the least wear on my records.



Since you are considering a replacement table, are you considering a used or new table?

Any specific turn tables up for consideration already? Price range?



-Chris

tracking weight question

Reply #7 –
cant really afford anything at the moment, but at least this gives me time to make a better selection whilst I save haha.

I obviously want the best I can get, but I doubt I will be able to spend much more than $500. Secondhand is fine with me, as long as its still good.

I'm not sure whether I want belt or direct drive, for my price range I assume that it's not worth thinking about as for such a price range the difference noticed will be minimal. On one hand I could aim for something like a Technics 1200 since they're supposed to last well, correct? although I'd not want to get something that's been thoroughly abused for turntablism. 

suggestions?

tracking weight question

Reply #8 –
Quote from: DEVluke on
cant really afford anything at the moment, but at least this gives me time to make a better selection whilst I save haha.

I obviously want the best I can get, but I doubt I will be able to spend much more than $500. Secondhand is fine with me, as long as its still good.

I'm not sure whether I want belt or direct drive, for my price range I assume that it's not worth thinking about as for such a price range the difference noticed will be minimal. On one hand I could aim for something like a Technics 1200 since they're supposed to last well, correct? although I'd not want to get something that's been thoroughly abused for turntablism. 

suggestions?


Yes, the SL1200 is supposed to "last well". It is perhaps the only turntable made today that is built to such a level of quality as to endure years of professional abuse and sloppy transportation and continue to operate normally.

The SL1200 is a superb direct drive unit. The Technics has a 4+ lb cast aluminum rotation platter with two hard rubber layers to dampen any vibrations. The table chassis itself is thick cast aluminum, with a large hard rubber component in the bottom to dampen it as well. It is an inert system. It has a very low noise direct drive that will never cause any audible rumble/noise during regular use(purposely playing a silent space and turning the volume up 25+ dB over what you use for music playing, of course, you can hear some rumble - duh) and has speed stability better than most audiophile tables of far higher price. The tone arm, despite popular criticisms from audiophiles, is a very high quality arm with tight tolerance bearings. It is a good quality arm. But you can change it to a better arm in the future if you so desire.

For the $500 range, there is no so-called audiophile turntable that I know of that compares well with the quality/engineering of the Technics SL1200. I can not suggest a better unit, new, for that price. These are available for near $400 range if you shop around.

-Chris

tracking weight question

Reply #9 –
Quote from: DEVluke on
probably a stupid question, but what is the recommended tracking weight for playing records?

when I started collecting vinyl I was told that the least tracking weight was best and so I've had it at something like 0.5g... which after googling for a few seconds seems way wrong. I know I need to stay within the specifications of the cart also.

really just wondering if any damage can be done by not having enough tracking force, I'd have assumed not unless my tonearm is flying across the record. seems to have better sound with a bit more weight (about 1-1.5g) although my biggest concern is wear to records.

any answers greatly appreciated, kinda am lost though


Back in the '70s when I worked in a stereo store and did lots of turnable work, I found the best force is the maximum of the manufacturers range. I other words, if the range is 3/4 to 1 1/2, run it at 1 1/2. YES you WILL damage  the groove wall with too little force because the stylus loses contact and comes down again a rips a little flap into the vinyl. The damage can be seen as light streaks in the grooves in the loud sections. There is NO cleaning or fix for this except to replace the disc. Boy, I DON'T miss that pesky vinyl but I still have the Dual 721 direct drive turntable with a Shure V-15 type V.

tracking weight question

Reply #10 –
Quote from: WmAx on
For the $500 range, there is no so-called audiophile turntable that I know of that compares well with the quality/engineering of the Technics SL1200. I can not suggest a better unit, new, for that price. These are available for near $400 range if you shop around.

-Chris


I didn't mean anything of ~that~ quality... but something aimed more towards quality of sound/care to records and sacrificing being ~bomb-proof~. I would like something as durable as a Technics 1200, but I'm not going to be moving it around much at all.

thanks for the advice guys.

one other thing... I'm unsure how to align the angle of my cart, its screwed into this head shell right up the front so It's straight in the head shell but I'm not really sure what angle it should be on. The original cart/headshell (broken) was not adjustable and looked to be perfectly straight, although comparing now would hold the stylus tip about 1cm shorter, should I just mimic this as it was the stock cart for the turntable? and is this as important as tracking weight and anti skate? (particularly want to get this correct with my new stylus      )

tracking weight question

Reply #11 –
Quote from: DEVluke on
Quote from: WmAx on

For the $500 range, there is no so-called audiophile turntable that I know of that compares well with the quality/engineering of the Technics SL1200. I can not suggest a better unit, new, for that price. These are available for near $400 range if you shop around.

-Chris


I didn't mean anything of ~that~ quality... but something aimed more towards quality of sound/care to records and sacrificing being ~bomb-proof~. I would like something as durable as a Technics 1200, but I'm not going to be moving it around much at all.

thanks for the advice guys.

one other thing... I'm unsure how to align the angle of my cart, its screwed into this head shell right up the front so It's straight in the head shell but I'm not really sure what angle it should be on. The original cart/headshell (broken) was not adjustable and looked to be perfectly straight, although comparing now would hold the stylus tip about 1cm shorter, should I just mimic this as it was the stock cart for the turntable? and is this as important as tracking weight and anti skate? (particularly want to get this correct with my new stylus      )


I don't know what's available in your part of the world but here in the UK I'd recommend a Rega deck if you're buying 2nd hand; or maybe a Project. A good Rega Planar 2 would cost you about £70 over here. It's very durable - in a domestic setting - and has a very good arm that's compatible with a wide range of cartridges. On cartridges don't be tempted to buy 2nd hand as you never know what state the stylus is in. In your situation I'd go for a Goldring or Ortofon. One from the lower end of their ranges should suit.

Getting your cartridge set up properly inthe headshell is important. From what you describe it's hard to advise but if you go for a different turntable it's worth spending time getting the cartridge aligned so that it's parrallel to the headshell and then getting the overhang right. If you Google "cartridge alignment protractor" or something similar you will probably find a protractor you can print out with instructions for setting the overhang.

Hope this helps

tracking weight question

Reply #12 –
Quote from: DEVluke on
one other thing... I'm unsure how to align the angle of my cart, its screwed into this head shell right up the front so It's straight in the head shell but I'm not really sure what angle it should be on. The original cart/headshell (broken) was not adjustable and looked to be perfectly straight, although comparing now would hold the stylus tip about 1cm shorter, should I just mimic this as it was the stock cart for the turntable? and is this as important as tracking weight and anti skate? (particularly want to get this correct with my new stylus      )

I would like to echo the advice of Glenn Gundlach. If you want to best preserve your records and get the best sound lean towards the upper end of the weight range not the lower. By running at 0.5 g for a cartridge with a minimum weight of 1.5 you have damaged your records. Playing a record will wear it out but having insufficient force to hold the stylus down in the groove will cause damage when the stylus bangs back into the groove after jumping out. All cartridges will mistrack when the groove turns too strongly and so records tend to be cut so that normal cartridges will not mistrack in this way. The Shure cartridge mentioned by Glenn was well known for being able to track aggressively cut record grooves.

1 cm missing from the length will seriously misalign your cartridge. This will increase the audible distortion but probably will not damage your records unless the height is also badly wrong. It is easy enough to check if your cartridge is reasonably aligned with a cartridge protractor. Free ones here:

http://www.vinylengine.com/cartridge-align...otractors.shtml

the rest of the site can also be a source of useful information so long as you are careful to avoid the audiophile nonsense.
 

tracking weight question

Reply #13 –
Quote from: botface on
I don't know what's available in your part of the world but here in the UK I'd recommend a Rega deck if you're buying 2nd hand; or maybe a Project. A good Rega Planar 2 would cost you about £70 over here. It's very durable - in a domestic setting - and has a very good arm that's compatible with a wide range of cartridges. On cartridges don't be tempted to buy 2nd hand as you never know what state the stylus is in. In your situation I'd go for a Goldring or Ortofon. One from the lower end of their ranges should suit.

Getting your cartridge set up properly inthe headshell is important. From what you describe it's hard to advise but if you go for a different turntable it's worth spending time getting the cartridge aligned so that it's parrallel to the headshell and then getting the overhang right. If you Google "cartridge alignment protractor" or something similar you will probably find a protractor you can print out with instructions for setting the overhang.

Hope this helps


I've heard of Rega before, although haven't come accoross any. Google'd a bit more and came accross this page. http://www.stereo.net.au/forums/showthread...4854#post144854 seems like I'm pretty well in the same situation as this guy as far as knowledge goes 


Quote from: honestguv on
I would like to echo the advice of Glenn Gundlach. If you want to best preserve your records and get the best sound lean towards the upper end of the weight range not the lower. By running at 0.5 g for a cartridge with a minimum weight of 1.5 you have damaged your records. Playing a record will wear it out but having insufficient force to hold the stylus down in the groove will cause damage when the stylus bangs back into the groove after jumping out. All cartridges will mistrack when the groove turns too strongly and so records tend to be cut so that normal cartridges will not mistrack in this way. The Shure cartridge mentioned by Glenn was well known for being able to track aggressively cut record grooves.

1 cm missing from the length will seriously misalign your cartridge. This will increase the audible distortion but probably will not damage your records unless the height is also badly wrong. It is easy enough to check if your cartridge is reasonably aligned with a cartridge protractor. Free ones here:

http://www.vinylengine.com/cartridge-align...otractors.shtml

the rest of the site can also be a source of useful information so long as you are careful to avoid the audiophile nonsense.


This makes sense, "less force = less wear" was an easy conclusion to come to before.
I didn't realise the length would make too much difference to sound. For now I think I will stick with my current TT (with a new stylus) until I'm more sure of what I'm doing, and more importantly can afford something better. You've mentioned height  know of any guides? (I don't thinks mine adjustable)

thanks again people, I'm definitely learning 

[edit] to avoid further stupid question asking I've got a dvd tutorial showing how to set up a turntable