letch, What do you mean with 'wacked in a move?'' Bent aluminum
cantilevers can be straitened. But if the stylus is wear off you can
retip your cart with boron cantilever + whatever stylus you chose
for about $ 500.
|
letch, The problem with Russian people is their ''soul''. So sensitive
that they always complain. Our chakster is complaining about the
prices of new cartridges but owns an collection which must be
in contradiction with his ''income''. Curious expression if one has
no job. As paradoxical is his advise to buy ''an perfect FR-7fz''
instead of fixing your ''common'' FR-7 . He wisely deed not mention
possible price for ''FZ'' but also ''forget'' to mention where such
''perfect animal '' can be find. You should listen to his older brother
who knows better. FR-7 is excellent cart and certainly deserves
retip.
|
letch, ''They said my cartridge survived the damage but needed
repalcement''. This make no sense. Not the cartridge but the
cantilever/stylus combo needs replacement. They suggested the
most expanisive alternative. Deed they mentioned the price?
My estimation was +/- $500 for boron + stylus. This can be done
by any retipper. Boron cantilevers with styli are produced by
two Japanese companies. Both manufcturers and retippers
are provided by the same companies. In some sense you will
get a new FR-7. Anyway no worry about stylus condition.
|
Hi letch, By Yip from Mint tractor you need to provide him with
exact dimension of the spindle of your TT (those differ in thickness)
as well which geometry you want. He can than make an special
tractor for you. If you chose for Bearwald geometry you should
also ask Soundsmith to increse the length of the cantilever
suitable for Bearwald. |
It may look as if I have something against my younger brother or
to enjoy teasing him. But the ''truth'' is our religion which must be
obey. Now the case is that not all FR-7 kinds have the same
cantilever length. Ikeda obviously experimented with different
cantilever length . This btw may explain his (later) cantileverless
designs. So the worry about the''right geometry'' is , say,
questionable.
As we can see(?) the other advantage of aluminum (alloy)
cantilevers next to ''pressure fitting'' instead of gluing the stylus
IN is that it can be straighten if dent for whatever reasons. Try
this with the so called ''exotic kinds'' and you will discover what
this advantage means. The curious thing is that while my brother
recommend ''exotic kinds'' and long for beryllium and hole
boron pipes he admire the most his Takeda cart with aluminum
cantilever.
The only risk our letch may be confronted with is refusal to
to straighten his cantilever because no profit can be made
by such ''repair''.
|
''Pure theoretic'' consideration means without any experiment or
experience. This is identical with ''assumptions only'' aproach.
So the only possible check is logical: if the assumptions are not
true then neither are deduced statement. Our chakster believes
in manufacturer authority and intentions despite our long disputes
about tonearm geometry. In addition he distrust retippers and
never retipped any of his carts. So his advice is ''based'' on his
believes. Letch could also ask his mother for advice.
The difference between Stevenson and Beearwald is about 1mm.
Aka effective length Stevenson 245 mm, Bearwald 246mm.
I can't remember how many retips I have had. With Axel my
retipper for years I become friends. Alas he was/is not able to
do the work because he lost comand of his left hand. But he
was nearly 70 and with 50 years of experience.
|
Again assumptions. They probably will but this would
imply Stevenson geometry. My FR-7 fz sample .is
retipped by Van den Hul who increased the cantilever
length to fit Bearwald geometry. So I got boron cantilever
with Van den Hul (aka Gyger) stylus. My Mint tractor is
made for my SP-10,mk 2 and Bearwald for my FR-64 S.
I owned all other FR-7 kinds but kept the FR-7 fz. The
only technical difference is (slightly) higher output by FZ.
I am sure you will be satisfy with your FR-7 . Also the
price at $450 is modest in comparison with European
prices.
|
Dear chakster, Our ''dispute'' become very difficult if one confuse
spindle to pivor distance with effective lenght and persist in
believe that manufacturer ''know better''. As Raul and Kessler&
Pisha have shown neither of all 22 tonearms are without errors.
Primary by ofsfset angle and overhang. Either they considered
tonearm geometry as not important or were not familar with them.
You also suggest that retippers use different cantilever/styli
combo's than manufacturer. But both get those from the same
supplier. If you assume some special art needed to glue an
new cantilever in the joint pipe you probably have never looked
at those parts in an MC cart. Each retipper prefer to do the
whole cantielver/stylus instead of stylus only retip. No wonder
by the price difference ;$ 200 versus $500. Axel refused even
to me to do stylus only retip. He got so much work that he was
able to chose. I then moved to Expert stylus in UK who
still do stylus only retip for 200 euro. They also produce styli
which are identical qua dimensions with Van den Hul. They
provide Deccas with those styli.
. |
Dear chaksrer, you are again back to parts. Lets talk about them.
The coils are the most difficult to repair. Nobody wants to mess
with those. Then there are dampers. No retipper has the ''original''
but, say, 3 unknown kinds meant for different compliance. The
most easy job is to supstitute cantilever/stylus combo. Stylus
only retip is much more difficult to do then cantilevr/stylus combo.
But the most people are arguing about this part. So the ''most
people'' have no idea what they are talking about. Think about
LP 12. What are original and what improved parts? Who can
''compose'' one LP 12 from ''orignal parts'' or, to put this otherwise,
what are originl parts by an LP 12?
|
''ít will not sound the same when you change tip or cantilever''.
But this may also mean that ''it'' can sound better. To grasp the
issue one need to see how any cantilever/stylus combo is glued
into ''joint pipe''. Joint pipe is usually an aluminum pipe on
which coils and tension wire are fastened. In this pipe all
manufacturer and retipper must put the same cantilever/styli
combo as provided by big (Japanese) supplier. Why the
manufacturer are assumed to do this job better is an enigma.
By such circumstances one should check his premiss and
start again if the premiss is not true.
The used glue needed to ,uh, glue the cantilever in the joint pipe
can be desolved in order to remove old and substitute the new
cantilever. The retipper need to use the same length and stylus
orientation. That is all. |
Dear chakster, You changed the question . The question was or
assumed to be about sound not styli variations. Whatever the stylus
shape or cantiever material they all need to be glued or fastened
into cantilevers and glued into yoint pipe.
As you I also admire Takeda's Miyabi and Ikeda's FR-7fz. Both
with aluminum (alloy) cantilevers.
|
Letch mentioned to own FR-64 . If so then he owns FR-64 with
aluminum wands . The lateral balance is also different from 64S.
Anyway if the spindle to pivot distance is right he can fasten his
FR-7 direct to the arm without any tractor. After all he has chosen
Stevenson geometry. |
letch, you can use your FR-7 as model for all other headshell/carts
combintaitons. But you need an PLASTIC caliper for this purpose.
You measure the stylus distance in your FR-7 (integratded) headshell
and use this distance by other combos (aka adjusting the effective
length). Reg. your Orsonic. I hope you own the AV-101 ; the other
are mediocre because the lack of rigidity (AV-1 and AV-11). |
"The protractor'', ''an protractor'''or ''whatever protractor''?
The tonearms lengths are 9'', 10'' and 12''. They ''assume''
different effective length. Aka the stylus distance to the pivot.
Letch owns 10'' tonearm (FR-64) while eff. length is 245 mm
for Stevenson and 246 mm for Bearwald. If his FR-7 got the
cantilever with the same length as the original this length can
be used for whatever other carts and headshells. Assuming the
headshell has slots allowing movement of stylus in both
directions. My guess for the cost of an plastic caliper is $10. |
Sorry chak, I see an rubber ring behind the headshell connector
while the higth of this ,uh, cheap instrument, does not allow
lowering of the stylus to the marked position. One need to guess
where the stylus point should be. Together they make at least
2 mm error. So there is then no sense to speak about different
geometries. But if one use (plastic) caliper with one ''leg'' after
the connector (without rubber ring) and the other on the stylus
point one will get exact effective lenght and use the obtained
lenght for all other cart/headshell combos. I adjusted this way
20 of my MC carts in their (separate) headshells . Checking with
my Mint tractor made for my SP10 /FR-64 S (Bearwald) confirmed
the results. Changing carts can then be done in 5 minutes time. |
So dear chakster, You can sell your Feickert and buy one plastic
caliper which you can use for all your carts/headshell combinaions.
The only thing you need to separte are your tonearms and headshlls
which you use with them. |
Try google for ''plastic caliper''. Those are even cheaper than
I thougth. |
Dear lech, your ''info'' is confusing: ''all the carts which I used with
Orsonic'' clearly suggest more than one cart. Well you don't
need the caliper for only one cart (FR-7). Caliper is for ''copy'' of
one good adjusted cart. The eff. lenght (distance pivot -stylus tip)
can be repeated by other carts. |
Dear chakster, the sense of caliper is to use it as ''marked
distance'' of the stylus in its headschell . This assumes many
cartridges and headshells so by changing carts and headshells
one need not to use his tractor but the caliper instead. Much
faster and much less boring then aiming the stylus on the tractor
lines or points. You can then keep pre-adjusted headshells for
respective tonearms ''ready to use''. I have 20 pre-adjsusted
headshells for my FR-64 S. So I can change those carts in 5
minutes time |
