Is there a best cartridge track force gauge?


I have the Shure gauge, a Technics electronic gauge, and an AR gauge. I have seen many electronic gauges reviewed. Many of these are quite expensive. I would, however, consider one were there an advantage. What is the experience out there?
tbg

Showing 7 responses by eldartford

First, I set the VTF to 1.5 (for shure V15) using the dial markings of my TT. (My TT, a Sony PS-X800 has a servo "Biotracer" arm where the arm is automatically balanced for zero downforce each time you start the TT, and then the downforce is applied electronically...very accurate).

Then I play a tracking test record, and reduce the downforce according to audible results. With the linear tracking arm of the PS X800, the resulting VTF is about 1/2 gram...much less than the same pickup in a pivoting arm, and less than half what Shure suggests.

So, I am in the "by ear" camp, with the provision that the test is done using a tracking test LP.
There was a time when pickups tracked at 5 or 6 grams. Yes, really! In those days the VTF could be set by a sensitive finger, and a nickle coin, which weighs exactly 5 grams. Put the nickle on your finger, then substitute the pickup. True story.
Tbg...Is 4 grams what Ortofon recommends? Last time I was seriously interested in phono pickups 2.5 grams for some MC models was the highest. And they had to make apologies for this, saying that low stylus mass resulted in low wear despite the "high" VTF.
If the stylus were elevated 0.75 inch, and the arm was 10 inches from pivot to stylus, the arm would be off level by 4.3 degrees.

Cosine of 4.3 degrees is 0.9972

So a VTF that ought to be 2 grams will measure as 0.9972*2 which is 1.9944 grams.

This is an error of 0.0056 grams.

Big deal!

It strikes me as funny that vinyl fans, who usually discount all forms of measurement and insist that only listening tests count, should fuss so much about accuracy of VTF scales. Of all the audible characteristics of pickup setup, VTF is the easiest to optimize by ear.
Tbg...I did think of the situation where downforce is applied by a spring. My old Empire turntable worked that way, and I believe it is the best approach because the arm can be mass-balanced so that vibration effects are minimized. With a spring the VTF will be affected by arm angle, but the question is, how much. In the Empire the downforce spring was a multiturn clock spring, and I doubt that a couple of degrees would have much effect.

But I do wonder. Since you have an accurate gauge, perhaps you would favor us with some measurements.
Dougdeacon...Perhaps you should say it the other way around.."SOME stainless steels" are magnetic. The commonly used ones are nonmagnetic. I never ran across one that was magnetic, although I can believe that metallurgists could cook up a formula if they tried.