Ortofon MC A90 Cartridge VTF

Lewm: We have tried it on two of the same arms on different turntables and the result was different for both.

If I remember correctly it was between 2.0 - 2.5. Not that dramatically out of range in some cases but quite far in others.

"It will be interesting if Mike keeps his 1.5gm long term on his Garrard, as sometimes what can seem like an improvement in the short term is not as sucessful long term."

Downunder: I think he probably will. There were three of us there and it was fairly evident that this was the best setting. Maybe if the cartridge continues to change he might tweek it a bit more, but I think it was spot on.

I never agreed with HP's assessment in my system. I had the XV-1S much lighter than 2.6. I even think that might be enough VTF to eventually damage the suspension on that cart.

David: No we did not switch the cartridges between the tables. Three tables and three cartridges is quite a bit of work as it is. :)

Tbg: That really was not what we were looking for, it was simply the best sound we could get.

Sure, I have been a bit busy and meant to post a little sooner.

The thought by the Chief Engineer at Ortofon was that it could probably be explained by stylus rake angle.

He did note that the VTF will vary slightly between arms, even when it’s the same cartridge, but he also remarked that the difference should not be one of extreme magnitude.

He agreed with the notion that SRA has a profound effect on the performance of the cartridge, as the Replicant diamond’s size and shape requires careful stylus rake adjustment to get the sharp edges perfectly within the groove. If the VTA is only set approximately (say within 5mm), then the VTF is going to seriously change the stylus rake angle.

He also said that you should shoot for 2.0g as a minimum, as anything less could compromise the tracking ability.

Ultimately Louis of Ortofon USA agreed “follow your ears”.

Personally I followed my ears and found the settings we used to be the best. Of course we took into account VTA and Steve Dobbins worked very diligently setting up each source.

Even at the 1.56 setting on the Garrard, the cartridge tracked great!

Raul: Obviously there are too many arms as well as arm lengths for each cartridge manufacturer to try. Also, I do not necessarily agree that a manufacturer needs to try different arms with each new cartridge they design. Those who have a great deal of experience designing cartridges already know what is needed.

I believe that some manufacturers tend to lean toward the conservative. That being said, Ortofon has been doing this longer than most and certainly are incredibly knowledgeable and thorough. But, I know what both my ears and both my eyes experienced... the cartridge was tracking like a champ with the combination we were using. This was not subjective. Also, remember the results were much closer to the lowest recommendation by Ortofon on the other two tables, one of which also had Reed arm.

The reason for this post was not to necessarily debate the point, but to have other Ortofon MC A90 owners share their experiences on the subject as I am sharing mine. I am not here to preach that everyone has to lower their VTF, I am only sharing that the possibility of doing so might yield similar results for those who try... or might not.