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tonearm/cartridge matching, mass/damping/tweaking

I'm reading more and more, here and mostly elsewhere about matching cartrdge compliance to tonearm mass. Of course, the wonderful but also dreaded Denon 103/103r s are front in centre in most debates.
I recently swapped out my denon 103 for my nos GAS Sleeping Beauty and perceived a better overall sound although it just may be a better overall cart too, who knows?
I am running a Linn Akito 2b arm which is said to be a little low on the mass side for the Denon 103 at I think 11 grams. i have seen some raging debates with guys saying their black widow (really low mass) arm matches just great with a 103, and a mass proponent saying that you need at least 25 gram mass arm for the 103R (although his 'perfectly matched' jelco 750d is ironically an 18g mass arm....). being a sucker for punishment I have on order both a 301mkii and a 103r (my audiophile nervosa has ingrained me with the fear that 'they' may stop making cartridges - after all, I have read that the venerable technicss DD tables have been discontinued). Now, I could simply likely sell my Akito 2B and buy a Jelco 750db and be done with it. resurrect my light headshell for use with the 301 and start having swapping fun. WTF, I could prolly also build up an outboard tonearm stand and run a 12" jelco outside my SOTA opposite the akito2b and turn into a real freak (sorry to all you freaks out there, you know what you are ;-)).
I have read some possible arm tuning damping ideas too that dont smell of overdoing it. One being laying a couple of pieces of tonearm litz between the cart and the headshell when mounting to decouple slightly. Another is the adddition of herbie's hal-o jr's to the arm wand which is cheap maybe effective and readily reversible (unlike wrapping the wand).
i gotta wonder just how accurate some of these mass and compliance calcs are too. ironically, i had to use a supplied sheet of what appears to be lead with my GAS to give it sufficient weight to use with this arm and it is only a few grams less than the denon....
Any thoughts, ideas, current thinking on the mass vs compliance issues?
mickeyf

Showing 4 responses by hesson11

hesson11
237 posts
 
Glad things worked out so well, Mickey. May I trouble you with a side-issue question? There has been a good deal of debate about the tonearm geometry of the Jelco 750 arm (mostly on other forums). May I ask if you mounted the Jelco in the same hole you used for the Akito? If so, were you able to align the cartridge correctly without any problems?

The nature of the Jelco debate is that, although its effective length is specified as 229mm (identical to the Akito), some claim that it is actually longer, necessitating a different mounting position. Any light you can shed would be appreciated. Thanks!
-Bob
hesson11
237 posts
 
Thanks for the info, Mickey.
-Bob
hesson11
237 posts
 
I think you and I read the same forums, Mickey!
-Bob
hesson11
237 posts
 
Hi Mickey. Actually, I have a couple of MMTs. I'm selling one and keeping the one I have mounted on my old but trusty Oracle Paris. Both arms are pretty much identical in condition, operation, etc., but I'd been looking for an auxiliary counterweight that came with the MMT originally. I had to buy a whole 'nother MMT to get one!

The MMT works and sounds great with my Soundsmith-retipped Shelter 501 II. The MMT effective length is 239mm, 10mm longer than the Jelco arm. I've been keeping an eye out for info on the Jelco because I thought it would be nice to have what is, more or less, a modern version of the MMT. I'd go ahead and buy a new Jelco, but of course, the mounting distance is different and I'm not too good at making mounting plates!
-Bob
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