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Technics SL1200G cables and headshell choice

Hi all,

I finally pulled the trigger and bought myself a new SL1200G.

Now I’m in the search for a light headshell with azimuth adjustment. Im intrigued by wooden ones but im a bit lost since not many reviews are available.

For example:

  • Project oak:

https://shop.project-audio.com/product/headshell-signature-wood/

  • Yamamoto hs-3 boxwood:

https://www.playstereo.com/en/accessori-per-l-analogico/2173-yamamoto-hs-3-headshell-of-tsumi-boxwood.html

  • Yamamoto hs-7 camelia:

https://exclusive-audio.jp/en/products/yamamoto-sound-craft-hs-7-camellia-head-shell?srsltid=AfmBOoq9MHQ4ld0R_OSt77F4YV2uFHtKVdmwpNduWmh2UghHiMB-T3vi

And an old one from Ortofon, LH-8000

they all weights 8 grams more or less.

cartridge im using at the moment is Hana ML.

Do you reckon that wood is a good material for the headshell? I dont mind a warmer sound.
 

Im also looking for an high quality phono cable with good shielding and low capacitance, as for the power cord. 
for the headshell im willing to spend not more than 150 euro and for the cablea im fine to buy second hand, budget is 200 euros top.

many thanks for your guidance

Emanuele

rockness87
danmar123's avatar
danmar123
625 posts
 

I have the GAE with the Hana ml on Yamamoto HS-1.

I’m a fan of OCC copper & went with a well know boutique company, but I’m sorry, I won’t disclose their name, due to an issue I had on a return cable. (to short) Which they corrected after Paypal got involved. I had Steve from VAS reterminate from RCA to 5 pin for my  SME-309 arm & he praised the wire. If your going to stay Copper, go with OCC Copper. 

My PC is Furutech FP-TCS21 PC-Triple C Power Cable That I made myself.

billstevenson
1,164 posts
 

I went through a whole bunch of head shell evaluations includinng Yammamoto carbon and wood ones.  I have a box full of head shells in fact.  All of this after I bought my SL1200GAE in 2016.  The G and the GAE are functioanlly the same.  Anyway, several months ago I bought AnalogMagik software.  You should Google that to see what it is, and you can look at the discussions about it that occurred here in this forum for details.  The bottom line is this.  The best head shell for your G and the only one that I have found so far that can be relied upon to ensure that your arm/cartridge combination resonance frequency will stay in a safe range is the OEM head shell.  Virtually all of the Yammamoto models that I have measured are too heavy.  YRMV.

lewm
14,649 posts
 

Bill, you failed to mention for what cartridge with what compliance and better yet, what weight of headshell. If we are just talking about the weight of the headshell, that only matters with respect to its effect on resonant frequency.

rockness87 OP
40 posts
 

Thank you guys.

@billstevenson but the ones that I linked they all weight the same as the oem. How is it possible that 0.5 grams can make that much of a difference?

billstevenson
1,164 posts
 

I am at our second home in NH at the moment and all my head shells are in FL, so this is from memory.  The OEM head shell weighs 8.0 or 8.5 grams as I recall.  All of the other head shells that I have actually weighed were 12.0 grams or more.  These were actual weights, not claims taken from the manufacturers.  The cartridges that I set up so far include:  Ortofon 2M Black LVB, Ortofon 2M Mono SE, VAS Nova Stereo, and VAS Nova Mono.  I will be returning to FL after Thanksgiving and can re-weigh and provide corresponding model numbers if there is interest in that detail.

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