Demagnatize cartridge??


My Denon 304 seems to have been "magnatized" by a new stylus force gauge I am using -- the gauge just "sucked" the cartridge down to it. Now the cartridge magnetic attraction. Does anyone know if this is harmful to the cartridge or playback? Is it possible to de-magnify a cartridge? There is also an excessive amount of "hum" coming through, even though I have tried different loading configurations. Could these problems be related? I appreciate your help!
cekiv
You guys seem to have it under control. but just a word of caution about the Shure "teeter-totter" stylus force gauge: although it's stainless steel, it still has magnetic properties and can be attracted to the very strong magnets in some (most?) MC cartridges. And even if the attraction is not catastrophic, it can throw the readings off.
even if the attraction (of the Shure gauge is not catastrophic, it can throw the readings off
Good point. It does, invariably so. You have to resort to tricks (side-ways readings, etc). Oh well...
Cekiv,

There's nothing wrong with "digital" scales of course. They are certainly more accurate than the Shure teeter-totter, even a non-magnetic one. (Some Shures are magnetic and some aren't. This is because Shure failed to accurately specify the right kind of SS for different production runs. Some SS is magnetic, some isn't.)

To use your new scale safely you need some kind of step, so that you're not dropping the cartridge directly onto the magnetically attractive platform. This confers the additional benefit of letting you weigh at record surface height, which is also more accurate. The doohickey you need can be DIY'd from nearly anything. Here's a photo of one (overly elaborate) solution:

http://www.simplyblack.net/WVC/tools/scale.htm

My step is simply a 1" wide length of brass strip folded into the appropriate shape. Others cut up a credit card and glue the pieces together, which seems like an excellent idea for audiophiles! ;-)

Doug
Ghostrider -
I think I got mine from the same German dealer. Nice to deal with. The digital scale was the first I used with the DL304, so I had not played it before it "crashed".

I'll check the pins again.

Thanks!