Phantom + A90 question


How ahve users of this combination dealt with the inability of the Graham headshell to touch all three contact points on top of the A90? I'm considering the use of a carbon fiber shim from Millennium, pre-drilled with holes for the cartridge screws, between the cartridge and headshell to provide full contact. Think it's needed? Any other solutions? Is it even a problem?

Thanks,
Bill
wrm57
Isn't the cadenza the same body type as the Jubilee? This is the first I have heard of a quirky design...
Isn't the cadenza the same body type as the Jubilee? This is the first I have heard of a quirky design...
Any cartridge (or headshell) with a non-flat mounting surface is potentially quirky. For a manufacturer to offer two such models isn't less so, it's doubly so.

Owners who wish to reduce cartridge/headshell contact can use aftermarket, point-contact spacers. The 3-pointed ones from Mapleshade can be fitted with the single point toward the front or the rear, which doubles the chances of a fit. Accordingly, they may be regarded as semi-quirky.
I am going to take a closer look at my A90 mount. It didn't even think it was an issue. Perhaps a can of worms is now open, perhaps it's a non issue. My sound has been fantastic with the Supreme/A90 combo and the Supreme/Coralstone combo. I use a Foz for azimuth setting.
I don't believe I have an issue with my Jubilee mount, azimuth looks spot on to me and the sound has been great for 3 years...it has been so long I can't recall how I dealt with it but do remember mention of it in the mounting instructions from Ortofon. Having a hard time remembering what I had for breakfast for that matter. LOL!
It may well be a non-issue in practice. With the front-center and rear-inside points touching the headshell along with the two screws, that's four secure points of contact, which is probably enough to maintain adequate rigidity. If the inside screw is tightened first, the cartridge shouldn't tilt when the outside screw is tightened, although over-tightening it would create countervailing pressure, if not torque, on the cartridge body. Any slight tilting could be corrected with the Phantom's easy azimuth adjustment. Still, the idea of one point out of contact bothers me a bit in theory, so I'm curious whether others have taken measures.