Technics SL-D3 with Signet cart exagerated highs

I should have given you a simple test to perform: when playing a stereo record, move the balance control from the center to the left or right and see if the sound is closer to what you'd consider "normal". I think we've already asked if other sources sound okay. If you do the balance-control test and there's only a drop in overall sound level in the room, not a bass-treble change, then I'd have to say there's nothing that points with certainty to any particular thing, but I'd suspect the cartridge first. Without another stylus or cartridge to test against the Signet, though, I'm stymied.
 
Regards, Bobspets: AT recommends loading at 100-150pF, many Shures (and other carts) do well at 250-300. Quite a few turntables offered for homeowner systems were supplied with ICs in the 250pf range (one size fits all philosophy). If this is the case, your Signet will sound tilted in the hfs.

BlueJeans Cable offers a very affordable set of ICs, 12pF/foot, you might give this consideration?

Peace.
 
I appreciate all the help guys. Tables are in the shop. Tech. agreed to swap out cartridges for me to try the signet on the Dual and the Shure on the technics NC.
I'll be quite interested to see how that goes and I'll get back to ya on the outcome. If I don't have a chance to say so later Happy Thanksgiving to you and your families.
 
Signet cart update

I appreciate all the help guys. Tables are in the shop. Tech. agreed to swap out cartridges for me to try the signet on the Dual and the Shure on the technics NC.
I'll be quite interested to see how that goes and I'll get back to ya on the outcome. If I don't have a chance to say so later Happy Thanksgiving to you and your families.

Well... switched the carts out and I do like the Signet a little better on the dual, and I like the Shure OK on the Technics but I still have the impression the Signet exaggerates the highs and mutes the lows. I also have the impression that the Signet produces or reproduces ticks more. It seems the signet sound is just not to my taste, but there sure are a lot more carts. I haven't tried. What other carts. have you tried that have the "shure sound"??
 
Well... switched the carts out and I do like the Signet a little better on the dual, and I like the Shure OK on the Technics but I still have the impression the Signet exaggerates the highs and mutes the lows. I also have the impression that the Signet produces or reproduces ticks more. It seems the signet sound is just not to my taste, but there sure are a lot more carts. I haven't tried. What other carts. have you tried that have the "shure sound"??

Any Cart. suggestions?
 
More of a Stanton sound. Don't know of anything current that has a "Shure" sound. From the description of others, the Nagaoka MP series would be the closest. My Acutex is mounted on one of these.

http://www.thevintageknob.org/jvc-QL-Y7.html

Closest I own and have ever heard to the "Shure" sound were the Empires from the same era. While the bodies are still out there the NOS styli have dried up. I own one Empire and have three NOS styli. One mounted and two in the box.
 
Could have been a combination of factors coming together to give the
perceived high freq exaggeration, including VTA/SRA, cartridge suspension is bad and
the typical sound of the cart in question.
 
More of a Stanton sound. Don't know of anything current that has a "Shure" sound. From the description of others, the Nagaoka MP series would be the closest. My Acutex is mounted on one of these.

http://www.thevintageknob.org/jvc-QL-Y7.html

Closest I own and have ever heard to the "Shure" sound were the Empires from the same era. While the bodies are still out there the NOS styli have dried up. I own one Empire and have three NOS styli. One mounted and two in the box.


Thanks, that JVC has a very cool look. Have you tried Grado?
Congrats on a great football season and I'll bet national championship as well.
 
We'll see on the National Championship. Maybe our Defensive Coordinator will get help from his mentor, Nick Saban, to help with the Auburn option. As to the Grado's, I was late to the party. Only owned my first one this time last year after over 40 years as a TT owner. Now I love them. I have a pretty good collection of Vintage Grado bodies with one thing in common the 8MZ stylus and soon the MCZ stylus. That is a great option. You can either buy a Grado Black and an 8MZ stylus and have a backup stylus or watch the auction site for a vintage body and then buy the stylus. The simple solution is the Black and the 8MZ.
 
Another vote for the Italian Acutex. Teach yourself Italian by reading the owner's manual. The stylus isn't a Shibata, it's better-- a Toshibata! It's actually a line-contact design licensed from Toshiba.

I'd put this cartridge up near a classic Shure for good bass. It's also cheaper than the Grado 8MZ stylus, but I haven't heard an 8MZ.
 
Another vote for the Italian Acutex. Teach yourself Italian by reading the owner's manual. The stylus isn't a Shibata, it's better-- a Toshibata! It's actually a line-contact design licensed from Toshiba.

I'd put this cartridge up near a classic Shure for good bass. It's also cheaper than the Grado 8MZ stylus, but I haven't heard an 8MZ.

Although the intent might have been tongue in cheek, you know that might be an interesting cultural exercise. What are those Carts. typically runnin$? How do they compare on the highs?
 
Another vote for the Italian Acutex. Teach yourself Italian by reading the owner's manual. The stylus isn't a Shibata, it's better-- a Toshibata! It's actually a line-contact design licensed from Toshiba.

I'd put this cartridge up near a classic Shure for good bass. It's also cheaper than the Grado 8MZ stylus, but I haven't heard an 8MZ.

Shhhhhhhhh!!!!!!! :)

Walt, what are your thoughts on whether it would work on the OP's arm?

John
 
John

If any of you guys tried playing with the loading on the Acutex to see what if any effect it has?

I think mine was a little under $80 shipped. Took just over a week to arrive.
 
John

If any of you guys tried playing with the loading on the Acutex to see what if any effect it has?

I think mine was a little under $80 shipped. Took just over a week to arrive.

Haven't experimented with loading since I don't have an easy way to do that. Maybe someday......

Yes, just under $80.00 was what I paid too. It looks like the shipping charges (in Euros) are one price for within Italy and one price for everywhere else.

John
 
bobspets said:
Although the intent might have been tongue in cheek, you know that might be an interesting cultural exercise.
It actually is. It's good to try to decipher specs in other languages.
bobspets said:
What are those Carts. typically runnin$?
In running dollars, just a tad over 80 at the moment because the exchange rate took a zag for the worse.
bobspets said:
How do they compare on the highs?
Surprisingly well, especially considering there doesn't appear to be a single exotic material or component in the cartridge. Could they have learned this trick from P.Pritchard?
boreas said:
Shhhhhhhhh!!!!!!! :)
I typed it as quietly as possible!
boreas said:
Walt, what are your thoughts on whether it would work on the OP's arm?
I think this cartridge is in a wide sweet spot-- a sweet splotch, if you will. VTF is 1.5 to 2.0g, give or take. This makes it good for a broad swath of '70s arms. No need to whip out your old Black Widow.
seminole54 said:
...any of you guys tried playing with the loading on the Acutex ?
Yes. I was demo-ing the 312 for my audiobuddy but it sounded too damn bright, which of course was worsened by playing it at the level my friend prefers. My eyes flicked instinctively to the loading switch on the Hitachi HCA-8500 Mk II: 100k. I'd left it there after playing with the PickerStan UV-15/Q combo.
11b.jpg
Facepalm.

At 47k Spyro Gyra sounded like they were solidly locked in the timestage of summer 1979. My friend also noted the precise imaging of the setup, including the strong phantom center channel; the little Hafler M5s were working well with the 312.

So the 312 is rewardingly sensitive to R loading. You can make it cut through pea soup or lay waaay back. That's only a slight exaggeration.
 
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Shhhhhhhhh!!!!!!! :)

Walt, what are your thoughts on whether it would work on the OP's arm?

John

John

If any of you guys tried playing with the loading on the Acutex to see what if any effect it has?

I think mine was a little under $80 shipped. Took just over a week to arrive.

Haven't experimented with loading since I don't have an easy way to do that. Maybe someday......

Yes, just under $80.00 was what I paid too. It looks like the shipping charges (in Euros) are one price for within Italy and one price for everywhere else.

John

It actually is. It's good to try to decipher specs in other languages.


In running dollars, just a tad over 80 at the moment because the exchange rate took a zag for the worse.


Surprisingly well, especially considering there doesn't appear to be a single exotic material or component in the cartridge. Could they have learned this trick from P.Pritchard?


I typed it as quietly as possible!


I think this cartridge is in a wide sweet spot-- a sweet splotch, if you will. VTF is 1.5 to 2.0g, give or take. This makes it good for a broad swath of '70s arms. No need to whip out your old Black Widow.


Yes. I was demo-ing the 312 for my audiobuddy but it sounded too damn bright, which of course was worsened by playing it at the level my friend prefers. My eyes flicked instinctively to the loading switch on the Hitachi HCA-8500 Mk II: 100k. I'd left it there after playing with the PickerStan UV-15/Q combo.

Facepalm.

At 47k Spyro Gyra sounded like they were solidly locked in the timestage of summer 1979. My friend also noted the precise imaging of the setup, including the strong phantom center channel; the little Hafler M5s were working well with the 312.

So the 312 is rewardingly sensitive to R loading. You can make it cut through pea soup or lay waaay back. That's only a slight exaggeration.

Some AKers are fantastically helpful like those above. I sincerely appreciate the genuinely helpful suggestions on several fronts. I will be trying one of those Carts. Now if I could get that kind of response on my sub-sonic filter questions?
 
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