Another Grado thread.

[mattjk]

So I've been reading about Grado cartridges (which i love to hate) and I have to shake my head on how they grade their carts, and headphones for that matter.

Every reference cart is about the same. Same body, same coils, same nude special ellipsoid diamond (except the platinum which uses a brass bond).

Every prestige black, up to the silver cart uses the same body, but is graded differently... I put a higher line blue stylus on a black body, I couldn't tell the difference.

Really?

My point is, it's time to get a retip on my grado reference the reference.

new retip price is $1000! with the same special ellipsoid diamond as the sonata. Is this the same grading too, on all the same components as the prestige line?

I think I'd rather send the cart into soundsmith and get a more advanced needle profile and cantilever for less than the retip price of a platinum.

sigh.

 

[GreatTone]

Before I got to the end of your post, I was thinking, maybe he should send it to Soundsmith...never used them before, but I hear good things.

FWIW, I have a nice older ZF1 cart (an older silver/gold), and I could hear a big difference between a Green and a Gold stylus, then another big leap when I went to an 8MZ.

I thought I would hate the Grado until I listened to it. I believed that I favored neutrality and linearity...that went out the window in about five seconds.

I have been thinking about trying a Soundsmith cart though -- maybe the SMMC2/Boheme.

 

[ARJohn]

$1000 does seem a bit steep considering what SS charges , but again do you want to mess with the sound of that cart to find out ?

 

[marcmorin]

The diamond on the Reference is different than what is on the Sonata.

The Master has the same diamond as the Sonata, with a different cantilever.

The Master has the same catilever as the Reference. ( 5 piece, Platinum and Sonata = 4 piece)

Just as a point of note though. Grado doesn't re-tip the cart. They send you a new one for the price of re-tipping, provided you are the original buyer from Grado or one of their authorized sellers.

 

[boyerd001]

If you go the SoundSmith route, they "chop" off the cantilever and bond a new cantilever/stylus assembly to the resulting stub - I'm not saying this is bad, but you've got a different cartridge. SEND the Grado to Expert Stylus in the UK and for about $250 they will replace the original stylus with a NUDE SQUARE SHANK FINE LINE DIAMOND ( they call it the "Paratrace"). You will still have the original Grado "multipiece" cantilever with a diamond that's the equal of their Reference/Statement HIGH END model. This is basically what "The Cartridge Doctor" does with his "Music Maker 3" cartridge that he sells for $1200+ that's in a Grado Gold body.

Dale

P.S. - Expert Stylus has no website, but their eMail address is online and they've been in business 30+ years.

 

[mattjk]

Well I just took the cart over to Brooks Berdan, and the tech looked at it under a microscope. There was hardly any wear at all! still like new.

 

[JohnMichael]

Glad to read about your stylus being like new. I also had a love hate relationship with Grado carts. I never thought they tracked very well. Then I used a lowered counterweight and decided to try the Grado Red again. I was surprised when I finally heard the Grado magic. I now own the Sonata Statement and I am loving the music.

 

[marcmorin]

Glad to read about your stylus being like new. I also had a love hate relationship with Grado carts. I never thought they tracked very well. Then I used a lowered counterweight and decided to try the Grado Red again. I was surprised when I finally heard the Grado magic. I now own the Sonata Statement and I am loving the music.

That's certainly the biggest issue with Grado carts. They don't gloss over or "repair" issues. They will let you know however that you do have an issue.
In your case it was letting you kinow the geometry of the counter balance weight was wrong. Lowering the counter balance into the plane of the stylus, and slightly below vertical pivots corrected lateral balance of the arm. The cart couldn't track because the arm wouldn't track.