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Cartridge out-put

iplagolf

iplagolf

Well-Known Member
Hello, a little back ground. I have a Technics SL-Q3 with a new Shure M97xE cart. and stylus. My other table is a Yamaha YP-D4 with an Empire 2000 PE. I acquired a Sherwood S-5500 III about 2 months ago (tube amp) Myself and a very qualified tech went through the amp. New 7868 out-put tubes, resistors, re-biased, etc. the amp is like new. I run several RTR decks through a switch box and a CD player. The tone and volume with the RTR's and CD is as it should be. With the volume control at the 10 o'clock position comfortable level of sound. This amp has a phono gain. It was cleaned while being serviced. I hooked the Technics table up and the sound was very weak at the same levels as the RTR's and CD. I have to turn the volume up twice as much to get the same volume level. The phono gain is turned up as much as it can be. When I back it off just a MM I lose all sound. Thinking the gain was still dirty I was going to pull it off line and clean it again. Before I did that I hooked the Yamaha up. The sound was equal to the RTR's and CD player at the same positions of the volume knob. I could turn the gain down to past the halfway before losing sound. I'm at a loss. I can find no information on the Empire cartridge via Google or on this sites data base. The Shure is wired and installed as it should be. Any ideas as to what I'm missing here? Thank you in advance. Fritz
 
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Be sure the plugs and sockets, but it also could be the gain pot as you thought. It may be that the Tech didn't think you were using the phono section, didn't clean the tube socket pins. It is a small signal so any dirt can kill your signal.
 
The Empire, 5 mV, the Shure, 4 mV. Not really enough to expect much of a difference.

There must be something wrong with the Technics/Shure.
 
I have a M97XE and it has the same low output you describe. I got around it by running it at 62K and around 42to 44DB gain and i run it through a home built CNC phono pre built by member hirscwi. It's the best I've ever heard this cartridge sound and believe me I use to hate this cartridge.
 
I stumbled across something with this cartridge. I swapped it to the Yamaha table, the head shells interchanged but I had to re-balance the arm. In doing so I set the weight at 1.5 grams and not at what I had it set at, 1.25 grams. Too early in the morning…The sound and level equals the Empire now. Can .25 grams make that much difference? Stanton, I'd be interested in the CNC phono pre, does he build these to sell or will he pass along schematics? Thanks, Fritz
 
iplagolf said:
...Can .25 grams make that much difference?...
Click to expand...
To put it simply, no. There was an iffy connection somewhere, as Alec124c41 pointed out in the other forum, and in swapping things around, you moved things just enough to dislodge the crud. That's the simplest, and in my opinion, best guessplanation. If the problem recurs, get back to us or the folks in that other forum.
 
iplagolf said:
I stumbled across something with this cartridge. I swapped it to the Yamaha table, the head shells interchanged but I had to re-balance the arm. In doing so I set the weight at 1.5 grams and not at what I had it set at, 1.25 grams. Too early in the morning…The sound and level equals the Empire now. Can .25 grams make that much difference? Stanton, I'd be interested in the CNC phono pre, does he build these to sell or will he pass along schematics? Thanks, Fritz
Click to expand...


There is a very long thread here at AK you'll have to do a search. Here ya go

https://www.google.com/#q=Cnc+Phono+pre
 
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