Cartridge Pin Connector Sizes

[Nikko75]

I have a small problem here. It seems that one of these things is not like the other.

The tonearm pin connectors on my AudioMods Series Six arm do not fit the pins on my cartridge. The cart is a brand new Hana Umami Blue. These connectors on the tonearm wires are oval. I have never mounted a cartridge on this arm and wanted to gauge my sanity level.

Hana pins - 1.17mm tapering up to 1.19mm diameter close to the cartridge.
AM S6 arm connectors - 1.25-1.3mm inner diameter.

 

[cafe latte]

I have a small problem here. It seems that one of these things is not like the other.

The tonearm pin connectors on my AudioMods Series Six arm do not fit the pins on my cartridge. The cart is a brand new Hana Umami Blue. These connectors on the tonearm wires are oval. I have never mounted a cartridge on this arm and wanted to gauge my sanity level.

Hana pins - 1.17mm tapering up to 1.19mm diameter close to the cartridge.
AM S6 arm connectors - 1.25-1.3mm inner diameter.

View attachment 3534188
View attachment 3534189

You can gently squeeze the arm pins closed and bit with fine long nose pliers.
Chris

 

[jrtrent]

I have a small problem here. It seems that one of these things is not like the other.

The tonearm pin connectors on my AudioMods Series Six arm do not fit the pins on my cartridge. The cart is a brand new Hana Umami Blue. These connectors on the tonearm wires are oval. I have never mounted a cartridge on this arm and wanted to gauge my sanity level.

Hana pins - 1.17mm tapering up to 1.19mm diameter close to the cartridge.
AM S6 arm connectors - 1.25-1.3mm inner diameter.

Cartridge pin diameter doesn't seem to have a recognized standard. Shure's website says theirs are 1.32 mm; in past threads, posts have been made saying Audio Technica's, for example, are about 1.1 mm. I've found that using pliers to squeeze the headshell wire connectors to a smaller diameter, or using a tiny screwdriver to open them up a bit, is not an uncommon need to make fitting them both easy and secure.

 

[Fishead]

Yes, they will vary and you will need to modify the connectors to a smaller size to get them on there right. However, BE VERY CAREFUL as you squeeze those connectors as they have a tendency to flatten, at which point you have to put something in there to get them open again. I use small needle nose pliers and a very gentle touch. Sometimes I will insert something the size of the pins into the connectors before I squeeze them which will prevent them from becoming flattened. You might search for something in the 1.15mm diameter to insert first, then gently squeeze around that so your pins will slide on nice and tight.....you'll get there, amigo, and your "sanity level" will be just fine! Let us know how it goes and congratulations on what promises to be a very, very fine-sounding cartridge!!! I almost splurged for the Blue and went with the ML instead, which to my ear is the best-sounding cartridge I've ever had on my table. Happy listening!

 

[62vauxhall]

A couple of months ago, I obtained 120 or so phono cartridge clips from VoM. Just to have on hand if needed.

They were cheap so I bought in quantity in case some got destroyed if "re-sizing" was necessary. I didn't bother with the flat ones as I've only encountered that style of pin on some ceramic cartridges. And because of their age, those ceramic cartridges were non-functional.

 

[revox-b77]

I smoosh mine around a #57 drill bit shank.

 

[Nikko75]

Yes, they will vary and you will need to modify the connectors to a smaller size to get them on there right. However, BE VERY CAREFUL as you squeeze those connectors as they have a tendency to flatten, at which point you have to put something in there to get them open again. I use small needle nose pliers and a very gentle touch. Sometimes I will insert something the size of the pins into the connectors before I squeeze them which will prevent them from becoming flattened. You might search for something in the 1.15mm diameter to insert first, then gently squeeze around that so your pins will slide on nice and tight.....you'll get there, amigo, and your "sanity level" will be just fine! Let us know how it goes and congratulations on what promises to be a very, very fine-sounding cartridge!!! I almost splurged for the Blue and went with the ML instead, which to my ear is the best-sounding cartridge I've ever had on my table. Happy listening!

Thank you, over-compression of the connector body was my main concern, and they didn’t look like something that would compress well to begin with. They bring to mind the Millmax brand of machined connector parts.

I’ll keep you updated. The Umami Blue wasn’t on my radar, since I didn’t have any experience with the Hana brand. However, my dealer was insistent on the Blue or the Red version above most everything else. I wanted a good MC for vinyl archiving, one that I wouldn’t regret later and would pull music and details from the grooves without the excessive surface noise. Not a small order for a cart. My only concerns are the exposed generator without any dust screen, and that diamond is so small it is almost invisible. The videos of it sound pretty amazing though.