Grace F9 with Bliss Stylus

[Nafin]

Hello, I am still pretty new to turntable ownership. I have finally beaten the hum on my Phillips 212 and I am on to dialing things in.

I have fitted my Grace F9 with an aftermarket Bliss 703 stylus, which is conical, but fits. I had high sibilance when tracking at 1g, at 2g sibilance is much lower, but some inner groove distortion is apparent (anti-skate is at 2g per the manual). I do not have the mounting jig for the sled on the Phillips 212, but it looks like I can get a new one from Pat’s audio, and I might. I have aligned the cartridge according to measurements found on an old forum thread: stylus tip is 12mm from rear of cartridge sled (lateral) and 19mm from back of cartridge sled (vertical). I’ve aligned the cartridge using a Baerwald protractor and I “think” it’s correct?

Any thoughts on what I can do to improve tracking on inner grooves? I know I’m using an aftermarket stylus, the original was bent long before I was born. I’ve attempted to bend that back into shape but the pipe shows some evidence of crimping and the tip is twisted a few degrees, so I doubt there’s any hope for that. I’m hoping to get this cartridge dialed back in, but I’m hesitant to shell out the cash for one of the soundsmith replacements.

Thanks!

 

[Redd House]

There IS hope and that stylus can sound AMAZING with a retip by Joseph. Don't ever throw an original stylus away, especially a Grace. My original F9 stylus was well worn and I had him retip it with a better diamond/cantilever. Stellar results as always.
PM inbound.

 

[elcoholic]

Hello, I am still pretty new to turntable ownership. I have finally beaten the hum on my Phillips 212 and I am on to dialing things in.

I have fitted my Grace F9 with an aftermarket Bliss 703 stylus, which is conical, but fits. I had high sibilance when tracking at 1g, at 2g sibilance is much lower, but some inner groove distortion is apparent (anti-skate is at 2g per the manual). I do not have the mounting jig for the sled on the Phillips 212, but it looks like I can get a new one from Pat’s audio, and I might. I have aligned the cartridge according to measurements found on an old forum thread: stylus tip is 12mm from rear of cartridge sled (lateral) and 19mm from back of cartridge sled (vertical). I’ve aligned the cartridge using a Baerwald protractor and I “think” it’s correct?

Any thoughts on what I can do to improve tracking on inner grooves? I know I’m using an aftermarket stylus, the original was bent long before I was born. I’ve attempted to bend that back into shape but the pipe shows some evidence of crimping and the tip is twisted a few degrees, so I doubt there’s any hope for that. I’m hoping to get this cartridge dialed back in, but I’m hesitant to shell out the cash for one of the soundsmith replacements.

Thanks!

Try Stevenson, it’s made to minimize IGD. I can vouch for the SoundSmith Ruby OCL stylus on a F9e on a G-707 arm. It is an excellent stylus and worth the investment on the right arm and table. I don’t know if the 212 is a good match for an F9. Have you plugged it into the calculator on VE?

 

[Nafin]

I have not yet. I’ll give that a shot.

 

[Nafin]

Update: Months later I sent my stylus in to Needlestein for a repair and retip. He sent me an email a couple weeks later that he was able to correct the bend and twist in the cantilever and the diamond while dirty showed no signs of wear (makes sense, my dad had it less then a year when he bent it). I received it back today. I am testing it out and so far, it's stellar! $35 plus shipping and handling, totally worth it.

 

[Redd House]

Update: Months later I sent my stylus in to Needlestein for a repair and retip. He sent me an email a couple weeks later that he was able to correct the bend and twist in the cantilever and the diamond while dirty showed no signs of wear (makes sense, my dad had it less then a year when he bent it). I received it back today. I am testing it out and so far, it's stellar! $35 plus shipping and handling, totally worth it.

Loves me a happy ending. Now you understand the legendary status of Joseph.

 

[Kit Carson]

That F9 is worth more than your turntable, excellent save by Needlestein.