P-Mount cartridge suggestions?

[bangsezmax]

I agree.....a tracking force gauge is an absolute necessity. Not all P-mounts weigh the same. Most weigh 6 grams, some weigh 5.9 grams, some weigh less, some weigh more. I have an Ortofon OMP-10, a Shure M94EP, a couple of Digitrac 200NE, and an older AT P-mount. I weighed these cartridges individually on a small digital scale. Of these cartridges, only the Digitrac's weighed exactly 6 grams. The Ortofon weighed less. The Shure weighed more, and the older AT WAY less.

Good point. I know part of the appeal of p-mounts was the simplicity factor of not having to set VTF. But it can also be a real liability.

 

[Zodia]

I have used this one with great success, very nice sounding cart.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ..._AT92ECD_AT92ECD_Turntable_Cartridge_for.html

John

 

[iLUVanalog]

...

 

[iLUVanalog]

Have you heard that cartridge on one of these p-mount Technics tonearms though? That's the trick. I've messed with quite a few of these tables and their variants and they're a difficult arm to mate with a cartridge, and you don't have the luxury of adjusting anything. The OMP-5 sounded (to my ears) intolerably bad on it. The 10 may sound tons better, but that's an expensive experiment.

Yes I have. I had an SL-Q30 for years before it died, as well as other Technics with Pmount arms. While Technics claims that tracking force has been "pre-set" at the factory, you can still make adjustments. At the very rear of the tonearm of pretty much all Technics Pmount arms, there is a small screw that holds the counterweight in place. It's either a plain Phillips head screw or a knurled screw. By turning that screw clockwise or counter, you can increase/decrease the tracking force. I know this from experience with plenty of Technics Pmount arms. I cannot stress the importance of having a digital tracking force gauge. What's interesting was finding out that the 1.25 gm "pre-set" tracking force was off/way off (too light). So, you can make adjustments to the tracking force.

 

[lini]

From what I see, Ortofon's 310 is a gram too light. Or am I missing something?

No worries, Bob: It's just a typo. When I weighed my own 320, it had exactly 6 g.

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini

 

[bangsezmax]

Yes I have. I had an SL-Q30 for years before it died. While Technics claims that tracking force and AS have been "pre-set" at the factory, you can still make adjustments. At the very rear of the tonearm of pretty much all Technics Pmount arms, there is a small screw that holds the counterweight in place. It's either a plain Phillips head screw or a knurled screw. By turning that screw clockwise or counter, you can increase/decrease the tracking force. I know this from experience with plenty of Technics Pmount arms. I cannot stress the importance of having a digital tracking force gauge. What's interesting was finding out that the 1.25 gm "pre-set" tracking force was off/way off (too light). So, you can make adjustments to the tracking force.

Good call -- I have a scrapped SL-QD33 here and it has the knurled knob and even a marker on the counterweight ranging from 1.0 to 1.5 grams. Not all of the similar Technics tonearms have this though. I was working on a customer's SL-BD1 last week and that wasn't there.

 

[iLUVanalog]

Good call -- I have a scrapped SL-QD33 here and it has the knurled knob and even a marker on the counterweight ranging from 1.0 to 1.5 grams. Not all of the similar Technics tonearms have this though. I was working on a customer's SL-BD1 last week and that wasn't there.

Yeah....I totally wouldn't trust that "marker"....it's just an adhesive decal and I would definitely question its accuracy. Again, a tracking force gauge is absolutely essential. There are other models that (I think) have the marker engraved/notched, but I still wouldn't trust it.

 

[jsisk]

I am using an old AT cartridge on my Technics and I am very happy with it. Bought a NOS ATN 122 EP stylus for it.

 

[KentTeffeteller]

I think in the long run, my biggest issue with T4p mount is too many cartridge designs were hastily modified for T4p and were not ideally suited in mass, compliance, and tracking weight. There really needed to be some cartridges besides the Technics legends conceived from the ground up for T4p mount. That said, the Audio-Technicas did well and Ortofon and Shure made some nice T4p cartridges. I really think Panasonic should have built in more tracking force range which would have improved quite a number of the T4p adaptations considerably.

 

[iLUVanalog]

I think in the long run, my biggest issue with T4p mount is too many cartridge designs were hastily modified for T4p and were not ideally suited in mass, compliance, and tracking weight. There really needed to be some cartridges besides the Technics legends conceived from the ground up for T4p mount. That said, the Audio-Technicas did well and Ortofon and Shure made some nice T4p cartridges. I really think Panasonic should have built in more tracking force range which would have improved quite a number of the T4p adaptations considerably.

Agreed. Another consideration was the stylus type. Of course, conical/spherical stylus needs higher tracking force to sound best. I cringe at the thought of using a 1.25 tracking force on a Pmount cartridge with a conical/spherical stylus!....that just ain't gonna cut it. For a Pmount cartridge I used that I knew had a conical stylus, I always increased the TF to 1.5 gm.

 

[KentTeffeteller]

The Red Ed T4p and the Ortofon T4p moving coil for me, were the big reasons why I came to that conclusion. Both are vastly happier tracked at 2 grams and in 1/2" mount adapters. I did not care for either in a Technics SL-10 linear tracking turntable. The Audio-Technicas and the Ortofon OMP-10 I liked in this turntable.

 

[SA-708]

I've got an Empire branded version of the Red Ed p-mount (can't bring myself to call it T4P as it is well off that standard). Sounded great on my SL-MA1 once I bumped the tracking force up to 2 grams. I also recall tracking the Ortofon X1-MCP around 1.75 grams.

On my old Technics SL-BD22 (cheap p-mount model with no tracking force adjustment) I had good results with the Pickering TL series (siblings to the Stanton 7x7 series) and the Digitrac 200NE. I also like the ADC PSX series; if you can find an old cartridge body, LP Gear still has NOS of the TOTL PSX-40 stylus.

 

[wualta]

... I also like the ADC PSX series; if you can find an old cartridge body, LP Gear still has NOS of the TOTL PSX-40 stylus.

Turns out, so do several of the other online stylus vendors. It will pay a prospective buyer to shop around. Agreed that this is a good cartridge, worth putting the best stylus you can afford into it.

 

[Mrv8q]

The Ortofon 310 (or for the same performance at a slightly higher price, the OMP 10) is probably a good choice, although it works best at 1.5g (according to Ortofon). It should be OK at the p-mount standard of 1.25g, though. It can also be upgraded later with a better stylus (Ortofon 320), if you have more money, as can the OMP series. An Ortofon OMP 10 with a stylus 40 would be good. There was also a 5x0(P) series, that some sellers still may have - the 510(P) would probably be the correct price, and can be upgraded all the way to 540(P) by changing the stylus. Like the OMP 40, the 540(P) has a nude Fritz Gyger 70 stylus, but it is rather pricey at some sellers...
.

Don, thanks for posting that great info about Ortofon P mounts. Long time TT owner here, no experience with P mounts.

Is there much call for P mounts these days? I always thought they were a "flash in the pan"' so to speak. I guess guys that have the P mount 'tables need corresponding cartridges and stylii. I have a NOS Ortofon 540P, for some reason, forgot about it for 25 years, and didn't know if there is/was much call for it, and P mounts in general.

BTW, 1.25 gr tracking force sure seems low to me, ISTR running 1.75- 2 gr on my Infinity BW/ Ortofon OM20. But then, it's been a long time since I pulled out the turntable...

Thanks again for sharing the info.