p-mount to 1/2" adapters

[xy_rn]

Has anyone used a p-mount to 1/2" adapter? If so, how'd it work? I have a nice grado gold p-mount and would like to use it should the day come when I lay hands on a decent deck with a 1/2" mount.

Waddaya think?

--J.

 

[Big Bill]

The adapter works fine with my Digitrac cart, although it does add extra weight to the headshell.

 

[SA-708]

I've got a fairly large collection of p-mount cartridges and adapters. My Grado Silver p-mount cartridge won't fit in many adapters because of the height of the cartridge; the Shure adapter has the most clearance at the top and would be your best bet. The others I have (Ortophon/Digitrac, Audiotechnica, Pickering/Stanton) will not physically fit the Grado.

I usually use my p-mount cartridges on p-mount arms, so I've not had too much experience using the adapters. Off-hand, I'd guess that a 1/2 inch mount Grado Gold would be marginally better than using your p-mount one in an adapter. It would be more tightly coupled to the arm, and there would be one less set of connections on the cartridge leads.

I've considered mounting up my Grado Silver p-mount with a Shure adapter on a headshell to try on my SL-1700Mk2, but never gotten around to it.

 

[lini]

Basically no problem. However, in some cases one can run into difficulties, 'cause a standard compliant T4P/P-Mount cart (6 g) with adaptor will already weigh a tad over 7.5 g - so, considering that most of these carts are fairly high compliance, the tonearm better shouldn't be too heavy (some 13 g max., I'd say...) in order to avoid low resonance issues. And a T4P/P-Mount cart in one of the usual adaptors will also typically be a bit higher from top to tip compared to the majority of usual MMs and MIs, namely around 20 mm instead of some 16 to 18 mm. So in some cases one might also run into VTA/SRA troubles. And besides the sonical problems, mass and height of course could also be mechanically problematic, e.g. regarding the counterweight balance range or the lift height adjustability - but these problems should be quite rare.

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini

 

[cason]

I have several p-mount cartridges, including a Grado Gold, which I sometimes use with adaptors. So far I have had no problems using them on my PL-610 and my ProJect XPression 1.2. I have found that a couple of the adaptors I've purchased recently had to be "adjusted" (socket slightly enlarged) to get certain P-mounts to plug into them.

 

[JohnVF]

I have an old Azden P-mount Moving Coil that I use with an adaptor. It sounds surprisingly good. The only problem I've had is that it won't fit on some arms as the adaptor makes it too long...the cartridge simply won't fit.