That Grado Opus3 Cartridge

[MisterDK]

Going to run this Opus3 on an Audimods Six arm which comes with an “expandable” counterweight and both aluminum and brass “headshells”. The arm is very accommodating. An AT-OC9ML/II was used on it a couple years back and it sounded excellent. OC9ML/II weighs 7.6 grams and this Grado Opus3 weighs in at 8 grams. Should be no trouble to set up Opus3 on the Audiomods arm…
My post office isn’t open yet but I’ll pick up my new Opus3 as soon as tracking shows it’s ready for pickup.

 

[cafe latte]

+100. If ellipticals are shot at 300 hours there are a LOT of hobbyists' records being chiseled right now. I don't buy it.

Buy a microscope and check for yourself.
On Ray Parkhurst wear study tracking at 1.25g the stylus was,very worn at 600 hours, patch's got a bit wider again at 800 hous. This study was flawed though as the record was not changes so grooves were literally smoothed ( auto linear tracker on repeat). Ray posted pics of a 500 hour stylus that had real use and it was totally stuffed tracking at just 1.25g. 300 hours is easily the finish point when tracking is 1.7g.
I have seen some seriously worn stylus.
Chris

 

[cafe latte]

Maybe it depends on the roofer. When I had my roof inspected (older home, lower-grade roofing material, and already 20+ years since it was installed), the two companies I got estimates from both told me it should be good for several more years.

Back when I had local dealers who offered microscopic inspection of styli, I would bring it in after six months' use (a bit under 400 hours) and was never told that it needed replacement at that point. They said that diamonds could differ in wear, and customers don't always have a good idea about the actual hours of use, so the six month inspection (free of charge) was cautionary. I typically got nine to twelve months from a stylus, and once got fourteen months. This was with elliptical styli having about a 0.75-1.5 gram tracking force range and a recommended vtf of 1.0 to 1.25 grams.

These days, I use cheap conicals with heavier tracking forces and have no ready access to examination, so I just follow the manufacturer's suggested 400 hour service life. With replacement styli costing just $24 to $39, I'm happy to do that, and my records show no indication of suffering from it.

Exactly, tracking at 1g or less stylus life goes up considerably. Wear is exponentially more after 1.25g and much more after 1.5g.
Conical will last longer than elliptical due to larger contact patch.
Cheers
Chris

 

[MisterDK]

First play. Decided to spin this one for my wife. She’s more of Eagles fan than I but I though this would be a good test.
It’s Baerwall aligned, tracking force set at 1.8 grams. VTA is at 90 degrees as illustrated in the little instructions paper.

Only the first side so far. Output seems much lower than other carts I have with a 4mV output but it does sound warm and smooth. Bass is good, mids seem fine and highs sound a little veiled to me but will likely improve after a few hours playtime - it’s only been 20 minutes, LOL. Maybe it’ll open up some with time and minor adjustments..

Those are my first impressions.

 

[cafe latte]

First play. Decided to spin this one for my wife. She’s more of Eagles fan than I but I though this would be a good test.
It’s Baerwall aligned, tracking force set at 1.8 grams. VTA is at 90 degrees as illustrated in the little instructions paper.

Only the first side so far. Output seems much lower than other carts I have with a 4mV output but it does sound warm and smooth. Bass is good, mids seem fine and highs sound a little veiled to me but will likely improve after a few hours playtime - it’s only been 20 minutes, LOL. Maybe it’ll open up some with time and minor adjustments..

Those are my first impressions.


View attachment 2936747
View attachment 2936748
View attachment 2936749

What cart did you have before the Opus?

 

[maxhifi]

+100. If ellipticals are shot at 300 hours there are a LOT of hobbyists' records being chiseled right now. I don't buy it.

300 hours does agree with what the Nagaoka manual says about their elliptical cartridges. It really does make them look like a bad deal if it's true

 

[MisterDK]

What cart did you have before the Opus?

Chris, just before this one I was using an AT-PRO14S with a nude Shibata. I bought that one NOS/NIB a few years back for a great price.
I thought the AT was pretty well balanced though a bit on the brighter side than this new Grado. Before that PRO14S, I used an AT-OC9ML/II MC with a SUT. That combo sounded really good. Was looking for something different and priced right - this may be the one. My plan, when the time is up on this stylus, is to get it retipped with one of the boron / Microline transplants.

Second record in and I think it’s opening up a little and sounding even smoother..
I’ll let you know what I think of this Opus3 after it has some time on it. So far, I’m liking it..

Duane

 

[cafe latte]

300 hours does agree with what the Nagaoka manual says about their elliptical cartridges. It really does make them look like a bad deal if it's true

This belief that elliptical lasted long goes back to MM days of old when high compliance ruled the day and most MM tracked at 1g or less so 600 hours was indeed possible. The history of light tracking was partly to do with an elliptical being in its simplest form a conical with the front edge sliced off reducing pinch effect but also reducing the contact patch area so increasing the pressure on the stylus. So a conical tracking at 3g has less pressure ( less psi) than an elliptical tracking at 2g, much less. So to gest round this problem high compliance carts were made. Now we have come full circle with less understanding thrown in and elliptical with 2g tracking are common when they really should not be.
300 hours is a fair estimate for an elliptical tracking at 1.8g. There is a table Shure published years ago a google should find it. It shows a graph and increasing wear as tracking force increases. Wear becomes exponential increase after 1.25g.
Chris

 

[Andre Garcia]

+100. If ellipticals are shot at 300 hours there are a LOT of hobbyists' records being chiseled right now. I don't buy it.

I started tracking it using my microscope. at 300 hours the sound deteriorate a little bit but the wear is not an issue yet, the patches start growing no doubt about it but the stone still in good shape, 600 hours the patches due the stone geometry are more visible the stylus still good for some old records but I cannot say they are chiseling records. Now What I am sure is, when you obsessively change carts the chances to put the cart in the same position is zero, the VTA will be different and azimuth too, then you have a chance that one of the patch sharp edges will start chiseling the grooves. I am using one set up from day one until next replacement, because your ear get use to the sound and is easy to recognize the behavior, but when you change cart all the time your ear tolerance get wider IMO.
AG.

 

[cafe latte]

I started tracking it using my microscope. at 300 hours the sound deteriorate a little bit but the wear is not an issue yet, the patches start growing no doubt about it but the stone still in good shape, 600 hours the patches due the stone geometry are more visible the stylus still good for some old records but I cannot say they are chiseling records. Now What I am sure is, when you obsessively change carts the chances to put the cart in the same position is zero, the VTA will be different and azimuth too, then you have a chance that one of the patch sharp edges will start chiseling the grooves. I am using one set up from day one until next replacement, because your ear get use to the sound and is easy to recognize the behavior, but when you change cart all the time your ear tolerance get wider IMO.
AG.

Yes there is wear causing distortion and weather carving out the groove. Wear flats can damage high frequency information from the groove when flats do t look that big. When distortion starts so does some groove damage.
Then there is damage when the weather flats meet. I inspected a stylus recently that was literally a chisel. I can't imagine what the records looked like!! This sort of wear will wipe out a groove in one play.
It is very true we get used to the sound deterioration which I feel is another reason people let stylus go too long.
Chris

 

[CrSens]

If it continues like this, the thread is the top candidate for stylus wear fear mongering thread of the year. Beware of the 301st hour with an elyptical, you are turning your grooves to dust.

 

[Mr Boochie]

Chris, what are "weather flats?"

Thanks!

 

[cafe latte]

Chris, what are "weather flats?"

Thanks!

Predictive text wear flats.
Chris

 

[MisterDK]

Chris, what are "weather flats?"

Thanks!

..and I thought that when it’s raining so hard you can’t see the potholes in the road, hit ‘em hard and get a flat..

 

[cafe latte]

..and I thought that when it’s raining so hard you can’t see the potholes in the road, hit ‘em hard and get a flat..

Guess it would be a weather flat
Chris

 

[Mr Boochie]

..and I thought that when it’s raining so hard you can’t see the potholes in the road, hit ‘em hard and get a flat..

I was thinking in the same vein.

 

[DavidTT]

OK so what are the qualifications of the poster asserting 300 hours here? Unless that person is a trained professional, something other than a glorified hobbyist-turned-retipper, I'll not consider 300 hours anything other than that person's opinion.

 

[Andre Garcia]

OK so what are the qualifications of the poster asserting 300 hours here? Unless that person is a trained professional, something other than a glorified hobbyist-turned-retipper, I'll not consider 300 hours anything other than that person's opinion.

As I always said this is a solo game no winners no losers, trust your ear.
AG.

 

[Andre Garcia]

Yes there is wear causing distortion and weather carving out the groove. Wear flats can damage high frequency information from the groove when flats do t look that big. When distortion starts so does some groove damage.
Then there is damage when the weather flats meet. I inspected a stylus recently that was literally a chisel. I can't imagine what the records looked like!! This sort of wear will wipe out a groove in one play.
It is very true we get used to the sound deterioration which I feel is another reason people let stylus go too long.
Chris

Not distortion but deterioration or better say lost of high details, depending what are you listening.
AG.

 

[Redd House]

I've got about 100 hours at 1.65g on mostly pristine vinyl, all squeaky clean. I'm going to put it under the scope and see where I'm at. It still sounds glorious, no detectable distortion but the scope will tell the real story.