Tracking Force

[fmueller]

R2000 !!! My, my - you are in a good place. Infinity RS4b's, well I've a few posts in the Infinity forum. Usually after I get done rebuilding a pair of RS's and get the urge to write about.

AK is the good place :huge: I got the R2000 from fellow AKer dr*audio. Many thanks again, Warren, in case you read this! Warren is local to me, and had just serviced some of my other gear when he emailed me one day and offered me an R2000 for $100. He further sweetened the deal by throwing in a service of the receiver. How was I to resist that offer, when I was just looking for a nice amp to drive those RS-4b :thmbsp:

I've got to say, these Infinities really need the power of the Yamaha - 150wpc. The difference in sound to other less powered receivers such as my NAD 3020, which I love with my Paradigm 11se MKII, is amazing!

Since you mentioned writing about Infinity restoration, I felt the same urge!

Your cleaning regimen is a bit higher end than needed for preview play.

Those are some good ideas. You can just see how new to all of this I am. The Onkyo might be the TT to use for preview play! As for dropping the rejects off at the thrift store, that's were 99% of my LPs come from! I'd hate to have to sort through them again once I gave them back

For Preview play, I just use commercial window cleaner

As in Windex?

Need to know if you even want to listen twice?

Fair point!

Frank

 

[fmueller]

Tracking for that ADC Series 1 is 1.7 to 2.7.
I'd track it at 2.2.

I tried it out at 2g the other day, and it was horrible - lots of popping and crackling even with clean LPs. It sounds way better at 1.25g, where I have it right now. Seems odd since everybody recommends tracking it higher, and I am hesitant to trust my novice judgment, but you've got to believe what you hear!

Where abouts in NE Ohio are you? Maybe you could come over one day and check it out. I could also use some help with setting up my Dual 504! I've have a habit of keeping some nice beer in the fridge

Frank

 

[LarryYaremko]

I am guessing the less the tracking force, the less wear is put on stylus and record. So you really want to use as little as you need to achieve the sound you want. Is am correct in that thinking?

Everything I've read on the subject suggests that you track near the heavy end of the cartridge's recommended range, not the lighter end. When the tracking force is low, the stylus has the tendency to "bounce" back and forth within the groove, tather than remain seated properly--and that can actually increase stylus and groove wear.

I have a cartridge with a range of .75 to 1.5 grams, and I typically track just above 1.25 grams. Never had a problem. Remember, older cartridges were set to track at several grams, so 1.25 grams is pretty light by comparison.

I have a test record that has a tracking function, and I've always found that my cartridge has the least distortion at the higher range. It's not a good idea to EXCEED the cartridge's maxim recommended tracking force, though.

Also, some cartridges just track better than others, so if you keep on hearing problems, it just might be that you would do better with a different cartridge, or perhaps a new stylus. If you don't know for certain that your stylus is in good condition, you might consider starting out with a new one, just to be certain. You really don't know how the previous owner treated his/her records, and a new stylus is a relatively small expense for the "insurance" of knowing that you're not contributing to groove wear with a bad needle.

Finally, there is also the matter of proper cartridge alignment. This can be a real nuisance, but you really must check this. Here are a few Internet sites that describe the procedure:

http://www.audiophilia.com/features/cartridge_setup.htm

or:

http://www.soundfountain.com/amb/ttadjust.html

also:

http://www.audioasylum.com/audio/vinyl/messages/819.html

Best of luck!

 

[Mopic5]

I tried it out at 2g the other day, and it was horrible - lots of popping and crackling even with clean LPs. It sounds way better at 1.25g, where I have it right now. Seems odd since everybody recommends tracking it higher, and I am hesitant to trust my novice judgment, but you've got to believe what you hear!

Frank

Hi Frank,
Are you checking your tracking force using a stylus scale? Sometimes you can't rely on a tonearm's calibration settings, especially in dealing with fractions of grams. You may already be tracking closer to 2 grams when you're thinking it's 1.25 or at 3 grams when you think it's two.
Just a possibility.
- Mario

 

[BrocLuno]

Mario's right. You could be there and the scale is off a bit. BUT, the big deal is what sounds best. Trust your ears. Put on your phones and listen carefully. Speakers can mask some auditory info like subtle distortion. Track it at different weights with your phones on and you'll hear the sweet spot. That's the one for you cart on your arm.

 

[fmueller]

Are you checking your tracking force using a stylus scale?

No, I am not, but that is an excellent point. Especially in a comparatively low end TT like this Onkyo, the scale could well be off, which would explain the whole discrepancy between what I hear and what people recommend. I guess I better put a stylus scale on my shopping list!

Frank

 

[Stanton681EEES]

Seems weird that it would track that low with out mis-tracking. Does your stylus look like this
http://www.turntableneedles.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=9102

 

[fmueller]

I really need to take some better pictures, but this is the best one I have of the cartridge on the Onkyo right now:

You can't see the front, but it does say: Series 1, ADC, and appears to be the same as shown in your link.

Frank

 

[fmueller]

As promised, some better shots of that cartridge:

 

[BrocLuno]

Good photos. Looks to be tracking normally. But the schmultz on the front of the cart body indicates something is happening. IF the cart is peeling vinyl off the groove, it sometimes shows up like that. This MAY be an indicator of an issue? It may also be an indicator of playing dirty records and just tossing the dirt bits up in it's wake?

 

[fmueller]

Good point about the dirt on the front of the cartridge. I noticed that in the photos as well, but I reckon it is an issue of the TT coming from a store where the whole thing was covered under two inches of dust. Me being new to vinyl and scared as heck to break any of the fragile parts in the TT, I didn't dare touch the cartridge, so I guess that part evaded my otherwise stringent cleaning regimen

Frank