and Boron snaps if you fumble the cart off the edge of the platter...
Wood body Grado cartridges ?
- Thread starter MisterDK
- Start date
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- grado grado woody
cafe latte
Addicted Member
If you broke boron you would have broke aluminium or any other stylus type. When cutting boron apart thr cutters getting grooved every cut you feel the force in the cantilever between your fingers. Aluminium cantilever would be bent and crushed with way less force.
Chris
cafe latte
Addicted Member
Ages ago I tried to break aboron cantilever between my fingers ( tip was missing and it was damaged anyway) just for curiosity. It broke of course but it took quite a lot of force.
Chris
adnick
Addicted Member
Thankfully that’s covered (-;
Sgt Shultz
Addicted Member
The Reference Platinum is on its way back from Joseph all repaired now with a Nude Nagaoka Shibata on hardened tapered thin wall aluminum / magnesium cantilever.
cafe latte
Addicted Member
Why did you go Shibata?
They sound nice for a while but the contact patch is like an American football but with pointy ends. The pointy ends wear crazy fast and with only maybe 100 hours the points are gone totally and the middle bit remains. This state of wear wont damage vinyl but it wont retrieve the highs like it did only 100 hours previous. Micro Ridge on the other hand performs the same throught its life which at 1.6g can be over 1000 hours.
I am glad though it was fixable it looked like it had a big knock.
Chris
MisterDK
Addicted Member
I’m sure it’ll sound great - but you’ll need to let us know how much better it is with the Shibata than with the original tip..!
Still listening to the Reference Platinum 1 with the jarrah body and it’s still sounding very good. No idea how many hours are on it (bought used) but since it sounds good and tracks well, I’ll use it for a while longer, I think. Then I too, have to send a couple in for new tips.
Sgt Shultz
Addicted Member
I’m sure it’ll sound great - but you’ll need to let us know how much better it is with the Shibata than with the original tip..!
Still listening to the Reference Platinum 1 with the jarrah body and it’s still sounding very good. No idea how many hours are on it (bought used) but since it sounds good and tracks well, I’ll use it for a while longer, I think. Then I too, have to send a couple in for new tips.
I went with the Shibata in hopes it will be a step up from my MC carts not its previous stone, if not then money wasted on a cartridge that won't see any use.
MisterDK
Addicted Member
I think the new tip will have it sounding surprisingly nice; probably as good as Grado’s more expensive cartridges!
maxhifi
Addicted Member
Thought I'd add a quick question here... what are you Opus 3 owners tracking at? I initially set mine to 1.9 grams, but yesterday I reduced it to 1.6 with no loss of tracking ability.
I have the VTA set slightly tail down (stock rega arm with no spacers - the Grado instruction sheet says use either a parallel arm or up to minus 2 degrees)
The sound is wonderful.
I have the VTA set slightly tail down (stock rega arm with no spacers - the Grado instruction sheet says use either a parallel arm or up to minus 2 degrees)
The sound is wonderful.
Sgt Shultz
Addicted Member
I think the new tip will have it sounding surprisingly nice; probably as good as Grado’s more expensive cartridges!
That's my hope, Joseph stated it's 1/2 the mass of the nude elliptical he offers which was already 1/2 the mass of the original stone. He also stated this would most likely be the type of stone Grado would use in their top tier carts if they offered a Shibata, they're known for having tiny stones lol?
I have no reason to doubt his comments.
maxhifi
Addicted Member
Mine is mounted to an RB-330. So for you 1.6 wasn't enough? I'm going to try and play something heavily modulated and see how it sounds.
CrSens
Super Member
It was OK at 1.6, mostly, but inner track sibilants made me push it higher. It is perfectly safe to go up to 2 g with that stylus.
MisterDK
Addicted Member
Mine is very happy tracking at 1.8g and with armtube level. It sounds excellent here. Been keeping the playtime off of it though and using a Reference Platinum 1 on an RB250 arm. That one sounds quite nice as well..
Opus3 on Audiomods Six:
..and the Reference Platinum 1 on my RB250 arm - this one tracking at 1.6g, armtube also level:
These are on two different Sony 2251 tables.
maxhifi
Addicted Member
Since we're sharing photos here's mine on the RB330/Planar 6. Alignment was via the Rega protractor included with the turntable. You've got some cool gear!
