Tracking force
 

Dan Abnormal wrote:
Well, what was a serious question seems to have been hijacked by a
load of kids winding each other up at the back of the class - not what
I expected here - grow up everybody, its not big or clever.

Anyway:

I've got a Rega P3 with an Elys cartridge. I thought it sounded a bit
dull, so tried backing the weight off a little with a positive result
(Ithink). I don't want to ruin the cartridge basically - Rega
recommend a tracking weight of 1.75g, I've got it set at 1.25g, after
initially balancing the arm as best I can. What do you guys think?

I would also consider using (or borrowing) a stylus balance as well just
to be certain that the rega is telling you the truth.

You are unlikly to damage the cartridge with two low tracking, its the
records that will suffer from mistracking.

--
Nick

Tracking force
 

In article , Dan Abnormal
wrote:


I've got a Rega P3 with an Elys cartridge. I thought it sounded a bit
dull, so tried backing the weight off a little with a positive result
(Ithink). I don't want to ruin the cartridge basically - Rega recommend
a tracking weight of 1.75g, I've got it set at 1.25g, after initially
balancing the arm as best I can. What do you guys think?

A low tracking force may be OK with records where the modulation (sound)
level is reasonably low. However with louder sounds the stylus may come out
of contact with the groove. The result may be distortion and excessive wear
due to the stylus leaping up out of the groove, and then back into contact
again. A low force may also allow the anlignment to move off the optimum
linearity of the transducer, so give more distortion for this reason.

Conversely, a high force may simply increase wear due to the pressure being
too high, and as above cause a distortion increase due to moving the
transducer out of of its most linear region.

Hence both distortion and wear can increase as a result of a low force as
well as the result of a high force. :-) There is no setting (once you are
playing the record) that will make both distortion and wear 'zero' when
liseting to music. Just a value that on average gives 'optimum' results.
Nor are the wear and distortion 'best' values guaranteed to co-incide. :-)

The best results will depend upon the 'anti skating force' as well as other
factors like the angular alignment of the cantilever, etc, etc. Playing an
LP with a stylus involves balancing a whole series of compromises.

As a result of all this, your setting may be fine, or it may not. Hard for
us to say! If it sounds OK - even with loud music - then it is probably OK.
But may not be optimum.

As Dave has indicated, the best way is to adjust using a test record,
although this isn't perfect, either. It would not surprise me to find that
your arm may not be accurately showing the correct value, nor would it
suprise me to find that the standard recommended value for your cartridge
turns out to be incorrect for your specific example, and the setup. :-)

Slainte,

Jim

--
Electronics http://www.st-and.ac.uk/~www_pa/Scot...o/electron.htm
Audio Misc http://www.st-and.demon.co.uk/AudioMisc/index.html
Armstrong Audio http://www.st-and.demon.co.uk/Audio/armstrong.html
Barbirolli Soc. http://www.st-and.demon.co.uk/JBSoc/JBSoc.html

Tracking force
 

On Wed, 18 Feb 2004 13:34:01 -0000, "Keith \"Dingo Breath\" Garratt"
wrote:

Dan Abnormal wrote in
:

Well, what was a serious question seems to have been hijacked by a
load of kids winding each other up at the back of the class - not what
I expected here - grow up everybody, its not big or clever.

Anyway:

I've got a Rega P3 with an Elys cartridge. I thought it sounded a bit
dull, so tried backing the weight off a little with a positive result
(Ithink). I don't want to ruin the cartridge basically - Rega
recommend a tracking weight of 1.75g, I've got it set at 1.25g, after
initially balancing the arm as best I can. What do you guys think?

Playing through NAD PP2 / C350 by the way.

(Please don't start swearing and winding each other up again over
this).

I've got to agree with you this Danny Boy. I'm truly appalled at the
actions of the regulars of this group, truly disgraceful.

My advice? You stupid ****ing nit, buy a SACD player and SACDs. It's the
twenty-first century, you look like an idiot.

Cheers!


Read this with an aussie accent - then it made me smile :-)

Cheers yourself!

Tracking force
 

On Wed, 18 Feb 2004 15:23:07 +0000 (GMT), Jim Lesurf
wrote:

In article , Dan Abnormal
wrote:


I've got a Rega P3 with an Elys cartridge. I thought it sounded a bit
dull, so tried backing the weight off a little with a positive result
(Ithink). I don't want to ruin the cartridge basically - Rega recommend
a tracking weight of 1.75g, I've got it set at 1.25g, after initially
balancing the arm as best I can. What do you guys think?

A low tracking force may be OK with records where the modulation (sound)
level is reasonably low. However with louder sounds the stylus may come out
of contact with the groove. The result may be distortion and excessive wear
due to the stylus leaping up out of the groove, and then back into contact
again. A low force may also allow the anlignment to move off the optimum
linearity of the transducer, so give more distortion for this reason.

Conversely, a high force may simply increase wear due to the pressure being
too high, and as above cause a distortion increase due to moving the
transducer out of of its most linear region.

Hence both distortion and wear can increase as a result of a low force as
well as the result of a high force. :-) There is no setting (once you are
playing the record) that will make both distortion and wear 'zero' when
liseting to music. Just a value that on average gives 'optimum' results.
Nor are the wear and distortion 'best' values guaranteed to co-incide. :-)

The best results will depend upon the 'anti skating force' as well as other
factors like the angular alignment of the cantilever, etc, etc. Playing an
LP with a stylus involves balancing a whole series of compromises.

As a result of all this, your setting may be fine, or it may not. Hard for
us to say! If it sounds OK - even with loud music - then it is probably OK.
But may not be optimum.

As Dave has indicated, the best way is to adjust using a test record,
although this isn't perfect, either. It would not surprise me to find that
your arm may not be accurately showing the correct value, nor would it
suprise me to find that the standard recommended value for your cartridge
turns out to be incorrect for your specific example, and the setup. :-)

Slainte,

Jim


Thanks to Dave, Nick and Jim for taking the time.

Dan