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Post by gregorythefish on Oct 17, 2018 16:15:38 GMT
OK, so I have had some good suggestions elsewhere. What needle should I replace the Rega Carbon with?
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Post by gst on Oct 17, 2018 18:28:30 GMT
OK, so I have had some good suggestions elsewhere. What needle should I replace the Rega Carbon with? The O rtofon seems to be pretty popular, although I've only heard the black. Perhaps it's time to check out their mono cart!
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jcband
Junior Member
Posts: 65
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Post by jcband on Oct 17, 2018 19:28:53 GMT
The 2m red or blue should do well on that table or an older OM 10 or 20 will also sound good for a bit less money.
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Post by Rich on Oct 27, 2018 13:35:01 GMT
I think heavier tracking conical styli are best for vintage (mono) jazz records. Conicals certainly work well for stereo too, ellipticals tend to produce brighter, more accurate highs. With vintage mono jazz records with wider grooves that are not in top condition, the heavier tracking force of some conicals handle noise better and are in my opinion a valuable tradeoff for better high frequency response. I've actually been shopping for these types of conicals lately, I recently picked up a Shure M35X (out of production now but still for sale) which tracks up to 3 grams, I may also try the Grado DJ-100, the Nagaoka MP-100, and Sumiko Oyster. They're all $100 or less. I personally like the idea of a lighter tracking elliptical for stereo and mono reissies and a heavier tracking conical for vintage mono.
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Post by Rich on Oct 27, 2018 13:38:19 GMT
Greg, just realizing that your P1 doesn't allow you to swap carts, in that case I might choose heavier tracking conical vs. lighter tracking elliptical based on what you have more of, vintage mono or stereo. Both will work with both but I think it boils down to if you want better highs or lower surface noise.
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Post by Rich on Oct 27, 2018 13:45:55 GMT
I'm also now seeing that your Rega actually only tracks up to 2 grams so the heavier tracking conical options are pretty much out. You can use many of them at 2 grams but for surface noise they won't necessarily be any better than an elliptical at this force.
To complicate matters but at the same time in support of ellipticals, ellipticals are supposed to in theory handle inner groove distortion better because they can hug the tighter turns of the inner grooves better than a conical. In my experiments I found that difference marginal but it does make sense in theory.
Finally, with an elliptical, you need to take great care in aligning it properly when mounting the cartridge to the headshell because of their shape. Conicals aren't as particular because they are the same shape all the way around.
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Post by gregorythefish on Nov 4, 2018 17:22:53 GMT
good news:
I've done some simple 'quick fix' things and the problem has not reoccurred more than once in about thirty records. i'd still like to replace the cart, but it seems to be a bigger project than i can handle mechanically and financially at the moment. i have a week off this january and me and my little screwdrivers will see what we can do, but things are much better now.
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Post by alunsevern on Jan 6, 2019 7:25:06 GMT
I'll chip in late here despite this being a problem that - hopefully - you have overcome. What I know about turntables could be written on the back of a very small postage stamp indeed. I know a bit more about record cleanliness, however. I don't think I have ever had a needle stick that has been a turntable/stylus/tone arm fault. It has always been either a record damage problem (rare), or (much, much more frequently) funk on the record. Now what this funk is and where it comes from and how it affects records that are otherwise spotless and in some cases have already been cleaned on an RPI/Moth type machine, God alone knows, but that is the case.
In all but a couple of cases I have found that another clean on the RCM does the job. Occasionally I need to resort to light fluid and tissue and then another clean. Again, except in the case of the source of the stick being record damage, this always works.
If cleanliness of records is clearly not the problem, then excuse this waffle. But just on the off chance that it is, you may find that investing in an RCM of some kind (not an inexpensive option, I know, but less costly than a new turntable, better tone arm, different kind of stylus) may offer the fix you're looking for.
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Post by gregorythefish on Jan 6, 2019 18:21:02 GMT
it seems that the current setup is just a bit more sensitive than most, or than i am used to. jrock, via instagram, has given me some tips that have helped, as has the general cleaning. but man, every so often a PERFECT looking record, even under my USB microscope (nerd, yes), has a stick. never a skip. always a stick. i think the anti-skate is a bit sensitive, but still, a high threshold for playability is good. i am largely satisfied.
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Post by gst on Jan 7, 2019 15:28:52 GMT
Greg have you tried playing your albums that stick on another TT? Perhaps at your local store?
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Post by gregorythefish on Jan 7, 2019 18:45:15 GMT
astonishingly, no. i even have a spare. i will do that!
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cds23
New Member
Posts: 20
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Post by cds23 on Jul 8, 2019 19:45:43 GMT
Hi,
I had a RP1 and encountered the exact same problem. The needle got stuck (randomly) even on new records. Lowering the Antiskate force helped, but that didn't exactly feel like a long term solution.
My guess is that the standard cartridge that comes with all RP1s (and even RP3s), the Rega Carbon, is to blame. Its conical shaped tip seems prone to sticking with the slightest "irregularity" in the grooves, probably the kind that's invisible to the naked eye and that wouldn't even create the slightest tick had it been played with a sharper stylus.
If you haven't done so already, I'd strongly recommend buying a more refined cartridge by Rega or Ortofon. I've never encountered this problem ever again after ditching the carbon.
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Post by clifford on Jul 9, 2019 14:48:49 GMT
breaking in a needle seems to alleviate some problems; i.e., in my experience w/ similar conicals, after a few weeks the problem subsides.
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Post by gregorythefish on Jul 9, 2019 15:07:08 GMT
cds: yeah, what i've read online in the past year or so seems to suggest what you have said, and what clifford has said. it rarely happens any more, except with a specific record:
the german (original) enja pressing of eric dolphy's "stockholm sessions"... skips all over... i've been through three visually NM copies. possibly a pressing flaw, though it is not always at the same places.
as happy as I am with the P1, i would love to be able to lower the anti-skate. i have heard these issues are not present in the P2 and forward, but those are so expensive for what you get.
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Post by clifford on Jul 9, 2019 15:36:54 GMT
Hmm. I had Stockholm Sessions at one point, same pressing, and do not recall any such issue.
You could send it to me and I could check it on my setup and mail it back.
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