Graham and Shelter matching - and other arms/carts


When you get a component that truly lifts your system up and reveals what's going on everywhere else, you learn things about your system that you hadn't realized before. My new Io Sig has shown me that I probably need a better linestage (I posted about this in Amps/Preamps), and it's also taught me something about arm/cart matching.

Now that the Io is in the system, I am hearing an unhappy balance between my Graham 2.2 tonearm and Shelter 901 cartridge. There's a tubby bass resonance that sounds to me like the Shelter cantilever feeding back into the unipivot arm structure. The outriggers on the Graham are supposed to minimize this effect, but perhaps the match just simply isn't made in heaven.

Instead, my Ortofon RS-212 tonearm, matched with Ortofon SPU Classic GM cart, is sounding much more balanced, real and musical.

That leaves me with the question of what to do with my Graham and Shelter. I'd like to have a "modern" arm/cart combo to compare with the classic Ortofon setup (I currently have 3 arms mounted on my table). My third arm is an Origin Live modified RB250, which currently has a Denon 103R mounted on it (probably not the perfect matchup either). The Shelter doesn't sound fantastic in the Rega - it's better in the Graham.

I do like the Shelter sound a lot, so I could buy an arm that's a more appropriate match for it, a Moerch perhaps. But I'd have to sell the Graham to afford that, and I kind of want to keep a unipivot.

Any recommendations for exchanging the Shelter and Denon for carts more appropriate for the Rega and Graham, or vice-versa?
patrickamory
Hi guys.

I got the new VTA on the fly adjuster from Pete Riggle Audio. It's called the VTAF. I am making a new armboard for it, and will report how it works once finished. It's about $100, and will work with any Rega mount arm.

It looks pretty good, and should work well judging by the design. I've been out of town delivering a trawler so I have not had the time yet to install.

I know Chris is working on something, but this one is there now and not too expensive.

We'll see what happens!

Joe
Hi Dickson: The Ikeda 9 Rex is not an " easy " cartridge to get the best on it. Till now I try with some tonearms: Ikeda IT 407, SAEC 506/30, SME IV ( it does not works with this one ), Micro Seiki MAX 282 and AudioCraft AC 4400. All these tonearms ( exept SME ) are heavy mass type. I like the match with the AudioCraft, but as you know this is a subjective opinion. This cartridge is perhaps the more sensitive cartridge that I have to VTA/SRA and to VTF ( mayme because is a cartridge with out cantilever ),BTW I'm using between 2.6 and 2.9.. What are you using?.
Regards and always enjoy the music.
Raul.
Hi Raul,

I have just started using the Ikeda on the Infinity Black Widow. It tracks well even without damping! But adding some damping tames some of the sibilance. I am tracking at 2.0 grams.

It sounds the best so far on this tonearm. It sounds better than on the Graham tonearm! Go figure? I want to try the Vector but this will require heavier weights.

Regards,
Dear Dickson: Well, it's good for you. The REX is not an easy cartridge. It is very important to match with the right tonearm ( mass/compliance ). I give to you, here, the formula for check the matching between any phono cartridge and any tonearm: f= 1/2Pi X sqare root:1/mc
where Pi= 6.2832, m=tonearm effective mass and c= cartridge dynamic compliance. The ideal is that f=resonance frecuency will has a value of 10hz, but it's ok between 8hz to 12hz. For the m total value you have to take: tonearm effective mass+cartridge weight+headshell weight+nuts-screws weight,headshell wires weight+....
I would like to know what happen with your REX, with 2.5 in VTF and with out damping ( this is to see about the sibilance ).
We keep in touch.
Enjoy the music.
Raul.
Dickson: Terrible mistake. Instead to say Pi= 6.2832, it would say " 2Pi= 6.2832 ".
Sorry.
Enjoy the music.
Raul.