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Ortofon MC A90 Cartridge VTF

I just spent the weekend at mikelavigne's where we did a comparison with three turntables all using the same Ortofon MC A90 cartridges. We had the cartridges setup at the recommended VTF and they did not all have the same amount of break-in time on them. I decided to see what would happen when we lightened the cartridges up.

We started on the first table and the weight was about 2.25. We lessened the weight until I thought that the sound really locked in. By the time we were done on the first turntable, the VTF was at around 1.56. When we did the second table we got the weight all the way down to 1.92. On the third table it ended up best at about 2.01.

All parties (myself, Mike and Steve) agreed that lightening up the carts really opened things up quite a bit without loss of bass. The inner detail and delicacy inreased as did speed and dynamics.

I called Ortofon and am awaiting a response but I was wondering if those of you who own this cartridge have gone outside the recommended range and if you could share your experiences.

There is more to read about this if you want under mikelavigne's system thread.
jtinn
mikelavigne
1,274 posts
 
Raul, yes jtinn did get a reply (which he read to me) from Ortofon, which he told me he will be posting 'soon'.
aoliviero
265 posts
 
Thanks Steve. Your comment was very informative and helpful. I have an A90 and will give it a try soon. I'll keep this in mind. My guess from what you mentioned is that I'll probably be on the higher end of the vtf spectrum.

Andrew
vetterone's avatar
vetterone
154 posts
 
Another good question Norm. 2.25 g was the optimal sound to my ears with the Tri-Planar. I went as low as 2.10 but the sound lost a lot of the fullness or weight it had at 2.25. It will be interesting to see how low I can go on VTF before the A90 mistracks on the Tri-Planar. I will do that this weekend and post the results.
rauliruegas
9,123 posts
 
Dear Jtinn: You start the thread where you share with us that you are waiting the Ortofon answer.

By M. Lavigne last post we assume you already have the answer and I have to say that we all are waiting your post about.

Could you?, thank you in advance.

regards and enjoy the music,
Raul.
jtinn OP
1,123 posts
 
Sure, I have been a bit busy and meant to post a little sooner.

The thought by the Chief Engineer at Ortofon was that it could probably be explained by stylus rake angle.

He did note that the VTF will vary slightly between arms, even when it’s the same cartridge, but he also remarked that the difference should not be one of extreme magnitude.

He agreed with the notion that SRA has a profound effect on the performance of the cartridge, as the Replicant diamond’s size and shape requires careful stylus rake adjustment to get the sharp edges perfectly within the groove. If the VTA is only set approximately (say within 5mm), then the VTF is going to seriously change the stylus rake angle.

He also said that you should shoot for 2.0g as a minimum, as anything less could compromise the tracking ability.

Ultimately Louis of Ortofon USA agreed “follow your ears”.

Personally I followed my ears and found the settings we used to be the best. Of course we took into account VTA and Steve Dobbins worked very diligently setting up each source.

Even at the 1.56 setting on the Garrard, the cartridge tracked great!
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