Stylus Pressure Gauges

The idea of the MC magnet interacting with metal is alarming! Maybe my Rega dial is ok.

Does the ear not tell when the weight is best?

Phil

Don’t you come round here with your common sense.

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I have one of these. They’re branded under many different names, but obviously all the same product. They’re actually extremely consistently accurate. Just make sure you use an F2 calibration weight every time. Couple of things to note, make sure the platform is precisely the same height as the lp you want to be optimised for and that there’s no wobble due to there being 4 feet. Remove one foot if necessary. My platform was slightly raised, so I bent it down to the parallel/precise height. Sounds brutal, but it’s fine.

Of course, the force is set to what hears best, but it’s clearly good to have the digital readout for reference.

I have both of those scales, and have added a third style as mentioned in earlier post. I think I have the same issue with the digital scale you show. It reads heavy, causing tracking issues. As I said, almost 0.18g heavier. Are you seeing any similarities? I opted for relying on the riverstone in picture to rely on.

Scott

I rely on my ears to finalise, none of the cartridge scales are fully up to the job but a bit of precision would be nice just to return to an earlier best setting, I can live with a bit of inaccuracy caused by the arm geometry.

With a 17D3 on an Aro the digital scale was reading around 2.242g after I’d optimised by ear, with a Proteus it was around 2.44*.
On the Schröder the reading for an optimised SPU Royal N was 3.08 or thereabouts but drifting down, the proteus ran at around 2.05g but that reading also started drifting down. Possibly the string and magnet bearing trying to re-equilibrate after the front of the arm is raised but opposed by the drag of the stylus on the pan.

That’s the issue with a stable balanced arm design, so I have read, the center of gravity is lower than the pivot point. The difference from a standard lp as opposed to a 180g lp, could be 0.08+ grams heavier on the 180 height.

Scott

So mine, same as Count.d’s above, does not react when the (MM) cartridge comes near it, only on actual stylus touch.

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That’s the one I had. Often struggled to get the same reading twice.
The Technics did show that I had gotten it right it in the end.

This picture looks like the one I have bought and am using, but with a different brandname.

I use one of these. So that the plane of measurement is as close as possible to the listening conditions, I take the TT mat off before measuring. Oh…and I decide the best force by ear!

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I use the Shure balance as shown by @Yeti.
The scale came unstuck and slid back and forth on the balance arm. Took a few goes to get it fixed back in the right position but a 1g calibrated weight and a dab of superglue and its all good. I dont see the need for anything else.

Try it with an MC, the magnet is a lot smaller in an MM on account of it having to be moved by the groove.

What’s your opinion on the accuracy? Good, better than others?

Scott

Are we able to mention a certain turntable manufacturer that makes an extreamly good one?

One has already been mentioned by Mr Dane so you’re probably OK. AFAIK the unmentionable company don’t make turntables.

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Unmentionable???

There are a couple of people/companies who have in the past told Naim that they do not wish either themselves, their company or their products to be mentioned or discussed on the Naim forum. Naim did not wish to enter into any kind of dispute with others in the industry so agreed to comply.

There’s the Rega Atlas Stylus gauge, now in Mk2 form. It’s not exactly cheap, but looks like it should do the business very well. I’m still tempted…

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Just be aware that some MM’s are actually MI, where the magnet doesn’t have to be moved. Ortofon’s 2M line being an example. I guess their marketing dept. thought it better to just call them MM.

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Who are these people or companies?

No mention in the rules of specifics (that I can see), and I do not want to run foul on the rules again, so I am just asking…