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Trouble with Goldring 1042 |
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patientot
Senior Member Joined: 28 Nov 2018 Location: USA Status: Offline Points: 1525 |
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Posted: 28 Nov 2018 at 9:39pm |
Wondering if there is anyone here that has extensive experience with this cartridge.
I bought it a few months ago and have been using it in a rotation with some other cartridges. My main gripe is that the 1042, despite having a very advanced stylus (Gyger-S profile), does not seem to track as well as other cartridges I have that feature Shibata or microline/microridge profiles. The cartridge is aligned correctly and set up with the right VTF and antiskate. By tracking well, I'm talking about handling narrow inner grooves on records with narrow deadwax that are cut hot. I find this is a trait on certain records I have from the late 70s and through the 80s. Again, some of my other cartridges do a better job tracking the inner grooves on these than the 1042. Tamely cut records, audiophile jazz reissues, etc. don't seem to be a problem for the 1042. But that's a low bar, since my Shure M35X with a conical stylus also tracks those quite fine. I am just wondering if anyone else has had the same experience with this cartridge. Basically I'm trying to figure out if it's a limitation of the cartridge design or if I possibly got a bad one and need to send this cartridge into Goldring for inspection. I have been in touch with Goldring and they haven't really been able to help much other than offer to inspect it if I send it into them. Since it's their cart, I doubt they are going to tell me it has tracking limitations if that is the case. Looking for some honest opinions for those that have experience with this cart. I want to enjoy this cart but I'm running out of patience with it and I'm leaning towards selling it and just moving on. Thanks.
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Richardl60
Senior Member Joined: 04 Nov 2014 Location: Yorkshire Status: Offline Points: 1468 |
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Could the inner grooves be ‘damaged’ from 30-40 years ago when played by lesser kit and for whatever reason the goldring is less forgiving.
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patientot
Senior Member Joined: 28 Nov 2018 Location: USA Status: Offline Points: 1525 |
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Nope. This happens even on new records.
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ICL1P
Senior Member Joined: 04 Aug 2012 Location: Faringdon, Oxon Status: Offline Points: 2341 |
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I've used a G1042, exclusively, for many years and cannot recall any tracking issues whatsoever.
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Ifor
===== Reflex M & ACCESSION M, CuSat50, Majestic DAC, a Proprius pair. |
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Graham Slee
Admin Group Retired Joined: 11 Jan 2008 Location: South Yorkshire Status: Offline Points: 16298 |
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If not tracking performance it might be slewing induced distortion, and also the limitations of the inductance of the cartridge allied with the "tuning fork" frequency extension which is needed for high inductance cartridges to reach 20kHz. However, 0.57H isn't all that high. Slewing induced distortion or SID is where any item in the signal amplification chain has trouble in faithfully reproducing sharp changes in signal level. The tight high frequency groove path at the slowest portion of the record (nearest its middle) will cause the stylus/cartridge to produce some complex frequencies from what wasn't complex in the recording - in other words: distortion - and if they are every harmonic you can think of, it would ressemble a square wave, but a fleeting and ever changing one because it is music (and square waves do not make it intact through a phono stage, which worsens matters). Assuming square wave tendencies it can be seen that the required step response is getting steeper, and something a designer of say a preamp or power amp who isn't into vinyl might not comprehend so never has to deal with it (not apportioning blame as you could be using mine...). Such circuits however are usually also prone to click and pop accentuation, but I am just generalising. In my opinion it's a case of if you want to play vinyl the system must first be designed to suit, and then if tracking problems continue to exist, the cartridge can take the blame. But I have noted the 1042 has given me some right challenges in circuit tweaking to overcome. |
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patientot
Senior Member Joined: 28 Nov 2018 Location: USA Status: Offline Points: 1525 |
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Thank you for the technical response. From talking to others about this cartridge elsewhere it seems that some people love it and some people have trouble with it. I must be unlucky because I fall into the latter camp. There also seems to be some variability in the 1042 from sample to sample in terms of how hot the cartridge is and how well it tracks. Goldring themselves say that the output could be as high as 8MV in some examples, but I have not measured mine. I think it is giving my current phono stage issues, which is why I'm interested in trying one of yours. Not just for this cart, but any other cart I might have in the future that has high-ish output. High output cartridge + hotly cut record(s) seems to equal trouble for many phono stages. I'm talking to the loan program coordinator today about auditioning one of your phono stages.
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BAK
Senior Member Joined: 14 Mar 2010 Location: Kentucky, USA Status: Offline Points: 1744 |
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Adding a small weight on top of the cartridge mount and re-adjusting the VTF to the middle of the cart's specified range (1.75gm for the 1042) may help by lowering the harmonic frequency of the tonearm/cart/stylus where it tracks the groove.
As far as the phono stage, it must accept higher input levels from cartridges than most think. All of Graham Slee's are designed to account for this... most accept up to 10mV inputs. Edited by BAK - 29 Nov 2018 at 3:20pm |
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Bruce
AT-14SA, Pickering XV-15, Hana EL, Technics SL-1600MK2, Lautus, Majestic DAC, Technics SH-8055 spectrum analyzer, Eminence Beta8A custom cabs; Proprius & Reflex M or C, Enjoy Life your way! |
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