Grado Red Surprise!

[PeruvianSkies]

thanks everyone for the advice and suggestions...sorry to hijack the thread, but I didn't figure you would mind given that I am seriously interested in going to (as Bernd says) the Dark Side.

[JohnMichael]

John,

How is Grado tracking on higher frequency notes(Piano). Does it not breakup and distort? If it sounds half as good as you say, I may have to make a trip up north.

Regards,

+

JRA no one is as surprised as I am. NO distortion and I am currently listening to a Joan Baez album that is a fairly bright album. Everything from Telarc classical to mediocre vinyl sounds good. This after years of steering people away from Grado.

[Woochifer]

JM -

Good to hear that you're getting these results out of a Grado Red. After my ill-fated adventure with a Sumiko Black Pearl, I've been happily playing along with an Ortofon OM30. It's got a hotter high end than the OM20 and noticeably better resolution overall. Got it for $160 a couple of years ago when the Needle Doctor was having an Ortofon sale, and it's been great. I'd thought about going with the Grados for years, but unfortunately they have a tendency to hum with certain turntable models and my Dual CS5000 is one of those turntables that tend to get noisy with the Grados (and ARs are also particularly susceptible to humming with Grados).

In the end, I went back to the OM series because like you I'd had great results with the Ortofons for years and never saw much reason to switch. Testimonials like yours have always tempted me to try a Grado on my system just for the hell of it, but then I read the complaints about the humming and decided not to mess with a good thing (like I did once before)!

Ortofon OM30: THAT'S how my vinyl is supposed to sound!
Looking at Ortofon X3-MC, OM30, and Grado Silver/Gold ... opinions?

[jim goulding]

I can see this is an old thread. I use a Grado in a Rega 250 but changed out the counterweight with one that has the hole higher in the round than stock and it is made from metal along with a metal stem (available from several manufacturers). I use a Koetsu Black MC- first generation- on another deck with a heavier arm. Honestly, I haven't compared the two side by side but I'm pretty doggone happy with my Grado. It is a wood body Sonata Reference. I just posted a recent experience I had that improved my sound further under "Verticle Tracting Angle" altho I spelled Verticle Vericle. What I've written applys to ANY cartridge. You're quite right about female vocals and a mid range fullness in general with this design. I think it's almost a trademark. What are you using these days?

Peruvian- Blade Runner, right? What a vision Ridley Scott gave us.

Basite- Denon should re-release the 103C or, heck, was it the 103D. The D, I think. I auditioned one of these along with an FR years ago and remember the speed and excitement listening to jazz. I think this cartridge would fit well in today's mix. Must be some reason.

Later, I see you are still using a Red, JM. I'd be interested to know something about that wire mod if you gotta a mind to tell me.

[PeruvianSkies]

I can see this is an old thread. I use a Grado in a Rega 250 but changed out the counterweight with one that has the hole higher in the round than stock and it is made from metal along with a metal stem (available from several manufacturers). I use a Koetsu Black MC- first generation- on another deck with a heavier arm. Honestly, I haven't compared the two side by side but I'm pretty doggone happy with my Grado. It is a wood body Sonata Reference. I just posted a recent experience I had that improved my sound further under "Verticle Tracting Angle" altho I spelled Verticle Vericle. What I've written applys to ANY cartridge. You're quite right about female vocals and a mid range fullness in general with this design. I think it's almost a trademark. What are you using these days?

Peruvian- Blade Runner, right? What a vision Ridley Scott gave us.

Basite- Denon should re-release the 103C or, heck, was it the 103D. The D, I think. I auditioned one of these along with an FR years ago and remember the speed and excitement listening to jazz. I think this cartridge would fit well in today's mix. Must be some reason.

Later, I see you are still using a Red, JM. I'd be interested to know something about that wire mod if you gotta a mind to tell me.

This is an old thread???? Are you sure you're not living in the future world of BLADE RUNNER??? Yes great vision, which people are finally starting to appreciate.

[JohnMichael]

JM -

Good to hear that you're getting these results out of a Grado Red. After my ill-fated adventure with a Sumiko Black Pearl, I've been happily playing along with an Ortofon OM30. It's got a hotter high end than the OM20 and noticeably better resolution overall. Got it for $160 a couple of years ago when the Needle Doctor was having an Ortofon sale, and it's been great. I'd thought about going with the Grados for years, but unfortunately they have a tendency to hum with certain turntable models and my Dual CS5000 is one of those turntables that tend to get noisy with the Grados (and ARs are also particularly susceptible to humming with Grados).

In the end, I went back to the OM series because like you I'd had great results with the Ortofons for years and never saw much reason to switch. Testimonials like yours have always tempted me to try a Grado on my system just for the hell of it, but then I read the complaints about the humming and decided not to mess with a good thing (like I did once before)!

Ortofon OM30: THAT'S how my vinyl is supposed to sound!
Looking at Ortofon X3-MC, OM30, and Grado Silver/Gold ... opinions?

Wooch I never had any success with a Grado in the Rega arm until I used it with the Michell Technoweight. I am now surprised by the level of performance. Anyone with the stock Rega counterweight I would suggest the Ortofon OM series.

[JohnMichael]

I can see this is an old thread. I use a Grado in a Rega 250 but changed out the counterweight with one that has the hole higher in the round than stock and it is made from metal along with a metal stem (available from several manufacturers). I use a Koetsu Black MC- first generation- on another deck with a heavier arm. Honestly, I haven't compared the two side by side but I'm pretty doggone happy with my Grado. It is a wood body Sonata Reference. I just posted a recent experience I had that improved my sound further under "Verticle Tracting Angle" altho I spelled Verticle Vericle. What I've written applys to ANY cartridge. You're quite right about female vocals and a mid range fullness in general with this design. I think it's almost a trademark. What are you using these days?

Peruvian- Blade Runner, right? What a vision Ridley Scott gave us.

Basite- Denon should re-release the 103C or, heck, was it the 103D. The D, I think. I auditioned one of these along with an FR years ago and remember the speed and excitement listening to jazz. I think this cartridge would fit well in today's mix. Must be some reason.

Later, I see you are still using a Red, JM. I'd be interested to know something about that wire mod if you gotta a mind to tell me.

Jim this is a fairly new post. I was bored one day off from work and realized I had modified my ttable and had never retried the Grado. So I pulled out the OM20 and reinstalled the Grado. The lowered counterweight seems to allow the Grado to do wonderful things it did not do before. I am still using it and will for the time being.

The tonearm rewire is the Incognito wiring harness. It uses Cardas wire and it is continuous from the cartridge clips to the rca jacks. The original Rega wiring was soldered at the joint where the wires entered the tonearm to the thin wires that are in the tonearm. There was another solder joint where the internal wires connect with the wires leading to the cables that are terminated by the rca jacks. When dealing with such low voltages I thought a continuous cable from clips to rca are best.

I read your post about setting the vta and was wondering how long you have listened to it with the new adjustment. With the Grado I have also installed it so it is at 90 degrees like Grado recommends. The variation in thickness of records will change your vta. It sounds like that with the vta set without a record mat and then later replaced would have the same effect of having the tonearm pivot a little low in the rear which many have begun to suggest.

[jim goulding]

Two evenings. Maybe a half dozen albums. One was the Classic 200 gram re-issue of Kind of Blue. Miles trumpet intro sounded a little sharper, piano too, but it was the cymbals that really came to life. There is no doubt to these ears that I've nailed it. I've had this sensation with other cartridges in the past. And, yes, you are right that the VTA is changed depending on the thickness of the album and with the addition of my mat which I had left off when setting. The bottom of the Rega arm looks parallel to the record surface more that the top of the arm and the stylus tip appears to be a right angle. That, too, will change a hair when the record is in rotation.

I remember reading once that as the cartridge ages the cantilever damping material will settle and the VTA should be re-adjusted. The other thing I did was to tighten the mounting bolts of the mounting plate. They weren't actually loose but I was able to get them comfortably more snug.

I listened to the first side of Patti Smith's first album, too, and heard the improvement in the overtones of the guitars jangling when the opening tune heated up. The intro of her voice is very out front, startling even, and rich as in grainless on this but returns to a more integrated level when the bands playing comes up.