Sansui Turntable - Cartridge?

[igloomaster]

Hi Folks. I own a mid-70s Sansui SR-222 Turntable. A very simple & basic spinner - - it's in top working condition as it's been fully serviced, and it sounds pretty good. I bought it for "a song" at a local repair shop. The technician installed a Stanton 500EMKII cartridge/stylus, which sounded decent, but I improved upon this when I switched to a Grado Black. More detail to my ears.
My question is this: I realize that the "Black" is the entry-level Grado. Will I be wasting my $ if I try to upgrade yet again? Have I hit the wall (because of this model of Sansui) or will I hear even more detail with higher end Grados, Ortofons, Shure...etc ? I'm willing to spend a few bucks on a great cartridge; as I said, I picked up the table for a song and it is in top working condition.

Also, another chap recommended perhaps adding some weight to the platter by putting some heavy modeling clay on it's underside. Anybody have any thoughts on the matter? Will this be too much for the motor/belt?

Thanks!!

[royphil345]

I think the SR-222 is a pretty nice sounding table. Don't think you "hit the wall" with the Grado Black. Though, the Black is about my favorite Grado model because it easily performs better than anything else you can get for the same price. For a little more money, I tend to like cartridges from Shure or Ortofon.

I'd probably shy away from the modeling clay mod. Belt drive turntables that are manufactured with a lighter platter than the really high-end ones usually have a stretchier belt and lower torque motor as well. Possibly rubber bushings on the motor mount that aren't that firm. The added weight might actually do more harm than good to wow and flutter. Would also add stress to the main bearing on this older table. Also, the weight probably wouldn't be perfectly distributed around the platter which might be really bad for the bearing.

[igloomaster]

thanks for the reply!

Indeed, I'm quite surprised and pleased by how good this table sounds! Somebody recommended the audio technica at440ML for this spinner.... Any recommendations from you?

I won't do any mods like add weight with clay, etc., but what about a record clamp?

Thanks again,
Igloo

[royphil345]

I had a 440ML. Switched to a Shure M97xE. The 440ML has better extension into the higher frequencies, will sound crisper, livlier and more detailed on a generally smooth-sounding system. Does seem to be a slight dip in midrange response though.

The M97xE is a little more rolled-off in the highs. Sounds very rich through the mids without sounding muddy or overly warm, which I like in my system. Probably a safer choice for systems where a little extra brightness tends to sound bad. Still , a little more detail than from the Grado Black. The Shure also tracks way better on my higher-mass tonearm than the AT 440ML did. The tonearm on my Sony PS-X5 is very similar and from about the same time period as the one on your SR-222.

I really liked the 440ML for classical music because of the clarity. Found that rock music lacked "power" due to the recessed mids and could sometimes sound a little harsh in the highs.

Those are my impressions on those two cartridges. Might somehow help you choose.
I've heard alot of good things about Goldring cartridges (probably models a little more expensive than the Shure or AT), but haven't heard one. For around $180.00 the Grado Gold is supposed to sound very detailed and rich in the mids. Haven't tried one of those myself either. Perhaps others could offer some more suggestions.

Oh... I am a firm believer in the use of record clamps.

[igloomaster]

Oh... I am a firm believer in the use of record clamps.

Thanks!

Which clamp do you prefer, and is the added weight of a clamp bad for my Sansui 222 bearing?

Thanks for the help - - I'm going to experiment with a Shure... mount on a seperate headshell, etc.

[JoeE SP9]

Among the clamps I have are 2 that add no weight to the platter. The "Pig" and a Planax clamp. The pig is a small rubber nipple and the Planax is a (delrin?) plastic disk. I think the needle doctor still sells the "Pig". For these and other clamps try www.needledoctor.com.