Turntable cartridge & alignment help

[DustinTaj]

Hi all. My 2-year-old son recently got ahold of my turntable (I assume, can't think of anything else that would have gotten into it). I went to play an album the other day and the needle was bent to one side and bent up so the cartridge plastic would hit the album instead of the needle.

I was able to bend it back in place and get it to play (on some old records I don't care much about), but I don't want to leave it like that. It seems to track fine but with a LOT of noise now. Also, when I'm done it's skewed to one side. It seems to pivot around where it's attached and I doubt that's normal (it rotates around its fixed point - left and right in the first pic - like it's a compass drawing a circle). So, I need to replace it.

My turntable is a Denon DP-23F. I'm showing some pics of what it looks like head on. I presently use a Grado "prestige blue" stereo pickup.

I have a couple questions.
1.) What cartridge do you all recommend I replace it with? Stick with the same, or is there something that would be much better?
2.) Is this something I can do. It LOOKS like all I have to do is remove a couple screws, unhook some wires, replace cartridge, hook up, screw down and done. BUT, I don't know that for sure (I'm relatively new to turntables - this one was given to me as a gift and was all setup from the place it was purchased from, which is now out of business).
3.) I belive my counterweight has been played with. How do I go about setting that correctly.


Basically, how do I go about doing this (getting it changed, aligned vertically, proper tracking force, proper counterweight, etc.)?

Would I be better off finding a local shop to do it for me (I'm a friggin mechanical engineer so I hate to ask that - it seems like something I should be able to do quite simply, but I don't want to damage my vinyl either). If so, how do I find someone locally? I don't think we have any "hi-fi" shops anymore.

thanks for any help.

[LesPaul666]

It looks to me that the cantilever on your cartridge is bent. I could be wrong, as usual.:D

[DustinTaj]

It was bent (is still bent). It was flat up against the plastic of the cartridge and way off to the "left" on those head-on pics. It rotates freely around it's attachment point as if it's a pivot now with minimal force (maybe that's normal, I don't know). I bent it back down and aligned it the best I could, but after playing a record it's all out of wack.

If it's something I don't have to replace, I won't, but I don't want to damage any records. I can't seem to get them to not sound noisy now, as if the needle is pushing down with a LOT of extra force just grinding into the record (if that makes any sense).

[Lord Hawthorne]

You need a new stylus. A bent cantilever never bends back the same way, and it is permanently out of alignment. Playing any records with it like that will harm one wall of the groove.
The good news is that Grados are not hard to find replacement styli for, or to change a stylus in the cartridge.

[DustinTaj]

Tell me more about changing the stylus...

Also, how long does it take for damage to occur to an album? I'm sure there's a possibility that I played an album like this before I noticed it was bent. Did I permanately scar it?

Also, what about the counter-weight? How do I know when that's set correctly?

Also again, if I replace the stylus, should I stick with the grado "blue" or go with something different?

[JMT]

I have a couple questions.
1.) What cartridge do you all recommend I replace it with? Stick with the same, or is there something that would be much better?That would depend on what your budget is. I have been using a Grado Sonata for the last few years and am completely satisfied with it. I use it on a SOTA Comet with a Rega RB300 tonearm. It would run about $500.00

2.) Is this something I can do. It LOOKS like all I have to do is remove a couple screws, unhook some wires, replace cartridge, hook up, screw down and done. BUT, I don't know that for sure (I'm relatively new to turntables - this one was given to me as a gift and was all setup from the place it was purchased from, which is now out of business).
3.) I belive my counterweight has been played with. How do I go about setting that correctly.


Basically, how do I go about doing this (getting it changed, aligned vertically, proper tracking force, proper counterweight, etc.)?
This article might help:

A Beginner's Guide To Cartridge Setup (http://www.audiophilia.com/features/cartridge_setup.htm)

Would I be better off finding a local shop to do it for me (I'm a friggin mechanical engineer so I hate to ask that - it seems like something I should be able to do quite simply, but I don't want to damage my vinyl either). If so, how do I find someone locally? I don't think we have any "hi-fi" shops anymore.I setup my Sonata myself. If I can do it, anyone can. Good luck.

[dinchart]

The easy way out is to just get a replacement sylus for 40 bucks. I would suggest needledoctor.com because I've always found their telephone people to be very helpful. However, replacing the cartridge is not rocket science. Personally, if you like the Grado sound, I would just replace the stylus, mainly because I don't like messing around with arms attached to an auto-return mechanism.

[Charliemcd]

I'd say just find a replacement stylus for now. Your stylus cantilever is clearly bent and you cannot straighten one out after that happens.

I see nobody has told you straight out about adjusting the counterbalance to set your tracking force. It's pretty easy once you know how it works. You didn't show a pic of the arm so I can only give you the standard procedure. First set the anti-skate force to zero. With no record on the platter, carefully move the tonearm over near the platter and lower the tonearm with the cueing lever. If the platter automatically starts up, unplug the turntable first. Rotate the counterweight until the arm balances level and try to get it in a position where the tip of the needle would just touch the surface of a record if you had one on the mat. Once you have it balanced, turn the ring that has the tracking force scale on it while you hold the main part of the counterweight stationary. Turn the scale ring until the zero mark lines up with the mark on the tonearm itself. After you've re-set the ring, check the balance again and re-adjust if necessary. Once you've got the arm balanced, move the arm back to the arm rest and lock it in place, then turn the main part of the counterweight to the tracking force your cartridge is supposed to operate with, typically 1.5 to 2 grams. Lastly, set the anti-skate adjustment to the same value as the tracking force.

If you get a new cartridge, you should be able to install it yourself using the instructions that come with the cartridge. Be very careful pulling off the wire terminals, the wire is usually very fragile due to it's small size. Make sure you get the wires re-installed to the correct terminals on the new cartridge. Find a good protractor to get the cartridge properly aligned, and don't worry too much if it looks slightly crooked relative to the headshell. You could use two different protractors to double-check the alignment if you are suspicious after using the first one. Lastly, go through the tracking force adjustment I described above. Take your time, and double-check things as you go through the process.

Good luck!

[MFz]

I have a Technics SLQ3 turntable vintage 1980. I haven't used it in ages and it's been stored in its original box. I want to get back to listening to some vinyl and digitize to my iPod but I notice that somehow I'm lacking the actual stylus. I have the Stanton 881S cartridge with a white piece of plastic that fits on the end of it (yes, I know nothing about these things) that says D81S on the side of it. I assume the needle fell out or that I pulled it off to replace it 20 years ago and forgot all about it somewhere. Anyone willing to help me get this back into working order? I am hoping the cartridge is still good, but I would take any suggestions for a replacement if needed, even an upgrade. Also, can someone give me an idea of how good a turntable this is? Thanks a bunch.

[DustinTaj]

Thanks everyone. I've never really tried anything other than a grado cartridge, so I don't know if it's what I like best or not. I certainly don't "hate" the sound, but it's probably not the best I can do.

Is it possible to upgrade JUST the stylus within the grado lineup, or do I need a whole new cartridge to do that? What kind of difference might I notice?

Thanks again, all, and thanks charliemcd for the info on setting the CB. I'll check out what I've got and report back.

[Squid]

I see nobody has told you straight out about adjusting the counterbalance to set your tracking force. It's pretty easy once you know how it works. You didn't show a pic of the arm so I can only give you the standard procedure. First set the anti-skate force to zero. With no record on the platter, carefully move the tonearm over near the platter and lower the tonearm with the cueing lever. If the platter automatically starts up, unplug the turntable first. Rotate the counterweight until the arm balances level and try to get it in a position where the tip of the needle would just touch the surface of a record if you had one on the mat. Once you have it balanced, turn the ring that has the tracking force scale on it while you hold the main part of the counterweight stationary. Turn the scale ring until the zero mark lines up with the mark on the tonearm itself. After you've re-set the ring, check the balance again and re-adjust if necessary. Once you've got the arm balanced, move the arm back to the arm rest and lock it in place, then turn the main part of the counterweight to the tracking force your cartridge is supposed to operate with, typically 1.5 to 2 grams. Lastly, set the anti-skate adjustment to the same value as the tracking force.

Thanks for that. :)