I'm nowhere near the level (financially or audiophie-wise) to be worrying too much about buying replacement arms for a turntable. That I can say without equivocation.
However, I see S-curve tonearms and straight tonearms, and then I see specifications regarding parallel-tracking arms, which are usually straight. I read a pretty good British tutorial on tonearms, but it didn't address the tonearms shape. What's the advantage of either, if any?
"S" shaped: Looks good and is cheap to produce. It allows relatively good alignment in a short tonearm. The bends are points where resonance builds up and the tonearm is typically weakest due to structural problems. Most "S" shaped arms include a removable headshell, so they lack rigidity at the point where the headshell mates to the tonearm tube.
Straight arms: Can be made as one unit and, as is the case with the Rega arms, structural problems can easily (?) be eliminated by the manufacturing process. Most often have fixed headshells and offer the highest rigidity from tip to balance weight. To get the least amount of tracking error, a straight tonerm should be as long as possible to minimize the arc it transcribes across the disc's surface. The longer the arm, the higher the mass and the possible loss of rigidity.
Linear tracking arms: They supposedly track the record in the same fashion as the cutting stylus/lathe, thereby minimizing tracking error. Numerous problems, most importantly since a modern LP has variable pitch to the groove spacing, the arm is seldom if ever actually parallel to the record groove.
I guess every design has its flaws, but the straight arm is the best offered so far.
Incidentally, I did win a bid on a Dual turntable, a 606 direct-drive affair. Have any idea if there's any problem attaching a different cartridge to a tonearm? I know some have these removable headshells, and I think the Dual has a fixed headshell. I have an older (but not used much) MicroAcoustics(?) cartridge that I liked, and was wondering what it would take to replace the one that's on the Dual now (an Ortofon TKS55E), IF I WANTED TO! Just for my information.
The Dual has what they called a "cartridge carrier" which slides into place in the semi-fixed "headshell". It's not a great arrangement but it will do. The biggest problem with the Dual system is getting the alignment correct since you have to remove the carrier to loosen the mounting screws and make your adjustment. It's time consuming and frustrating. If you should get the Dual guage with the table, it is frustrating also as it allows for lots of slop in the installation.
Cratridges that have been sitting around for a few years are dangerous in that the suspension of the cantilever begins to dry out. At the least it means not so good sound. At the worst, the cantilever can collapse and then the stylus becomes a chisel being scraped through your record groove.
So, my best bet is just to use the one that's on the table, and when I need it replaced, take it a legitimate audio dealer. or be very patient. I think the former is probably the better idea -- I am visually impaired, after all! (Some vision, but nowhere near enough, I'd guess).
At least I know not to try it! That's useful info, and that's why I'm here!
Given that I don't have the turntable here yet, and that I'm making the assumption that the arm is the original one that came with the Dual 606-55, is there a good, if not necessarily top-of-the-line, cartridge for this tonearm? And, if a table/tonearm (like mine) is not the top-of-the-line, is it really worth getting a top-end cartridge for it? The table/tonearm may introduce issues that can't be corrected by a top-end cartridge, anyway.
Or are these questions best asked of a dealer (hopefully honest), who will ultimately have to install the cartridte?
The Dual arm is good is many ways. It is not a "high end" arm since it was meant for universal sale and compatibility. There are too many press fit pieces and too much slop in the low friction bearings to even hope to compete against a Rega 250. Unfortuantely, you cannot replace the Dual arm. Use it as is and enjoy a good for the dollar spent value. You can eventually resell the Dual for pretty much what you paid today. The arm is low mass/low friction (relatively) and due to the loose fit in the bearings and the overall construction of the arm, it doesn't like cartridges that put lots of energy back into the arm. I would stick with the low mass OM series of cartridges from Ortofon. The Dual arm was virtually designed around these cartridges and the two work well together. The OM series also has the benefit of allowing an upgrade just by buying the better stylus assembly when the time comes.
And to repeat what Jan(and others) have said before, you can get very good results with a standard arm and end, if the set-up is perfected. However the hell you do that!
I will follow your recommendation, then. And while I haven't shopped for a new cartridge yet, I believe the Ortofons are relatively reasonable in price. Sounds good to me!
Well, I was all set to have a new Ortofon cartridge installed on my newly-acquired Dual CS-606 (see above), per your recommendation. The three audio dealers closest to me do not carry Ortofon, however: the closest dealer is in Waukegan, IL, which is NOT convenient. The dealers do carry Grados, which I don't know much about, and am not sure if those are a decent match for the tonearm, or not.
Given some of the limitations of my eyesight, I felt it was better to have a dealer install the new cartridge for me. I can only hope they'll install something that is a good match, and not something they want to get rid of!
While I don't usually like to ask brand-specific questions, I'm just wondering what you think. I have heard of the Grados, Shure, and Stanton, but want to have some idea of brands to stay away from. Thanks!
Grados are a very good choice as long as the cartridge doesn't hum when it plays a record. Grados are not shielded and have a problem when installed in some tables. I cannot remember whether Grados like the direct drive Duals. Have the dealer play a record for you before you take the table home. If it hums, they still own the cartridge.
All right, just a couple more minor questions, and I'll get off of this topic forever!
I'm not sure I totally understood the point about the old cartridges going to you-know-what as they age, due to the cantilevers getting brittle, or at the very least, stiff? Does this mean that one (like myself) could just have the stylus changed, or is this dependent on the particular design of the cartridge in question? For example, this might work well if I actually had an Ortofon OM series cartridge, which allows for easy stylus upgrades, but not necessarily for the older TKS55E.
And, in general, is replacing a cartridge stylus still require re-alighment of the arm and cartridge? I would assume so, since the cartridge would have to be removed from the tonearm, in order to replace the stylus.
It occurs to me that I could have listened to all nine of Beethoven's symphonies, in the time I take to ask questions. Thanks in advance for your patience, which has to be wearing thin by now!
The cantilever's suspension is affected by age. The rubber parts dry up and loose elasticity. The cantilever itself is typically constructed of a metal of some sort in a replaceable stylus cartridge. There should be no need to pull the cartridge from the arm just to replace a stylus assembly. Most assemblies have a fit that snaps into place to assure identical placement of the stylus in erlation to the cartridge body.