I got my Ortofon Cadenza Black a month or so back and, quite frankly, have not been terribly impressed. The sound quality I heard from this cartridge at RMAF was simply not apparent here at home. In short, I was disappointed and I stopped listening to records.
And then!
Enter my first VTF gauge, an AcousTech Electronics Stylus Force Gauge from Acoustic Sounds.
Until now, I’d been setting VTF by hand using the dials on the back of the Pro-Ject 9cc tonearm. How? Well, what you do is this: first, zero-out the arm by dialing in a weight that “floats” the tonearm, then turn the collar so that zero now points straight up, and finally twist the whole assembly till you’re at the right weight. Sounds like a plan!
But, when I compared my by-sight method with the milligram sensitive digital VTF gauge I found out something quite startling. I’m off by a full half-gram. So I was loading up The Black with 1.8g of VTF instead of the recommended 2.3g. Big difference.
And the sound? Big difference! Bass and treble both have locked in. Oh me oh my.
Silly rabbit.
I’m loving this new cartridge!
