Looks all right to me. As long as it can make clean electrical contact you shouldn't have issues. It's a bigger problem when there is physical buildup of crud on the pins that could prevent proper connection to the tonearm.
How does the stylus and cantilever look? Any crud there?
That’s fine. You can try the pencil eraser if you want.
That would be a hard pass for me. That sucks.
I’d pass. Sorry.
That looks exactly like the one I received, I think mine is actually worst. I ordered another one, explaining to them the one I received before and asking them to check before they ship. I received it yesterday and it looks perfect. will install later today and check the sound. Good luck.
Cartridge pins are not a standard diameter. A/T are fat. Ortofon are skinny. The connectors on the wires vary in diameter too. What is did was carefully squeeze the pins with small needle nose pliers just a wee bit to make a good connection.
Thanks for the info. I’ll try to do this as delicately as I can.
Per Michael Fremer:
www.stereophile.com
Wow. Fun article. I guess fiddling is half the fun. But sometimes, I just like it to be easier. For me the questions always are. Am I doing this right? Is it sounding good? Then there are nights that reply,”yes!” Things are good! Then there are days the say “No! What is wrong now??Per Michael Fremer:
“I recommend the toothpick fix. If the pin is too big for the clip, insert a round toothpick into the clip to expand it. If the pin is too small, insert the toothpick and then squeeze the clip gently with pliers. If the connection is still too loose, use those pliers again to give it another gentle squeeze.”
Analog Corner #324: Phono Cartridge Standards, SW1X LPU III Balanced phono preamplifier, Sumiko Wellfleet phono cartridge
Whenever I do turntable-setup seminars, I complain to the participants about the lack of cartridge-pin diameter and clip-opening standards. Anyone who does their own setup has experienced it: The connection is too tight or too loose. Forcing the clip onto the pin usually results in a broken-off...
So my cart just before the SAE was a Opus3. I really like the Opus3, it was heaps better in my system than a BluePoint2 I was using. My system sounded much more balanced and lacked the distinct glare in the mids that I was getting from the BluePoint. Then come this little gem at almost a third of the price of the Opus and sounds even better! I found myself putting on record that I avoided before just to test the response. For the most part the SAE was able to tame some of these bad records. I’d say put the SAE on! Life is too short!
I have an Opus3 on my main table and the SAE will be next as well. Psyched!
www.analogplanet.com
You can get the MP-500 from CD Japan for under $600 delivered which is a great deal.I have not mounted the SAE yet. I have really been enjoying my Nagaoka MP-300 too much to dismount it! The MP-300 has really surprised me. It was supposed to just be a platform for a MP-500 line contact stylus upgrade, but I keep getting drawn in by it.
Fremer said in his cartridge shoot-out several years ago that the MP-300 "overall balance was among the most pleasing of any of these cartridges, regardless of price." I can now see why.
Nine Cartridges Reviewed, Compared and File Identities Revealed!
First of all thanks to everyone who participated. More did than we initially expected. This is a learning experience for sure. Future such surveys will feature “normalized” files so levels will be equal. I’ll be far more careful about clipped files too.
The MP-300 can accept a stylus upgrade to become a MP-500. The stylus alone can be purchased for less than $300. That was my scheme when I purchased the MP-300 with some hours already on it!
