Cartridge touching vinyl whilst playing

I have an Ortofon OM5E cartridge, and am finding that the back of the cartridge sits so close to the vinyl that it actually touches it when playing slightly warped albums.

On a totally flat vinyl, the bottom of the cartridge sits about 1-2mm away from the vinyl surface. Is this right, or have I got a faulty cart?

 

If you look at from the side, is the arm parallel with the record surface?

 

Yes, dead on.

 

It sounds to me like you could do to try lifting the arm pillar up. I presume it's a Pro-ject deck, which one is it. Mine is adjusted by slackening two little grub screws. It depends which arm you have. The Pro-ject arms do sit low, but even using a Denon 103 which is a very shallow cart, I've never had that problem. If you PM your address I've got a fold over VTA alignment gauge, it's just a cardboard sheet with horizontal lines on it, but it's supposed to help you set VTA.
There's an interesting article here on VTA as well:
http://www.tnt-audio.com/sorgenti/vta_e.html

Let me know if you want it, I'll try and dig it out.

 

VTA as Lord Summit says - Do need to know the model though, as not all the Pro-Jects have adjustable VTA. I'm thinking of the Debuts.

Actually I just realised I missed the second post. You say its dead parallel, It'd need to be quite a way out for what you are describing to happen. So I'm not convinced it is VTA. Does it sound okay and normal when its playing a nice flat disc? A photo maybe?

 

It is a Debut 3. It sounds fine playing a flat disc.

I can't get a decent pictue at the moment, but hopefully the attached one may help.

Thanks for the advice.

 

OK. I don't think its a VTA issue. The arm is parallel (as it should be - the Debut doesn't have adjustable VTA and the VTA it is set to is specifically designed for the OM5e. 2mm is about right but yours looks a bit down.

attached is a twin of the pic you took, that I took a couple of minutes ago:



I too need a better camera But it doesn't look dissimilar. But I just took this over the rollercoaster that is my copy of Dusty Springfield's where am I going, and it didn't bottom out Sounds like on all but pretty flat records the cantilever is collapsing.

How do warped records sound and what do you have the tracking force set to?

 

I read this is a common problem with projects Mine dosn't do this yet but its slightly out.

 

It's worth checking your VTF is correct - no more than than 2g for the OM5e, recommended 1.75g. Make sure you get the arm properly floating before carefully setting the dial to zero, rechecking that its floating and then dialling up the counterweight to the correct reading.

Its possible that if you just screwed on the counterwight without levelling first and dialled it in to what you think is the correct weight, it could be way out over - if it was way out under, it'd tend more to fly off the warps rather than bottoming out. A much too high tracking force would do ... well it would do pretty much what has been described. It'd play on a very flat record (all be it not sounding at its greatest ), but bottom out on warps.

But then so might a duff stylus suspension do exactly the same.

 

Uncle Ants - thanks very much for your help, you have sorted it.

I was sure I had set it up correctly when I first got it, but I have moved it around a couple of times since then.

I have just set it up again, and it is running quite a lot higher now - about 4mm from a flat vinyl, and just enough to get over the warps on my Thievery Corporation album!

One more quick question if I may - which of the settings should the anti-skating weight be set on? I have currently got it attached to the middle of the three grooves on the back of the arm - is this correct?

Thanks again.

 

Ha ...beat me to it

weight was going to be my first suggestion!

 

Glad to help. If you've set VTF to 1.75g, then the middle notch should be pretty much right. If when you drop the needle using the cueing device it doesn't drift in or out and it doesn't snatch when it hits the groove, it won't be far out.

Now that you have the VTF set correctly it ought to sound a little better too.

 

Mine sits pretty close to the deck too:



Original file here if you want a closer look:

http://crustyloafer.smugmug.com/photos/50654888-O.jpg

 

Show off

 

It's also mounted way back in the cartridge shell. Have you used an alignment protractor? My Benz ACE is much more further to the front

 

Have to say it does look a bit far back. My dorian is also mounted further out than that. The top of my cart is just, say 1mm, back from the very front of the arm.

 

Yes looks too far back in the head shell.

Looks like you have a Gyro with Techno Arm. Is the spindle to arm centre 223mm or thereabouts? if not check the arm board of the Gyro. It's possible to fitt it the wrong way 'round making the arm to spindle distance incorrect. The Stylus (overhang) also should be approx 17mm beyond the spindle centre. Mark 17mm on a protractor and swing the arm out and over the centre spindle to check.

The cart also looks like it's riding too low, my KB rides higher than that at 2.2gram is the VTF OK?

 

This is why I like Aro's. One choice for alignment and thats yer lot.

Has not let me down yet haha.

 

The Boyz may have a point Crusty, it does look very far back.