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Welcome Licorice Pizza (LP) lovers! Setup guides and Vinyl FAQ.

RE: Effective Mass, Headshells - Confused and need some help

I'm not an expert, but I think some of the lightest shells are the SME S2 and S2 improved, but not the S2R. However I think they are compromised by their lightweight construction and are not very rigid, the S2R is better and heavier.

One piece cast shells such as the ADC LMG1, Sumiko HS12, Shelter HS1011L (9 grams IIRC)or wooden ones like the Yamamoto HS3 boxwood (8 grams IIRC) have transformed the sound of my SME3009/II. I avoid single piece shells that have been bent into shape as they do not seem so rigid and many I've tried are not bent correctly at 90 degrees to the locking collar.

The downside is that there isn't a standard height of cartridge or headshell. So everytime you swap, VTA has to be adjusted. You can set up the lateral alignment once and more-or-less forget about it if your locking collar/headshell fit is good and consistent.

The Sumikos win here as they have two locking pins.

There is some loss of rigidity with detachable headshells, so if you do not need to swap cartridges frequently a rigid arm makes more sense.

If I were buying a new arm with a detachable shell the Jelcos would be on my list. Hope this helps.


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