Because I rescue old turntables from thrift stores, I have a bit of a "carts and parts" graveyard going. Keeps the prices for my hobby low. Most of the time I replace because the manufacturer no longer exists so replacement styli are only available from aftermarket manufacturers, with varying QC standards. An upgrade means modern original replacement parts at not-absurd pricing like the NOS discontinued OEM parts. Recently I acquired a Hitachi HT-320 with an ADC K8E cart for $15; I upgraded the cart to a VM-95c and it sounds amazing for a $30 upgrade. That, a darn good cleaning, and a $2 belt got it up an running flawlessly. You don't need to spend a fortune for a good sounding player, and you highlighted the fundamentals for achieving that rather well. Good job!
One further snag is the non-standardization of both the terminals on the rear of the cartridge, and the color code of the wires, especially on older turntables. The way I would do it is not with colors and positions, but with colors and markings. Noting on your picture which color wire was on Left and Right, Hot and Ground respectively. Generally, the marks are L & R (sometimes spelled out) and either + or positive or red, and - or negative or black. Sometimes the small ground symbol is used that looks like three progressively shorter horizontal lines forming an upside down tree or triangle. The theoretical modern standard color code is white for left positive, blue for left negative, red for right positive and green for right negative.
The extra money for the AT VM95C is well worth not having to deal with those nuts. I believe it is the most affordable cartridge with threaded holes. Plus it can be upgraded with (OEM) styli all the way up to Shibata.
I have got an ATLP120XUSB, and I decided to get a mono cartridge. $139.00 for the cart and $30.00 for the headshell. I know you have shaky hands and I've got the same. Not only did the shaky hands, but also the money that I spent on the cart, made it especially difficult. I did it, but not without some frustration! Have a good Sunday.
Some affordable cartridges are sold mounted in standard head-shell. Look out for it if a more modestly expensive upgrade or higher makes sense . Lowest price combo I saw on LP Gear site was $167 for "LP Gear Audio-Technica AT120Eb SET." Still,- one must check alignment, overhang, balance.
Hey!! Don't "cartridge shame"! Some folks actually prefer the sound of the 3600 to the Ortofon. I personally find Ortofon to have a sterile signature for instance as opposed to the warmer sound the 3600 puts out. Elliptical is better for the most part, but the 3600's needle can be upgraded to that if that's your thing really cheap. Nice job on the explanation on doing the swap, it can be a pain sometimes, but it can be very rewarding if you're looking for a different sound signature.
How did you removed the connection with the green coating? Mine has that coating and it seems like a glue that glues the connections. Can I remove it anyway?
I don't mean to be rude or ask a stupid question, but I'm confused about your wiring for the AT3600L cartridge. When I look up it's wiring diagram online, as you suggested, it shows upper right (UR) red, LR green, UL white, and LL blue. That doesn't appear to be how you have connected them. Yours looks like UR green, LR blue, UL white, LL red (which is the correct diagram for the Ortofon cartridge). Why the discrepancy ??? Thank you.
@@Recordology perhaps add a bit of voice over or text saying that the drawing of the pin config is not best process, rather consult the rear of the new cartridge or manufacturer documentation. Otherwise some poor kid is could end up wondering why it doesn’t work properly?
Ciao ,my wife gift me this turntable,come with "no brand"cartridge.What cartridge you andvice for this turntable:an AT 95 is it a good choice? Or a Goldring E3 ,that i have on a Project turntable? Or other medium badget you think are good? Thank you,sorry for my english.I follow with great interest your videos. Grazie Mille,Mauro from Italy
Hey Mr. Ology That Fluance RT-85 has a great cartridge it comes with! I wouldn't change it out with a Audio Technica One! Doesn't it come with an ortofon blue? I think it does or the red!
"I hear a feeble sound from the left channel of my turntable. I've already checked the speaker connections on my AV receiver, and they seem fine. Could the issue be with the headshell or the cartridge?"
Hello YT, I have recently purchased the Stir it up Wireless Turntable. Some records, albeit brand new, repeat in certain areas. I wonder would upgrading the default AT3600L stylus/cartride to say a VM95E eliminate this and the needle find a way through the problem? (Please talk to me like a beginner, as I am!)
It sounds like the record could be skipping… I would recommend watching some of my videos on the subject first. Although it is true, that higher and styli will track better because they make more contact with the record groove.
My 1977 Full-Automatic-Direct-Driver WEGA P550 Cartridge Updates: AT 3600L (white) - AT 91 (yellow) - AT 95 (lightblue) - AT 95 (green) - Goldring E 3 (darkblue): This is perfect! Price: 35,- Euro - 40,- Euro - 48,- Euro - 85,- Euro - 140,- Euro.
I have watched several of your videos and I have noticed that your voice recording always is distorted at peaks. Maybe you should try to turn down the recording level a bit to avoid the distortion.
@@Recordology Maybe you should try not to use the auto gain. It is better to turn the record level down (max peak -12) and then adjust in post to LUFS -23. ;-)
