The Cartidge Man Digital Stylus Tracking Force Gauge

The Cartidge Man Digital Stylus Tracking Force Gauge

The importance of setting up a turntable correctly is only appreciated by those who have completed this task. Until then you just do not know what you are missing.

The Cartridge Man Digital Stylus Force gauge is a precision tool, that will allow you to set and then fine tune the tracking weight of your cartridge so you get the best possible experience from your vinyl collection.

The most accurate stylus force gauge available. Designed to match the thickness of an LP. The accuracy of these scales allows the user to hit the sweet spot of the cartridge every time.

What's more if you change cartridges regularly then this allows you to easily repeat the exact weight you last played your cartridge at time and time again.

With a resolution of 0.02g, the Digital Stylus Force Gauge will allow you to set a cartridge at 1.58g or 2.14g with ease. 

The importance of setting up a turntable correctly is only appreciated by those who have completed this task. Until then you just do not know what you are missing.

The Cartridge Man Digital Stylus Force gauge is a precision tool, that will allow you to set and then fine tune the tracking weight of your cartridge so you get the best possible experience from your vinyl collection.

The most accurate stylus force gauge available. Designed to match the thickness of an LP. The accuracy of these scales allows the user to hit the sweet spot of the cartridge every time.

What's more if you change cartridges regularly then this allows you to easily repeat the exact weight you last played your cartridge at time and time again.

With a resolution of 0.02g, the Digital Stylus Force Gauge will allow you to set a cartridge at 1.58g or 2.14g with ease.

It's hard to justify this sort of expense to someone with a cheap turntable and a handful of records. But as in the current market a £2000 TT/arm/cartridge combo is seen as mid-market it starts to make a lot more sense to try and get the best out of your investment - and prolong stylus life. Used in conjunction with the HFNRR test record you have all the tools needed to set up a turntable system to perfection. ALL professionals/shops should own these. If someone comes to set up your megabuck turntable and doesn't have them ask why not - it's like a doctor without a stethoscope. TNT-Audio

Essential for all Hi-End turntable owners who regularly set up their decks.

Technical Specification

Measurement range 0.2g to 4.0g
Accuracy better than 0.05g over full measurement range
Resolution 0.02g
Useable period 30 minutes per full charge
Display 3-digit LED
Status indication Display test, battery, nulling, overload
Recharge cycle 14-24 hours
Useable temperature 5°C to 35°C
Weight 150g nominal
Dimension 45mm h x 87mm diameter
Construction Non-magnetic, anti-slip feet
Charge unit 9V D.C. @ 100mA output supplied 240V.

110V USA model available on request.




The Digital Stylus Force Gauge is supplied with a standard plug top charging unit.

2 - The Stylus Gauge


Stylus pressure is critical (that word again). It has two widely understood effects. If it's too low the stylus will fail to hold on to the groove wall and mistracking will occur, damaging both stylus and record. Too high and the pressure of the stylus on the groove wall will increase thus wearing both stylus and record faster than necessary.

Less well known is that any cartridge is designed to be tracked at a precise downforce, that which places the coils or magnets centrally in the generator assembly. Any deviation from the recommended weight will cause unpredictable anomalies in the performance as the generator becomes misaligned and the suspension is working outside optimal ranges. The result can be an edgy or "slugged" sound, mistracking etc.

And perhaps most important of all, the downforce effects the angle at which the stylus sits in the groove - commonly called VTA. As the cantilever acts as a very short arm, if it is forced upwards the stylus will lean back in the groove, if the weight is too low the cantilever will move down through an arc to make the stylus lean forward. In fact 0.1 of a gram deviation can make more difference than a mm of arm height, especially with a very compliant cartridge. If you run a quality cartridge, especially line-contact then this angle is criti.... very important.

So if we accept that getting the tracking force right is important let's look at the alternatives before we shell out £200…

Ok for less than £20 the "Cartridge Man" will sell you a Shure gauge (see review) which is good for 0.1 gr but is a bit of a fiddle to use. Or you might be lucky - 18 years ago I bought a second hand LP12 and with it came a little gadget from Technics - one of their famous electronic stylus gauges. This too is good for 0.1 gr but is just as much of a fiddle (but looks better) but is as rare as hen's teeth....

Lastly your arm may have a downforce dial a Linn ITTOK, SME V etc. Well these spring loaded designs are not the most accurate things in the world, in fact the old graduations on a counterweight that cheaper arms use are a better bet. The SME IV uses a little vernier and you count the turns, using this I got easily down to 0.1 gr accuracy making the SME 5's spring dial superflous.
These things are also a bad idea because they apply the downforce by a spring, which is inevitably uneven in operation. If you own an arm so equipped, it's better to simply balance the arm then apply downforce by moving the counterweight towards the bearings and read off the downforce on a gauge. As well as being more accurate this brings the counterweight closer to the bearings which is a good thing...

Enter the "Cartridge Man's Stylus Gauge"...
This is a simply wonderful device, again lots of electronic bits and strain gauges etc... It uses a rechargeable battery. Switch the thing on, place it on the platter and drop the stylus onto the little white pad. 2 seconds later the downforce comes up to +/- 0.02 gr. Put the thing away and try an hour later - bang - same reading... Tomorrow? Same reading so the thing is consistent...

And that is really all there is to say about it. It works, better than anything else, and it's nearest rivals cost 4x as much...

"Ah!" I hear someone say: "the absolute downforce should be set by ear". OK - granted, so the Shure gauge gets you to a ballpark figure and you then spend many (many) happy hours fiddling with downforce with different records, VTA setting etc etc. And in the end you think it's spot on. Now you listen and begin to wonder "could it do with another tadge of downforce?" and you give it another tweek. "Nope worse", how do you get back to the original 'perfect' setting? With this gauge you measure BEFORE fiddling, and remeasure and remeasure so you can always find that optimum setting you had an hour ago - it's here that the 0.02 gr accuracy is essential.

Digital Stylus Gauge - Magazine Reviews

Hi-Fi News

3/1999, P21

Andrew Harrison
... this electronic balance offers the element of repeatability, such that fine-tuning can be cross-referenced to accurate readings, and 'sweet spot' settings can be noted down. ... the Digital Stylus Force Gauge makes it far, far easier - and still more precise.

... this balance also offers an order of magnitude greater precision, and the confidence that the three-significant figure display corresponds to the actual tracking force (QC calibration is made with lab-grade weights and the unit is temperature compensated).

Ultimate Audio

5/1998, P2

Myles B. Astor
A Technics calibration standard (1.525g) was used to test and verify the 'Cartridge Man's' accuracy ... yielding an average of 1.49g +/- 0.03g (SD) immediately upon turn-on, compared to 1.51g +/- 0.01g (SD) three minutes later.

... The best news of all is that the 'Cartridge Man' is a huge improvement over the Technics Electronic gauge - ease of use, easier-to-read LEDs, more stable readings, and a 'zero' that doesn't fluctuate.

Don't wait until it's too late; get these babies while they're still available!

Stereophile

2/1999, P51-52

Michael Fremer
... This neat little digital-readout device sells for $299 - a little more than a third of the cost of the Winds gauge - currently the industry standard. ... One thing I really like about the new gauge is that, unlike the Wind's weighing beam - which protrudes from the side, ... the Cartridge Man's beam is well protected. I used a 2g brass weight lab-certified ... the Cartridge Man measured the weight as 1.98g, which for me is more than adequate.


Hi-Fi Plus

2/2000

Roy Gregory
... The Cartridge Man's balance may seem expensive at £225.00, but it pales into insignificance against the Winds. ... I love the Winds, but what price its simplicity and cool looks ? Me, I'll settle for the Cartridge Man balance. It does exactly the same job, it just places a little more onus on the user.

Hi-Fi Choice

1/1999, P13

Jimmy Hughes
Obviously, the £225.00 asking price is high for something the average punter will use rarely, and on cost grounds, will be limited to serious vinyl enthusiasts, retailers and reviewers. Nevertheless, a worthwhile investment for those unwilling to accept second-best!

Hi-Fi News

3/2000, P7-8

Victor Kempt

(letters page)
I bought the Cartridge Man's DFG ... and have found its performance well on par with the Winds device, which retails at nearly four time the price. That is what I call value for money.