Tracking Force And Footfalls ?

[James Edward]

As another post of mine suggests, I’m in the market for a new cartridge. I’m curious as to whether anyone knows if a cartridge tracking at a lower force, e.g. 1.2 grams vs 1.9 grams, would be more susceptible to skipping with foot traffic.
Somewhat ironically, my old VPI Prime was a nightmare in this regard. I say ironically, because my much less expensive Pro-Ject is better in this regard. All else is equal- same cabinet, same spot.
I’m contemplating a cartridge that recommends tracking at 1.2 grams. Am I asking for trouble in this regard- the pre- installed cartridge tracks at 1.8.
Another mountain out of a molehill audiophile concern? Thoughts?
Jim

[S Clark]

I think light tracking forces are overblown.  Track at the middle of your cartridges range, or slightly above.  It can help with footfalls.   I've always heard that tracking too light causes more damage that tracking at the top of the cartridges capacity. 
Also, make sure the TT is level!

[_Scotty_]

If the stylus looses contact with the grove wall when does hit the groove wall again it
 literally vaporizes the vinyl due to forces involved. thousands of PSI at the point of contact.
It a recipe for both rapid wear of the record grove as well as the stylus.
What cartridge are you contemplating buying. The stylus shape has a great deal to do
with how much tracking force wears out the record groves.Micro Line styluses have the least
wear for the amount of tracking force applied.
Scotty

[steve]

As another post of mine suggests, I’m in the market for a new cartridge. I’m curious as to whether anyone knows if a cartridge tracking at a lower force, e.g. 1.2 grams vs 1.9 grams, would be more susceptible to skipping with foot traffic.
Somewhat ironically, my old VPI Prime was a nightmare in this regard. I say ironically, because my much less expensive Pro-Ject is better in this regard. All else is equal- same cabinet, same spot.
I’m contemplating a cartridge that recommends tracking at 1.2 grams. Am I asking for trouble in this regard- the pre- installed cartridge tracks at 1.8.
Another mountain out of a molehill audiophile concern? Thoughts?
Jim

James, can you isolate your tt from the floor/stand/foundation? An audio friend of mine has used a 12" inner tube
from walmart, about 4 bucks last time I checked. Blow it up about half way.

Just a thought.

steve

[James Edward]

My mistake- the tracking force I indicated was for the high compliance version of the cartridge- the medium compliance which I would be getting is 1.2- 1.6 grams. I have always used the upper end for exactly the reason Scotty stated.
As for isolation, if all goes well sound-wise, I’m going to mount the table to an an exterior wall, Steve. It is conveniently located right behind my equipment cabinet. To be honest, I’ve been thinking about doing it for a while, but the turntable’s sound has kept me from going through the trouble. If I hadn’t mentioned it before, my stereo is in the living room; aesthetics are definitely a consideration. I guess an inner tube might be the solution without any issues.
And now for the 99,000 dollar answer- yes I’m a Honeymooners fan- I am most likely getting a Soundsmith Otello cartridge.

[James Edward]

FWIW, I live in NY on Long Island, and I can pick up the cartridge at the Soundsmith site, which alleviates my worrying about the shipping galoots tossing it around willy-nilly, no small peace of mind in my opinion…

[tmazz]

One of the other big advantages of a Soundsmith Otello is that if anything every happens to it they will rebuild the cart for only $100. By comparison,  the plug in replacement stylus for your Ortofon 2m Red (which retails for $99), is $87.