Not much progress with the Lenco. Things have been sailing smoothly with the AS-212 and Nag MP-100. I'm enjoying the flexibility of the removable headshell, which I haven't had since the late 70's.
I've added an Ortofon LH-4000 headshell to the stash. Seems well made, with two locking pins that the AS-212 can accommodate, and azimuth adjustment. It's a full 14.3 grams without screws, which I wanted in the event I feel like trying a less compliant cartridge.
Yesterday I decided to try mounting a Dyna 10x5 to the new headshell for a trial. Now the fun begins - with this combo the arm didn't want to adjust to a neutral balance, the headshell and cart being just a bit too heavy. No problem though, this gives me a chance to use the other part which arrived this week - a sub weight that I ordered to allow for mounting a
heavy cartridge.
Now the headshell/cart combo will not be too heavy. As expected, I had to move the counterweight much closer to the pivot to achieve a neutral balance. But wait ! The counterweight is so close to the pivot, I can't adjust for a 2g tracking weight. It only manages 1.7g or so.
There is some adjustment possible with the sub weight, but it seemed that the headshell/cart combo is now a little light.
To the rescue comes the Soundsmith EZ-Mount cartridge screws. The stainless pair add about 6.3 grams to the headshell, compared with the standard screws I used which were 2g or less per pair.
Everything balances well now, and I think I have the effective mass to manage a DL-103 or other low compliance cartridge with this new found flexibility.
I didn't think about it before purchase, but working with the Lenco has provided me with a lot more hands on abilities. I'm much more confident now with handling the components and setting up carts. Fun times.
