Well, I indulged myself and ordered a 20CL+ cartridge from Sound Smith. It arrived today, and since UPS were nice enough to call this morning I was able to spend the lunch hour at my favorite vinyl shop, stocking up on some essential listening, including a few Japanese 180g and 200g pressings of a few stalwarths: Emerson, Lake & Palmer Pictures at an Exhibition; Steely Dan's Aja; Porkupine Tree Fear of a Blank Planet.
I was ready.
First I played a record in my Beogram 4000 with the stylus that it came with.
Then gingerly extracting the 20CL+ from its very handsome box - I was doing fine surgery there for a moment as the stylus is quite exposed and it's all hand made and critically vulnerable to "Ooops, I didn't mean to do that!"
Pressed it into the holding "flange" - "Did I press too hard? Hope not."
OK. Aja, Steely Dan. An album I have spent more time listening to than I have watched or listened to weather reports my entire life.
Using the carbon brush. Pressing ON.
Sitting down.
Oh, yes! Very, very nice work by Sound Smith, my ancient Beogram 4000 just did an upgrade in sound - suddenly the soundstage is nicely distributed, where (to be honest) it was a little bunched up to the left and right. The vocalist just moved centre stage, where he belongs, and certain instruments moved up, while others moved down.
Nice. I'm happy now. And can only recommend a stylus rejuvenation.
(Photo from Sound Smith.)
