Grado Cartridges and Stylus - Questions and Advice.

HayesWeighsIn said:
Now that I’m going on 11 months with a Grado, half of that with an 8MZ, one thing I’ve really enjoyed is how earnest it is to the pressing. It will give you everything the record allows. There are definitely some lackluster pressings where I’d prefer something a little less revealing, but on the good ones, damn is it a satisfying listen.
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Well I own about 10 really good records so maybe something a bit less forgiving is best for me.
 
Hello all, I bought the Opus 3 today. During these times I really want to support local and the the local shop had it in stock and even mounted it, set it up with a protractor for free. They did a little vta tilt back per my request, but showed me how to chage the vta on the Scout. I will let it break in for 50 hours and report back or ask any questions I might have in the meantime. Thank you kindly.
 
JohnnyCashFan said:
Hello all, I bought the Opus 3 today. During these times I really want to support local and the the local shop had it in stock and even mounted it, set it up with a protractor with little vta tilt back per my request. I will let it break in for 50 hours and report back or ask any questions I might have in the meantime. Thank you kindly.
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Kudos for buying local and supporting small businesses! Did you get the low output or the high output? I’ve absolutely no doubt that you’ll love it, I can’t see myself having any other cartridge in my system in the medium term, it’s exceptional!
 
Joe Mac said:
Kudos for buying local and supporting small businesses! Did you get the low output or the high output? I’ve absolutely no doubt that you’ll love it, I can’t see myself having any other cartridge in my system in the medium term, it’s exceptional!
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high output as that is what my phono preamp is now and most likely will be in the future.
 
Grado Opus 3

Day One thoughts. After a hour of breakin on the Cardas Test Record I would say "sublime". Close to what I remember from an old Grado Sonata, with more inner detail without ever being bright. Very good depth in stage. Typical Grado midrange strengths. I would say the bass is a tad lean now, but I expect that to bloom with some more break-in or perhaps VTA experimentation. Excellent tracking.

Day two thoughts. Airy top end, and very good air around instruments. Reminds me a bit of Benz I have heard in others systems.

 
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all right. mounted and calibrated! running the Grado at just a hair under 1.8g, with my Sutherland set to 47k ohm and 58dB gain.

spinning Rumours first, because, well...it's Rumours.

Now, this is obviously not a fair fight coming from a considerably more expensive Soundsmith, but, at first blush, I can understand the appeal here. Yes, the Grado surrenders detail at the top and bottom versus the SoundSmith, unsurprising given the Platinum2's elliptical stylus profile, but that juicy midband is a real party. There's a bit of midrange bloom that imparts the characteristic Grado warmth, slightly clouded high end, and full and enjoyable, if not incredibly punchy, bass response.

Guitars, both acoustic and electric, sound great, as does percussion. Solid imaging; soundstage is decently wide, but has an impressive sensation of depth. Vocals are rich but perhaps a bit veiled - more listening needed there.

My immediate impression is one of solid detail, excellent drive and musicality. Every time percussion kicks in on this album (which is a lot!) I'm tapping my toes. It's not a neutral cart or a detail monster by any means, but it is a lot of fun to listen to thus far.

Will continue spinning this morning and post more thoughts as they occur.
 
kvetcha said:
all right. mounted and calibrated! running the Grado at just a hair under 1.8g, with my Sutherland set to 47k ohm and 58dB gain.

spinning Rumours first, because, well...it's Rumours.

Now, this is obviously not a fair fight coming from a considerably more expensive Soundsmith, but, at first blush, I can understand the appeal here. Yes, the Grado surrenders detail at the top and bottom versus the SoundSmith, unsurprising given the Platinum2's elliptical stylus profile, but that juicy midband is a real party. There's a bit of midrange bloom that imparts the characteristic Grado warmth, slightly clouded high end, and full and enjoyable, if not incredibly punchy, bass response.

Guitars, both acoustic and electric, sound great, as does percussion. Solid imaging; soundstage is decently wide, but has an impressive sensation of depth. Vocals are rich but perhaps a bit veiled - more listening needed there.

My immediate impression is one of solid detail, excellent drive and musicality. Every time percussion kicks in on this album (which is a lot!) I'm tapping my toes. It's not a neutral cart or a detail monster by any means, but it is a lot of fun to listen to thus far.

Will continue spinning this morning and post more thoughts as they occur.
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Not bad at all for a $350 cartridge, especially in comparison to your Soundsmith. I prefer my Dynavector too, but the Dyna wasn’t $350 either, so it’s hardly a fair fight.
 
HiFi Guy said:
Not bad at all for a $350 cartridge, especially in comparison to your Soundsmith. I prefer my Dynavector too, but the Dyna wasn’t $350 either, so it’s hardly a fair fight.
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I think the only real issue I have with the cart thus far is that it's given me a little bit of IGD at the end of side B that I don't recall with the SoundSmith. I'll have to try some other hard-to-track material and suss it out.

Very enjoyable cart otherwise, especially at that price point. I'm tempted to take it to a friend's house in the future and do an A-B with his 2M Blue. Bit more of a fair fight, MSRP-wise.
 
kvetcha said:
I think the only real issue I have with the cart thus far is that it's given me a little bit of IGD at the end of side B that I don't recall with the SoundSmith. I'll have to try some other hard-to-track material and suss it out.

Very enjoyable cart otherwise, especially at that price point. I'm tempted to take it to a friend's house in the future and do an A-B with his 2M Blue. Bit more of a fair fight, MSRP-wise.
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I’m not sure the stylus profile is responsible for IGD. The Grado is bonded. The Dynavector is nude. Both are elliptical but the Dynavector is the better tracker.
 
I'm looking at jumping into the Grado game. Either gold 3 or opus3. Leaning towards the opus solely for the look of the wood cartridge. I have no idea when it comes to these numbers, so how do I know if I need a low or a high input one? My preamp is a Vincent pho-701.
 
CrazyDiamond84 said:
I'm looking at jumping into the Grado game. Either gold 3 or opus3. Leaning towards the opus solely for the look of the wood cartridge. I have no idea when it comes to these numbers, so how do I know if I need a low or a high input one? My preamp is a Vincent pho-701.
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Looking at your phonos adjustablility I’d stick with the high output, which would work off the same settings you’d currently be using for the 2M! I’d definitely recommend the Opus, it’s a lovely sounding cartridge.
 
Joe Mac said:
Looking at your phonos adjustablility I’d stick with the high output, which would work off the same settings you’d currently be using for the 2M! I’d definitely recommend the Opus, it’s a lovely sounding cartridge.
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Thanks for the quick response! I went ahead and put in an order. I've been antsy for an upgrade. Do they still do the 20 or 30 percent discount for replacements? If so, that should keep my replacement costs pretty in line with the 2m blue. Excited to try it out, and of course nervous to do my first full cartridge install. I'll have to dig up the videos posted in here as we have the same table.
 
CrazyDiamond84 said:
Thanks for the quick response! I went ahead and put in an order. I've been antsy for an upgrade. Do they still do the 20 or 30 percent discount for replacements? If so, that should keep my replacement costs pretty in line with the 2m blue. Excited to try it out, and of course nervous to do my first full cartridge install. I'll have to dig up the videos posted in here as we have the same table.
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I know that feeling 😂

I’m sure you’ll love it. Get yourself a pair, or a set of pairs of plastic tweezers. The headshell wires on the project are really fragile and you have to be really careful when connecting and disconnecting them from cartridges. I put a few tips I learned in the project thread on here.

As far as I’m aware Grado themselves still do for those of you in the US when you buy directly from them. I’d get onto @RichGrado for the latest though, he posted his email for questions a couple of weeks back in this thread!
 
Joe Mac said:
I know that feeling 😂

I’m sure you’ll love it. Get yourself a pair, or a set of pairs of plastic tweezers. The headshell wires on the project are really fragile and you have to be really careful when connecting and disconnecting them from cartridges. I put a few tips I learned in the project thread on here.

As far as I’m aware Grado themselves still do for those of you in the US when you buy directly from them. I’d get onto @RichGrado for the latest though, he posted his email for questions a couple of weeks back in this thread!
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Thanks. I did order straight from them, so hopefully that's still a thing. Ordering the tweezers. I already have all the measuring devices I need, so I should be ready to go.
 
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