Recently I acquired a new cartridge and needed a spare headshell to mount it to my JVC turntable (see above). My stock headshell is around 7g, so I was searching for something in the 7-10g range that would work well with my tonearm and the cartridge. After looking around I decided to try this headshell, as the idea of mounting the cartridge from the bottom was very intriguing to me. Now, I know AT doesn't have a great reputation with people into records these days, mainly because they slap their name on all kinds of cheaply made products (e.g. Hanpin turntables), but this product has nothing to do with that. It's made in Japan and has more to do with their specialized audiophile products, many of which are not sold directly in the U.S.
The headshell includes several sets to screws to work with different cartridges and four sets of mounting holes on the bottom of the shell. The only cartridge type it really won't work with (more on that later) is the type like the Ortofon 2M series where the bolts thread directly into the body. Most other 1/2'' mount cartridges will work with this headshell, with one big caveat.
Depending on the length of your tonearm and cartridge's cantilever, it may be difficult to achieve your preferred alignment method. Luckily, my preferred method is Stevenson, and my Goldring 1042's stylus point lines up pretty much perfectly when using the second set of mounting holes on the bottom of the headshell.
Note: if you prefer Baerwald or Logfren alignment, you may have more difficulty using a headshell like this, though it may be possible depending on the cartridge and the tonearm. If you're using a conical stylus on a DJ cartridge or something like that, alignment is not nearly as critical and you'll probably be okay.
I'll probably pick up another one of these when it comes time for my next cart as I'm very impressed with how easy it was to mount and align a cart on.
Product Page
[
everydayambient.wordpress.com]
[
www.instagram.com]
