Fremer sings standards

Whenever I do turntable setup seminars, I complain to the participants about the lack of cartridge-pin diameter and clip-opening standards. Anyone who does their own setup has experienced it: The connection is too tight or too loose.

- MICHAEL FREMER

Forcing the clip onto the pin usually results in a broken-off clip that most end users don't have the soldering skills needed to repair; in the worst case, it can even result in damage to the cartridge when you try to remove the clip from the pin. Too loose a fit may result in a plier squeeze that irreparably collapses or breaks the clip, with the same end result.

I recommend the toothpick fix. If the pin is too big for the clip, insert a round toothpick into the clip to expand it. If the pin is too small, insert the toothpick and then squeeze the clip gently with pliers. If the connection is still too loose, use those pliers again to give it another gentle squeeze.

It really would be nice if the clip people and the pin people would get together and work this all out, don’t you think? There are a few nicely made “spring” clips that expand as needed and grip well, but there aren’t enough of them out there.

Some standards seem like a good idea but probably aren’t. It might be tempting to standardize the distance between the cartridge fixing screws and the stylus tip. That way, every cartridge installed in a particular arm would result in the correct effective length—hence the correct overhang. Standardizing that, though, would require standardizing cantilever lengths, which would limit cartridge-design innovation— not good. Anyway, that’s what headshell slots are for.1