UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum - View Single Post

dalgwcobl · 26th Feb 2019, 8:31 pm

Hmm sad to hear about 9TAs dying. I have several in different players which are OK.

The 8TA was a different animal from the previous generation of ceramics and, although good in its day, wasn't in the same league as the 9TA.

I'm currently trying out one of the cheap Chinese ceramics with flip-over stylus. It's not happy in a BSR UA8 changer (arm bearings and trigger mech all nice and free) unless the tracking weight is too high for comfort. The single-stylus version works well in lower mass pickup arms, so that supports your test results.

So that leaves the BSR which certainly seems to be a good workhorse. If it sounds good, tracks OK and you like it - job done!

26th Feb 2019, 8:31 pm	#48
dalgwcobl Pentode Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Royston, Hertfordshire, UK. Posts: 131	Re: Hacker Gondolier sound lacking presence Hmm sad to hear about 9TAs dying. I have several in different players which are OK. The 8TA was a different animal from the previous generation of ceramics and, although good in its day, wasn't in the same league as the 9TA. I'm currently trying out one of the cheap Chinese ceramics with flip-over stylus. It's not happy in a BSR UA8 changer (arm bearings and trigger mech all nice and free) unless the tracking weight is too high for comfort. The single-stylus version works well in lower mass pickup arms, so that supports your test results. So that leaves the BSR which certainly seems to be a good workhorse. If it sounds good, tracks OK and you like it - job done!