But once you get your grubby mitts on the ‘table, the fun has only just begun. My CS 20 arrived with both the original integrated Ortofon cartridge and a spare Audio Technica type head-shell. With the requisite Din-RCA adapter to hand, I could have just run it exactly as it arrived (which of course, I did) but the real deal is only revealed once you make a few necessary mods. The first and most obvious change is to install a ‘proper’ cartridge. Many CS 20 aficionados (yes, the ‘table has its own, unofficial fan club) swear by the Denon DL103 but even with a near 3.0g VTF, the 8.5g cartridge stretches the counterbalancing capabilities of the counterweight beyond its comfort zone. The answer is to modify or replace the counterweight, either adding mass or using a substitute. Indeed, the first time I saw a CS 20 being used in anger, the counterweight was actually a Mundorf inductor, whose bobbin just happened to fit the unusually narrow, 10mm stub on the arm. But while I appreciated the humour, I wanted a more elegant (and more versatile) solution than that. With a whole host of VPI counterweights in house, I set out to sleeve out the tonearm’s counterweight stub to match their 12mm bore. My solution of choice? A length of 12mm carbon-fibre tube bought from Germany for the princely sum of €7.73 (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/264706607918?hash=item3da1be4b2e:g:T4YAAOSwH1pcWsRY) . Cut to length (wear a mask so that you don’t breath in the dust) this slips snuggly over the existing stub and offers a near perfect fit for any 12mm bore c/w with O-ring or grub-screw fixing. And the tonearm is still original!
With a whole range of weights and headshells available, choice of cartridge was the next decision. Initially at least, I went with the Denon flow, although I chose the Zu Audio re-bodied version of the DL-103, the availability of heavier counterweights easily accommodating its 14g physical mass. The result was certainly engaging enough in a purely musical sense, but there was no missing the rounded and softened sound of the 103, or the lack of resolution – testament to the inherent qualities of the ‘table. Of course, with the tonearm’s detachable headshell, it’s possible to run a whole range of cartridges, and once I had the deck up and running, that’s exactly what I did, running the gamut from the Sumiko Blackbird and Nagaoka MP-500, all the way up to the Lyra Dorian and Etna Lambda SL!
