Is this right?

[chris_bates1974]

I've been quoted £20 by a dealer to fit a cartridge that I would be buying from them. I don't mind paying for a service, but had got the impression that most places would do this for free...

What's the normality here?

And I DO NOT want to have a go at fitting it myself - which I am welll aware would be free.

 

[DaanS]

It's not illegal I guess but I don't think that's normal at all. To most salesman the help you need to make use of a product you just bought from them is included in the price. Within all reason of course and fitting a cartridge doesn't only seem within reason (it doesn't take that long to do), I think it's a must to at least offer to do it because if you do it wrong yourself you eventually mess up your vinyl. No salesman with any pride in what he's doing will let you suffer through that. If I was charged 20 pounds for that, that would it probably be my last visit to said store.

 

[chris_bates1974]

Well.. I'm replacing my cartridge for the first time, so am quite nervous about mucking it up.

I thought I would buy it from my local (ish) hifi place but to be honest, the thought of paying nearly a quarter the price of the cartridge to get it fitted irks.... So not a case of won't be going back, more a case of won't be going in for the first time.

I think I will after all try and fit it myself. It pains me that physical stores are becoming fewer and fewer.... But ultimately it's a cost decision for most of us.

 

[bigfish786]

Fitting a cart is really simple, there are enough tutorials on YouTube to put you at ease.

if the cart is a little heavier or lighter than yours, all you will need to do is adjust the weight at the back of the tonearm.

give it a go.

 

[chris_bates1974]

Thanks Bigfish, I've decided I'm going to....

So I'm ordering a Nagaoka MP-110....

And another hifi store has lost physical business. Maybe not a lot of business, but business nonetheless.

 

[DaanS]

if the cart is a little heavier or lighter than yours, all you will need to do is adjust the weight at the back of the tonearm.

I don't think he is talking about needlepreasure, but about setting the cartridge into the headshell. That's a bit more tricky to do. You can buy a plastic tool, as the guy in this video uses: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsvAqTBI_7Y

 

[thescarletpronster]

You could maybe tell them that if they're going to charge you to fit the cartridge you won't buy it from them after all and they'll be losing that (and future) business. They might have a rethink and offer to fit it gratis after all. If you could see it being fitted it would give you more confidence for the future, and of course the beauty of Nags is that once the cartridge is on, you can plug in new styli to your heart's content.

I decided to fit my Nagaoka MP-200 myself. Dropped it on the floor, of course, but it survived. Phew!

 

[Deleted member 108165]

I've been quoted £20 by a dealer to fit a cartridge that I would be buying from them. I don't mind paying for a service, but had got the impression that most places would do this for free...

What's the normality here?

And I DO NOT want to have a go at fitting it myself - which I am welll aware would be free.

I'm quite new into turntables but I've always fitted my own, so if a ham fisted idiot such as myself can do it I am sure you will have no trouble at all. YouTube is your friend here; Vinyl Engine is also a good place for info. It can be quite daunting and it is easy to wreck a stylus in seconds, (been there, done that!).

I believe that Nagaoka carts have loose nuts and screws to secure to the cartridge to the arm, I read a tip about the how to handle the nuts - wet your finger to pick them up. Don't remove that stylus guard until you are ready to adjust the alignment, after you've loosely attached the cartridge to the tonearm. Did your deck come with an alignment protractor? If you are going the DIY route then you will need one. Fortunately the Nagaoka's have nice square sides so should be easier to align.

Regarding the fitting charge by the retailer I believe this could be par for the course as I have heard some people have been charged as much as 50 quid for the privilege.

Let us know how you get on as a Nagaoka cartridge will be my next purchase.

 

[chris_bates1974]

So, I emailed the hifi place concerned this morning, and they are sticking with their quote of £20 to fit the cartridge.

Business lost. £20 may not be a massive amount of cash, but the principle is important.

Can anyone recommend a HIFI place near the Leicester/Coventry/Northampton area where I can visit and spend up to £100 on a cartridge.

I'd go to Cymbiosis where I got my speakers (they were superb) but they don't have anything in my range....

 

[bigfish786]

Are there any near you?

they do the 2m red for £84.95. Could be worth a look.