I think the absence of subsonic filters is purely economic. The better quality stand alone subsonic units (KAB or DB Systems for example) cost the better part of a couple of hundred dollars, although there are certainly cheaper ways of dealing with subsonic issues (at least from my experience) if one is willing to make sonic compromises. I think it's inexcusable that many expensive high end phono preamps don't implement a subsonic filter and when I purchased a high quality phono pre in the past few years it was very high on my list of priorities. I certainly don't feel it is a band aid solution, especially in a high quality phono preamp and a high quality subsonic filter is probably not that cheap to implement. My experiences have led me to be entirely uninterested in phono preamps without some kind of subsonic filter. I’m sure there are many other alternatives as well with the ultra low mass arms possibilities, Lets hear from other VE members with Grados and see what they are using… Apparently these go really well with the Grado and are a common combination amongst the Grado Intelligentsia. If you have a bit more cash you should look at one of Hadcock models. If you want to go budget second hand I can think of the Mayware formula four or one of the older AudioTechnica low mass Arms. If your Deck has the option to fit a different arm you might want to explore a few low mass alternatives. The JVC arm I’m sure is a very good arm but unfortunately it looks like the arm’s effective mass is too high for the Grado. The down side of all this is that you need an ultra low mass arm to minimise any issues. However as you have experienced it also has its issues with an under damped suspension. The Grado does have some distinctive qualities and if that is what you are drawn towards then well and good. Since I have been using Moving Coil cartridges (typically a medium compliance cartridge) I have never encountered any problems with excess subsonic rubbish causing woofer pumping. Just out of interest, what arm and cartridge combination are you using? Perhaps some other users may be able to share their experiences. If this is the case then you will probably need to re-evaluate your arm cartridge combination. Next time you strike a case of “Woofer Pumping” take a close look at the cartridge when it is playing and you can probably see it wobble up and down after the warped section has passed. It is a bit like a car with no shock absorbers on a bumpy road. This cartridge / arm combination or mismatch is easily excited into large scale un-damped low frequency oscillations when it encounters a warp or large scale vertical irregularities such as a bubble or a delamination in the vinyl pressing. It is typically caused by a cartridge / arm mismatch, usually a high compliance cartridge in a medium or high mass arm. The problem of “Woofer Pumping” as you describe it is not usually caused by a bit of extra dirt in the groove. Although the Cyrus one sounded brilliant on both Moving Magnet and Moving Coil I always thought it sounded “Bass Light”. Prior to that I used to own a Mission Cyrus One which had a permanently “ON” warp filter. Before that I used a pre-amp I that I built myself and its response was engineered to be flat down to 3 Hz. My curent phono stage is a Project PhonoBox SE and has its Warp filter turned off. Just my Two cents worth but I have never needed to use a Sub-sonic or Warp filter.
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