My hobbies include music, hi-fi, home cinema and reading horror stories by authors such as Stephen King, James Herbert and Dean Koontz. I own copies of nearly all Stephen King's stories. I keep meaning to get back into electronics, an interest from my teenage years, but have not found the time yet.

I have three sons. David has made us grandparents twice. Matthew and Daniel are still at school.

Unfortunately, I have to work so I pass that time as an IT consultant working through our company MAS Unicorn Limited.

I love music from the 60s, 70s and 80s and movies from every era. My other hobbies are gardening, pottery and reading anything and everything.

My daughter Gemma works with people who have learning difficulties. Debbie gave us our first grandchild, a girl, and Beckie is a Primary School Teacher.

I am a qualified Psychosynthesis Therapeutic Counsellor and Psychotherapist who teaches and runs a private practice.

We live in the UK in the quiet village of Meppershall in Bedfordshire.

Feel free to wander round the site. It is a work in progress at the moment so there are likely to be many changes, additions and deletions as time goes by.

Click on an item in the list to go directly to that product description

• Nagaoka No.102 Anti-Static Record Sleeves 50 Pack
• van den Hul Gold Plated Cartridge Tags Kit
• van den Hul MSS-7 Silver Coated Matched Crystal OFC Tonearm Wire
• Unicorn Cartridge Mounting Bolt Kit
• Unicorn Enhanced Cartridge Mounting Bolt Kit
• Unicorn Cartridge Alignment and Vertical Tracking Angle Gauges
• Shure SFG-2 Stylus Tracking Force Gauge
• Ortofon Carbon Fibre Stylus Brush
• Goldring Super Exstatic Record Cleaner
• Ordering information

Nagaoka No.102 Anti-Static Record Sleeves 50 Pack

Static is generated all around us and builds up very easily on the vinyl your valuable record collection is made of. This static charge attracts dust and fluff that will stick to the record surfaces, waiting to be collected by your stylus tip the next time the record is played. The dust can also scratch the record as it is taken out of or put back into a record sleeve.

Designed and manufactured by Nagaoka in Japan, these superior quality No.102 sleeves are subjected to a special static prevention process and are therefore not susceptible to the generation of static electricity.

The sleeves are designed to fit an LP beautifully and can be used inside existing picture or lyric sheet sleeves, inside normal printed paper sleeves, or on their own as a complete replacement of the original inner sleeve.

The No.102 are supplied in a sealed retail pack of 50 sleeves.

Price: £14.99

Postage: UK £2.46, Europe £3.80, Rest of the World £5.90
Postal Insurance: UK included, Europe and the Rest of the World add £3.41

van den Hul Gold Plated Cartridge Tags Kit

• 4 van den Hul Gold Plated Cartridge Tags
• Pair of Stainless Steel Pointed Tweezers
• 3 Full Colour Pages of Useful Advice for Fitting the Tags

Made by van den Hul, one of the worlds leading designers of high quality interconnects, cables and connectors, these standard sized gold plated cartridge tags are supplied as a set of 4 together with a pair of pointed tweezers.

The design of the tags allows them to be easily opened or closed to fit all cartridge and headshell pins while still retaining secure contact. The longer than average solder tray at the end of each tag makes them easier to attach to headshell wiring and easier to push onto a cartridge. The gold plating ensures a tarnish free surface through which the minute signals from the cartridge are transmitted.

The small stainless steel pointed tweezers provide a safer method for removal and fitting of the tags than fingers or pliers.

The tags are packed in a re-sealable polythene bag. The tweezers are packed in a protective sleeve. The kit also includes 3 full colour pages of useful advice for fitting the tags.

Price: £6.99

Postage: UK £0.51, Europe £1.22, Rest of the World £1.56
Postal Insurance: UK included, Europe and the Rest of the World add £3.41

van den Hul MSS-7 Silver Coated Matched Crystal OFC Tonearm Wire

Made by van den Hul, one of the worlds leading designers of high quality interconnects, cables and connectors, this 36 gauge, 7 strand tonearm wire is extremely light and flexible. Each conductor is made of high purity matched crystal OFC which is coated with dense high purity silver. Seven conductors are then bound together in a PTFE insulator.

This van den Hul wire is ideally suited to tonearm rewiring and cartridge tag lead making. MSS-7 has many other applications where a thin flexible very high quality wire is required.

The wire is being sold as a set of four colours; red, green, transparent and blue, in multiples of 5cm lengths, cut to order.

Your order is packed in a re-sealable polythene bag with a useful cartridge wire colour coding reminder.

Price: £2.49 per 5cm

Postage: UK £0.51, Europe £1.22, Rest of the World £1.56
There is no additional postage charge for longer lengths
Postal Insurance: UK included, Europe and the Rest of the World add £3.41

Unicorn Cartridge Mounting Bolt Kit

• 2 x 8mm bolts
• 2 x 10mm bolts
• 2 x 12mm bolts
• 6 x nuts
• 6 x washers

• Allen key
• Combination spanner

To get the best from your cartridge it should be properly fitted to the headshell and this can only be done with bolts of the correct size, length, strength and material. Using inferior bolts, for instance magnetic, brass or nylon, will result in loss of musical resolution and detail. This is because the minute signals picked up by the stylus will be distorted by movement of the cartridge, resonances in the mounting hardware or interference from close proximity magnetic materials. Using bolts that are too long not only looks unsightly, it adds unnecessary mass to the tonearm.

Correctly mounted you can be certain that the union between your cartridge and tonearm is performing at its best.

The mounting bolts and nuts in this kit are non magnetic high strength stainless steel, the only type you should use when fitting a cartridge. The socket head on the bolts allows for easy positioning and tightening with the supplied allen key.

The short length British made combination spanner provides a safer method of tightening the mounting nuts than a 'car sized' spanner or pliers. It is highly polished with no sharp edges so that it does not scratch the headshell. As both ends are the same size you can use whichever is the most comfortable.

The washers are provided for situations where you need to add a temporary spacer to the headshell.

The kit includes the most popular lengths of mounting bolt. Other sizes can be added to the kit by special order.

The mounting hardware and allen key are packed in a re-sealable polythene bag. The kit also includes full colour useful advice for fitting a cartridge.

Price: £4.99
Special order extra bolts: up to and including 12mm 75p per pair, over 12mm £1.40 per pair

Postage: UK £0.51, Europe £1.22, Rest of the World £1.56
Postal Insurance: UK included, Europe and the Rest of the World add £3.41

Unicorn Enhanced Cartridge Mounting Bolt Kit

• 2 x 6mm bolts
• 2 x 8mm bolts
• 2 x 10mm bolts
• 2 x 12mm bolts
• 2 x 14mm bolts
• 2 x 16mm bolts

• 6 x nuts
• 6 x washers
• Allen key
• Combination spanner

This is probably the only cartridge mounting bolt kit you will ever need. The same specification as the standard kit but with a very comprehensive selection of bolts.

Price: £7.49
Special order extra bolts: up to and including 12mm 75p per pair, over 12mm £1.40 per pair

Postage: UK £0.51, Europe £1.22, Rest of the World £1.56
Postal Insurance: UK included, Europe and the Rest of the World add £3.41

Unicorn Cartridge Alignment and Vertical Tracking Angle Gauges

Choose one of the following packs:

• CAG-G - Alignment gauge suitable for all tangential tonearms
• CAG-L - Alignment gauge suitable for Linn Products tonearms
• CAG-GL - For those who wish to try both, CAG-G and CAG-L gauges in one pack

For minimum tracking distortion, minimum record and stylus wear, and maximum enjoyment from analogue LP, the highest domestic audio resolution currently available (I kid you not), your cartridge stylus should trace the record groove in an arc that closely approaches the straight line of the master cutting lathe. In order to do that, the cartridge must be placed in an exact position in the tonearm headshell. This is known as cartridge alignment.

Cartridge manufacturers usually design their products to be used parallel to the record surface. Raising or lowering the tonearm pillar to achieve this is known as setting vertical tracking angle or VTA.

These precision gauges are designed in-house. The gauge artwork is run to film and printed on a reprographic printer with 99.999% registration. This makes the final result highly accurate.

Over 100 gauges sold worldwide.

CAG-L (pictured) is printed with null radii points at Linn's recommended distances from the spindle centre. It is suitable for use with their tonearms.

The design of the CAG-G cartridge alignment gauge is based on papers by H G Baerwald "Analytical Treatment of Tracking Error and Notes on Optimal Pickup Design", in which he presents a mathematical analysis of tracking distortion; B B Bauer, Shure Brothers chief engineer at the time "Tracking Angle in Phonograph Pickups"; and Kessler and Pisha "Tonearm Geometry and Setup Demystified". The gauge has two null radii points which are where weighted tracking distortion is zero. The null points are optimised for records with a minimum groove radius of 60.325mm (2.375") and a maximum groove radius of 146.05mm (5.75"), as proposed by Bauer: in other words, a standard LP. This cartridge alignment gauge can be use on all tangential tonearms that have the headshell set at an offset to the arm, which covers most of the tonearms available in the world today.

Each null radius is surrounded by a crosshatch pattern to allow optimum alignment of the cartridge body within the tonearm, even for cartridges where the only straight line is at the rear. It also features an overhang scale running from the spindle up to 30mm that will allow you to set the initial position of the cartridge in the tonearm from the tonearm manufacturer's overhang specification.

The vertical tracking angle gauge has evenly spaced lines that run parallel to the record surface so that you can easily set the tonearm pillar height to its optimum position once cartridge alignment and tracking force have been set.

These gauges will allow you to set your cartridge and tonearm geometry perfectly. Your choice of cartridge alignment gauge, or both if you choose CAG-GL, plus the vertical tracking angle gauge are provided in the pack together with 7 pages of clear colour instructions.

Price for CAG-G or CAG-L: £3.99
Price for CAG-GL: £5.99

Postage: UK £0.75, Europe £1.25, Rest of the World £1.66
Postal Insurance: UK included, Europe and the Rest of the World add £3.41

Shure SFG-2 Stylus Tracking Force Gauge

Made by the high quality cartridge manufacturer Shure, this stylus balance is probably the most accurate analogue gauge you can buy. Beautifully made, with a tracking force range of 0.5gm to 3gm and an easy to read balance reference point, the see-saw style gauge sits on friction free precision stainless steel pivot joints. It is stated to be accurate to within 1/10th of a gram in the range 0.5gm to 1.5gm.

The gauge is designed to sit on the turntable platter, against the spindle and has very easily located stylus positioning points for the two scales of 0.5gm to 1.5gm and 1gm to 3gm.

The SFG-2 is supplied in a retail pack with instructions.

Price: £24.99

Postage: UK £1.40, Europe £1.94, Rest of the World £2.53
Postal Insurance: UK included, Europe and the Rest of the World add £3.41

Ortofon Carbon Fibre Stylus Brush

To get the best from your record collection and minimise stylus and record wear, your stylus tip should be cleaned on a regular basis to remove accumulated fluff and dirt. With a dirty stylus, the cartridge will not be able to track the record groove properly, causing distortion. In addition, your valuable record collection and stylus will wear prematurely as the dirty stylus drags accumulated dirt through the grooves.

Made by Ortofon, one of the worlds leading designers of high quality cartridges, this carbon fibre brush is designed to be used dry, so will be safe to use where wet cleaning can loosen the adhesive that holds the stylus in place.

The brush is approximately 58mm in length, measured from end to end. The handle is designed for good grip while the general shape allows it to sit near the turntable without rolling away.

The brush is supplied in a re-sealable polythene bag together with advice on how to use it.

Price: £11.99

Postage: UK £0.51, Europe £1.22, Rest of the World £1.56
Postal Insurance: UK included, Europe and the Rest of the World add £3.41

Goldring Super Exstatic Record Cleaner

Cleaning your records before playing will help you to get the most from your collection by removing fluff and dirt before it is picked up by the stylus tip. With a dirty stylus, the cartridge will not be able to track the record groove properly, causing distortion. In addition, your valuable record collection and stylus will wear prematurely as the accumulated dirt is dragged through the grooves.

Made by Goldring Products Ltd of Bury St. Edmonds, England, one of the worlds leading designers of high quality turntables and cartridges, this carbon fibre brush and velvet pad combination is a highly effective solution to grime and dust inside the record groove. The carbon fibre filaments and soft velvet cleaning pad remove the unwanted materials at a stroke leaving the groove clean.

The Super Exstatic has a metal stand that protects the carbon fibre filaments from damage when not in use. The stand has a keyhole slot in the back so that it can be wall mounted.

The cleaner is supplied in a retail pack with instructions.

Price: £11.99

Postage: UK £0.75, Europe £1.32, Rest of the World £1.66
Postal Insurance: UK included, Europe and the Rest of the World add £3.41

Ordering

To order, please email which is the same address for PayPal and NatWest FastPay payments, or telephone Mick on 01462 813573. We'll calculate the total cost and postage for you.

Postage and packing charges in the UK include compensation for loss and/or damage up to the value of the product. Outside the UK, postal insurance needs to be added if required. If not taken, the buyer assumes responsibility for loss or damage. We will always obtain a proof of posting in any event. Goods will be sent by post office first class mail in the UK, or other suitable method outside the UK. Generally, goods will be posted separately for safety. Multiple purchase postage discount may be available on a mix of some items; please email us for details.

Payment

We accept payments through NatWest FastPay, PayPal, cheque, bank transfer, postal order or cash. All payments must be in Sterling. Cheques and bank transfers will be cleared before the goods are posted. If sending postal orders or cash, it is at the buyer's risk.

Cheques should be made payable to M A Seymour and sent to: 5 Brookside, Meppershall, Shefford, Beds, SG17 5SB.
Bank details will be provided on request.

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