Pro-Ject - Measure it DS

A slim digital stylus gauge with a non-magnetic weighing surface — 0.01g resolution, a backlit display, and a range that runs all the way to 200g if you need it for something else.

Tracking force is the one cartridge setting that is both easy to get wrong and immediately audible when you do. Too light and the stylus loses contact with the groove wall on transients, which sounds like distortion and, worse, actually damages records — a mistracking stylus hammers the groove rather than riding it. Too heavy and you get a dull, compressed sound and accelerated wear. The counterweight scale printed on a tonearm is a rough guide at best; a gauge is how you actually know.

The Measure it DS reads to 0.01g on a backlit LCD, and its weighing surface is specifically non-magnetic. That matters more than it sounds: a moving-coil cartridge has a magnet in it, and a steel weighing platform will attract it, adding force the gauge cannot see and giving you a reading that is wrong in the direction you will not catch.

It is a slim, card-style device that runs on two AAA cells, supplied, and shuts itself off after a minute of inactivity. It reads in grams, ounces, pennyweights, carats and grains, and the full range runs from 0.01g to 200g — far beyond anything a tonearm will ever need, which means it doubles as a general-purpose precision scale for anything small.

If you want the higher-precision option built specifically and only for tracking force, look at the Measure it S2, which reads to 0.001g over a 0–5g range and comes with a calibration weight and a case.

Features

• 0.01g resolution on a backlit LCD
• Non-magnetic weighing surface — important for moving-coil cartridges
• 0.01g to 200g range, so it works as a general precision scale too
• Reads grams, ounces, pennyweights, carats and grains
• Two AAA cells included; automatic shut-off after 60 seconds
• Slim card-style body, 12g

Specifications

• Type: Digital stylus tracking force gauge
• Range: 0.01g to 200g
• Resolution: 0.01g
• Accuracy: Factory pre-calibrated. Pro-Ject publishes no numeric tolerance beyond the 0.01g resolution figure
• Magnetic safety: Non-magnetic weighing surface, which Pro-Ject notes is especially important for moving-coil cartridges
• Display: LCD with backlight
• Weighing modes: Grams, ounces, pennyweights, carats, grains
• Power: 2 x AAA cells, included. Automatic shut-off after 60 seconds of inactivity
• Calibration weight: Not stated as included
• Operating temperature: 10–30°C
• Dimensions: 116 x 20 x 100 mm (W x H x D)
• Weight: 12g
• Country of manufacture: Not published for this product
• Warranty: Two years from date of purchase, extendable to three years by registering the product with Pro-Ject and subscribing to their newsletter. Pro-Ject states that warranty is administered by the local distributor and that terms can vary by region; no separate United States term is published. Coverage requires purchase from an authorised dealer — The ’In Groove is one.