Endless. Suggest you watch one or two of the great videos Michael Fremer has on this, free on YouTube.
As for me, having tried a few and studied a lot more, the only ones truly "essential" are the stylus tracking force gauge and whatever overhang/alignment jig you prefer. These can be downloaded and printed out for free. But if free rubs you the wrong way then the one I recommend is the Mobile Fidelity Geo-Disk. This has the advantage of being the same thickness as a record. You could of course simply lay the paper printout on top of an LP, same difference.
A lot of guys will freak, but you can get just as good results with $20 worth of the Shure stylus force gauge and a sheet of paper. This is coming from a guy with a Koetsu mounted on a Conqueror on a roughly $20k front end. Images like nobody's business. Done it both ways, love the Geo-Disk for its simplicity.
As for eye strain, any dime store magnifying glass will take care of that. Not that its needed. Believe me, that last little fraction of a millimeter, that's not where its at. So probably most essential of all is a sense of proportion. |
Along with the MINT, I bought a recommended magnifying glass.....much easier and more accurate.
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The Dr. Feickert protractor, while really expensive, is the best I have used.
A digital stylus gauge that measures to 1/100 of a gram makes it easy to dial it in.
I have a Geo Disk and it works fine, but not as good as the Feickert. I have not tried the MINT but as I recall you need one of theirs for each tonearm you use. I have two tonearms and might add a third so the Feickert being universal is a better deal for me.
I'd like to try a Fozgometer to dial in azmiuth, but I doubt I'll buy one anytime soon.
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dodgealum, the DB System's protractor is the most accurate because it magnifies the error. It is also relatively inexpensive. You need a small pocket mirror to set the azimuth (steal one from your wife), a stylus brush,
a digital stylus gauge, A small bright light, a Hi Fi News Test Record and whatever small tools you need to tweak your tonearm, little screw drivers, allens, etc. The digital gauge is a bit more expensive but the manufacturers will now give you a recommended VTF down to 10ths of a gram because they know this VTF will settle the cantilever into the right position for optimal symmetry of the coils in the magnetic field and put the stylus at the right rake angle. While there are counterbalance scales that can get down to 10th's accurately I have never seen one that accurate for VTF setting and they would probably cost more than a digital gauge.
The test record is absolutely mandatory. You can not set the anti skate correctly without one. The scales on the tonearms are only estimations.
Even with my old eyes I do not need magnification to set azimuth with a mirror. Just a bright light should do it. You place the mirror on the platter then the stylus on the mirror (defeat your anti skate!) You adjust your azimuth until you get a perfectly symmetrical hour glass shape in the mirror. This method doubles the error and makes it easy to see when you are right on. Leveling the cartridge body is the wrong way to do this. You only care about the stylus and they are frequently not perfectly perpendicular to the body.
Good Luck and yell if you need help,
Mike |
All very helpful. I've got a DB systems protractor which I haven't used for years. I'll investigate the Fieckert. I did purchase the lupe with the MINT tractor but just found the whole approach very tedious so sold it. I did like the idea of aligning the cantilever rather than the cartridge body--that made sense--just looking through the lupe was such an eye strain and challenging to maintain the proper distance from the cartridge so things stayed in focus. Never tried the mirror for azimuth--great suggestion! |
Does anyone use the same size of shoes? My best friend uses
even smaller kind. His reason: ''it feels so good when I put them
off''. Aka ; it depends.
It depends from the number of tonearms, number of carts and
even the size of the spindle in the number of TT's one owns.
Besides from the ''audio-nervosa'' of the person involved.
I use 3 tonearms on two TT's and own 3 x Mint tractors. For each
tonearm one. All my carts (+50) are ''pre-adjusted'' in their headshells
whit the help of an (plastic) caliper. This way exact ''eff. length''
(stylus distance to the pivot) can be determined. By fastening on
the tonearm the geometry can be checked by following the Mint
curve. If I only knew how to adjust the anti-skate...
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Ortofon DS-3 scale for VTF - measures at record height. SMARTractor protractor - universal, any cart any tonearm Feickert Adjust+ (includes test record) - azimuth and many tests Small Machinist level - Starrett 130 - level your turntable Small flashlight - Olight S10R III - very bright
Magnification Analog Productions Test Record The Mint protractor is okay but it is for a single cartridge, single pivot-to-spindle distance. The DB systems has a stylus landing spot that is too big for real accuracy.
Believe me, that last little fraction of a millimeter, that's not where its at.
Actually, it is. The difference between "close enough" and accurate can be sonically astonishing. Get the most out of your cartridge. |
MINT Tractor and a pair of 3-4X reading glasses (to obviate the use of a lupe).
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Did own MINT and threw it away. SMARtractor is pretty good.
Also Dennesen Protractor.
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Dr. Feickert latest protractor, nothing else. This is a tool for every tonearm and every cartridge/turntable with all 3 alignment method on it to choose one you like. The most important: it have precise pivot to spindle ruler. It's German quality and not so expensive, some others cost more. The best way is to buy used Feickert if the price for a new is too much for you.
Then a Hi-Fi Test LP and Cardas Frequency Sweep LP.
Ortofon DS-1 digital scale
Good light and good tools
I don't need anything else |
Did own MINT and threw it away.
Because? |
The writings of our beloved Syntax are an curious mix of Kantian
categorical imperatives and Monty Python's humor.
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jtimothya, you do not do yourself a favor when you use terms like, "sonically astonishing." The difference between "Power On" and "Power Off" is "sonically astonishing." A degree or two of arc is not. I am sorry that you spent so much on the Feickert but the DB systems protractor is less than 1/2 the price and twice as accurate because due to it's geometry it magnifies the error allowing you to see it easier. It is a little finicky to use but once you get the hang of it it works brilliantly and on any tonearm and cartridge. The trick with the "landing spot" is to use an awl and put a little indent in the circle to keep the stylus in place. Not to large or it will swallow the end of the cantilever. I also put a dab of low viscosity cyanoacrylate in the indent then quickly wipe it of which stabilizes the indent so it does not get progressively larger with use. |
Good suggestions above and most of all patience, plenty of time and no distractions. The more you do it the better you get.
Fremer's video is good. The late A.J. Conti provides a setup video with his tonearms that is very informative. His theories can be applied to tonearm/cartridge setup in general.
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A couple years back I bought the Rega Atlas Stylus Force Gauge. After using a couple different gauges, one was a digital scale but was magnetically attractive so was virtually impossible to use accurately.
The Rega is extremely accurate and the readings are repeatable on subsequent readings.
I have found that setting anti skate by ear (balanced right left image) to be the best way.
Gary
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Pops, AJ was quite the character. Basis is in Southern N.H not far from where I lived. A friend ( who has a Debut) and I would visit on occasion.
He almost got me to buy one of his turntables (gave me a great price on a mildly used unit) but young kids in private school kept me from doing it.
He left us a way too early (59 I think). So, all you young guys who think you are immortal get your cholesterol and blood pressure checked! |
Gary, setting anti skate by ear is sort of whimsical. Skating effects mostly tracking ability. It increases tracking and wear on the Left, inside channel and reduces tracking but increases wear on the Right, outside channel. On low level passages everything might sound just fine. The miss-tracking will occur only on highly modulated passages where the distortion is harder to hear. Setting anti skate is always a ballpark affair depending on position on the record, stylus profile, VTF, groove modulation and god knows what else. Ideally one should shoot for the mean whatever that is? If you listen to Peter Ledermann and Frank Schroeder you set anti skate by getting a slow drift inward on the blank portion of the run out area. Ledermann's opposition to test records is that he feels they over modulate the groove to get the distortion meaning that you are optimizing the anti skate for highly modulated grooves and not the vast majority which are only moderately modulated. My own feeling on this is that on the Hi Fi News Test Record the anti skate test is in the middle of the record where groove speed and friction (skating force) are middle of the road and since it is tracking that we are worried why wouldn't you want to set the anti skate for the hardest to track passages?
When I use the test record the tonearm stays absolutely still in the run out area. If you get the vinyl of the Lumineer's Cleopatra the third side is blank which makes looking at drift much easier. Anyway, letting the arm drift in very slowly (backing off just a little from the setting you get with the test record) seems to be a legitimate way of setting for intermediate modulations. It is only plus or minus perhaps 5% of the total anti skate force applied so any way you can get it in the ballpark is just fine.
So Gary, check your ear against the run out area test and see how it stacks up:) |
Mijostyn - you talk a lot and love to name drop but you simply don't have enough experience to know what's possible in high-end audio. Precision alignment makes a significant positive difference. You can deny that but it just reflects your lack of experience.
And btw, do some research on setting antiskate with a blank record or run out area. You're giving bad advice.
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Jimothya, your taking too much testosterone. It was Peter Ledermann’s and Frank Schroeder’s advise to use the blank area. Two guys with far less experience than you have. And, if you could read correctly, I prefer to use a test record, my favorite being the Hi Fi News test record if you care to learn how to do this correctly. |
