Eminent Technology ET-2 Tonearm Owners

Actually, when I said I dread setting VTA and SRA, I meant to say SRA and Azimuth. 

When setting up Azimuth
If I am using a tube amp/s, make sure its channel output is even. Then I set up digital first and with the speakers in near field (takes the room anomalies out) . If your main speakers can't be moved use a temporary smaller pair of speakers. Then go to the vinyl with the same material. Match it up as best as possible by ear.
I don't like the idea of using test instruments for Azimuth because, if the generator is not aligned with the stylus, you will be chasing your tail forever. Its an unknown. We can't tell if the Cart generator is lined up properly.

Hi Chris,

Merry Christmas my friend!

I am a bit confused by the last statement above. If the cartridge’s generator is misaligned, I can easily see why listening will give a better result than setting azimuth using visual alignment tools, mirrors, etc. that use the cantilever orientation (or even worse the cartridge body) to try to roughly approximate true azimuth alignment. But, given the same misaligned generator scenario, why would using a test instrument (say a Fozgometer or an oscilloscope) that reads each channel’s signal output independently and also the output signal balance between both channels give an improper result?

Best to you Chris,
Dave

Hi Dave.

why would using a test instrument (say a Fozgometer or an oscilloscope) that reads each channel’s signal output independently and also the output signal balance between both channels give an improper result?

Sorry for any confusion.
It is my understanding that "some" good carts yielding very high levels of separation, are not necessarily Symetric. They are Asymetric. If you try to use an electrical device in this type of scenario to balance the channels, you will not set up the cart as it was intended to be setup from the factory. It will be an "improper result".

I got this information years ago in talking with Peter at Soundsmith who has retipped for me in the past (two - carts I had bought used), and one of my own - that I beheaded. *^(

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Now Mike just happens to be using a Soundsmith cart and a Lyra Delos.

Mostly I’ve been swapping between two full arm looms (cartridge, arm wand, wiring), one with a Lyra Delos and one with a Soundsmith Zephyr MIMC.

Assuming two full ET2 arm looms implies to me that Mike is pulling the Gooseneck bolt.... to exchange armtubes ...thus leaving Azimuth settings intact for each cartridge.

Mike pls correct me if I am wrong.

Now what if.......

the Lyra has balanced channel db levels (by design) ........and the Soundsmith Cart....... not (by design) They would need different azimuth settings.
I am not saying that Mike’s Soundsmith cart is one of these Asymetric Carts but what if.........

I set the cart visually level, then fine tweak Azimuth by ear, match it up with Digital. If one chooses at this point, test out the channel separation with an electrical device. If there is an imbalance, contact the Cart manufacturer and ask if this ok. That’s what I would do.

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This got me curious so I did some digging. Here is a video from Peter at Soundsmith. Watch at the 3:30 mark.

Azimuth

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And to throw another can of worms out there.
SRA is a moving target and it depends on your records and the plant they were made at. European standards differ from American plants. Angles differ by plant. Every time they put on a new cutting stylus (every 10 hours ?) it is never put in the same way as before. Think about it.

In response to Chris - Yes I am disconnecting the tonearm at the gooseneck, so in theory I'm preserving Azimuth and the tracking line when I swap looms. I still have to reset tonearm height to get VTA right, but I rely on the runout gage readings to get back to the right height.  And of course I have to reset VTF.  I'm going to switch the Lyra Delos back into my carbon fiber tonearm tonight and see if I can hit the sweet spot.  My technique is to use a small van den hull bubble level that sits on top of the cartridge as a reference and make small adjustments and listen. Arguably the least fun part of dialing in the sound.  When I hit that SRA/VTF/Azimuth window, and it's small, the reproduction takes on a whole new character.  I especially notice it when a vocalist has backup harmony singers or is being double tracked.  I listen to those background vocals and when things are right, those vocals are entirely distinct and you can often follow their breathing patterns etc., just as if they were lead vocals.  Having said that,  I'm seriously thinking about getting a measuring device like the Fozgometer to get in the ballpark, but I'm going by ear tonight and will try to keep good notes. As Peter Lederman points out, the issue is that if the cartridge has very good channel separation, one channel may be 30db and the other 34db, those are both great numbers that would be compromised by matching output. The consensus from my reading is that the goal when setting azimuth is to minimize crosstalk.