How to properly set VTF??

Dear Dogpile: Jameswei is right on target ( with the antiskate at zero ).

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

Dogpile,

I agree with Raul, agreeing with Jameswei!

When aligning a cartridge or weighing VTF, prop something beneath the TriPlanar's antiskate arm to take the side pressure off the string.

Yes, we all fine tune VTF by ear. But knowing exactly what weight sounds best can be useful on an arm like the TP, which has no fine adjustment for downforce. Resetting the c/w by ear alone could take a week!

Doh!! I must really be going nuts, "disengage anti-skate" thank you, thank you. If I ever have a problem with a unit powering up, I should check to see if the cord is plugged in, LOL.

I just wanted to know whether VTF should be measured ON the playing surface or OUTSIDE of the playing surface...Jameswei with his Graham made an interesting point.

I believe Doug fully understands my query (and anyone else with a Tri-Planar). I have many cartridges that I swap on a regular basis and setting VTF "properly" the first time will allow me to enjoy more music with less tweaking, ie. fine tuning by ear...

Harry :D

"Knowing exactly what weight sounds best can be useful"!!

This is really of paramount importance,IMO!!I have always gotten in "the range",with a decent digital guage,and tuned by ear.However it has become clear,at least to me,that once one sets azimuth/vta/damping(if needed)it is really easy to know exactly which downforce is the "maximum performance setting",though sometimes the room conditions can impact this,like is A/C on,and temperature/humidity etc).By having a really good digital guage(nothing less than accurate to 1/100 gm)and after experimentation with the various parameters mentioned,it takes only a few seconds to dial in the "Exact" downforce.BTW--As I'm sure it is well known,differences of a hundreth of a gram,or less,is clearly heard on a fine "rig"!

EX:--My pal,who has a pricey set-up,and a decent,but not "I'd bet my life it is spot on,in accuracy" digital guage has CONSTANTLY had problems in analog consistency.I've pulled out hairs (I'm bald-btw)wondering why I am always coaxed over(20 miles),to re-dial arm parameters,and bribed with chinese food,and wine.OFTEN!!I've endlessly played with all his arm/cart parameters,yet when my pal Sid brought over his Winds guage(accurate to 1/100 gm)we were able to get everything else to line up,and since the VTA is Locked in,as well as proper Damping fluid amount,the only thing he now does is place the Winds down,and dial 1.87 grams.We have tried so many different configurations that it's driven my nuts,but FINALLY we think we have this solved.

BTW--If the arm sees the anti-skate as it plays the record,I can't understand why one would not want to adjust downforce with it engaged.Believe me,if I'm wrong here,I'd love a plausable explanation,that might allow me to get better sound,by readjusting armforce,with the antiskate disengaged!

Best regards!

BTW--If the arm sees the anti-skate as it plays the record,I can't understand why one would not want to adjust downforce with it engaged.Believe me,if I'm wrong here,I'd love a plausable explanation,that might allow me to get better sound,by readjusting armforce,with the antiskate disengaged!

Smart question.

1) If the weighing platform were "perfectly" hard and smooth, AS would literally drag the stylus off the scale. We could not obtain a VTF reading at all.

2) Of course no platform is "perfectly" hard or smooth. The AS force will be resisted by some amount of stylus/platform friction. A sensitive scale could react to this pressure. This might result in "downforce" readings varying with AS setting, even if actual downforce remains unchanged.

As you said, the goal of measuring VTF is not to "know" what the "real" downforce is. We are simply establishing a reliable baseline for repeatable setup. If you disengage AS every time, your results will be consistent, repeatable and will avoid the problems above.