How to set SRA after determining true vertical?

Nsgarch,

Good points. I pretty much followed your process, however I began with setting VTF on the low range. I'll begin experimenting with higher VTF's and resume the SRA testing.

Thanks.

Andrew

Doug,

I knew exactly what the shrugs, nods, etc., meant. And interpretting those indicators is what made it so much fun to watch. I hope we can all get together again before too long. I will have another pre-amp by then and quite possibly another phono stage as well. I'll bring more jazz next time so as not to put Paul off so much! :) I believe I also heard some disparagement towards Nashville so I'll leave the Pickin' music behind as well. ;) Seriously, that was very "eye-opening" to hear how much difference there is between recordings of different musical genres.

SirSpeedy, I guess we'll just have to watch as someone else makes the money. Again! BTW, you once warned me about listening to other's systems and how it can lead to a certain amount of displeasure with your own. Well, it's happened to me. But I do think it is a good thing in the end since what most of us are after is to build our systems as good as we can get them. I also agree with you about different music. I'm fortunate to have a friend who is a very highly trained jazz trombonist. He's taught me a lot about jazz over the last two years so I'm beginning to gain an appreciation for it. Classical is going to take me a while longer but I do have many fairly good recordings both on vinyl and cd.

Andrew, I only mentioned the business about setting new carts' VTF at the high end of the range because it is necessary to do that in order to get the cantilever/coil assembly to "line up" squarely in the magnetic flux field (maximum output).

Later on, after about 100 hours of being compressed under record playing conditions, when the rubber suspension "limbers up", a somewhat lighter VTF will be sufficient to achieve that same proper mechanical alignment of the coils in the flux field.

Again, there is no magic involved here. In fact, as far as I'm concerned (here we go!!) the only criteria for the correct VTF setting is this alignment of coils in the magnetic flux. If you have that right, and the SRA and AS are on the nose, there should be no tracking problems (the most common reason for fiddling with the VTF).

If for some (other) reason your cartridge still won't track, look elsewhere, especially for possible compliance vs. eff. mass mismatch with the tonearm.

I will have another pre-amp by then and quite possibly another phono stage as well.

Dan,
I don't know how well you liked ours, but if an Alaap interests you at all let me know. I'll put you in touch with Nick and - crucially - tell him you're an okay guy!

I'll bring more jazz next time so as not to put Paul off so much! :)

Nonsense! It'll do him good.

I do agree with SirSpeedy and his buddy Sid however. Nothing reveals what a system or component can (or cannot) do better than challenging classical. We didn't subject you guys to opera or large scale choral music, but they are the acid test. I have a few records that were comparatively unlistenable until Nick's components showed up. Our old c-j stuff just couldn't cope.

My Nashville crack was only that of course, and pretty d@mn funny if I may say so! Michael introduced us to 'Trio' by Dolly, Emmy Lou and Linda. We enjoy that LP so much it's never found its way into the record library upstairs. It lives in one of those I-may-want-to-play-you-again-soon baskets in the living room. There's a song on side one I still can't listen to without tears, since it reminds me of Lugnut.

Dan,you may have taken me a bit too literally.You like Jazz!So do I.If you would like to move a bit towards the Classical genre,start listening to some composers like some of John Zorn's film music(only available on digital,but superbly recorded),or Bernard Herrman's output.Jacob Druckman,Ernst Toch's chamber stuff,Gordon Jacobs,Frank Zappa's -Yellow Shark(CD,but who cares,it's great),any music by "Bang ON a Can"(CD),Ralph Shapey,Elliot Carter etc,etc.Go to a Barnes and Noble,and dial up the music on their computers,and welcome to a "New World"!That's what I love about the "flow of new music discovery".Sort of like discovering new foods.Loads of stuff out there,for the "explorer" of new aural worlds!

Best!