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What about Uni Din?

I finally broke down and purchased a Smart Tractor. The owner of that company created another cartridge alignment he calls Uni Din. He makes a very reasonable argument for favoring the inside third of records particularly those cut down close to the label. This is at the expense of the outer grooves. But the outer grooves are traveling three times faster thus a given tracking error has 1/3rd the significance in terms of distortion. 
Has anyone here tried this alignment? If so how did you like it? I will certainly give it a spin as reorienting the cartridge in a Schroder arm is as easy as it gets. 
128x128mijostyn
-cm-
15 posts
 
I bought a SMARTractor recently also. I haven't begun exploring the various alignments yet myself, but I found this article interesting.

https://www.analogplanet.com/content/uni-din-versus-l%C3%B6fgren-b-just-clarify

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rauliruegas
13,046 posts
 
Dear @mijostyn : Obviously that you can try it. Now, how many LP’s you own and listen often to them with inner grooves at 64mm. and beyond?

As with Stevenson all that marketing is only that: bs. for new comers or very low knowldge level audiophiles that do not understand perfectly how " things are "/overall alignments issue. And as Stevenson that alignment is only of number manipulations at the most inner groove data need it for the calculations, SAT made it the same but instead to goes at lower than 60.3mm ( IEC ) gone a little higher than this number. The alignment you are talking about choosed the most inner groove distance around 54mm. Now tell me how many LPs you own with innergrooves at 54mm.

As I said you can try it, why not?

R.


solypsa's avatar
solypsa
462 posts
 
I have used the pro version of that protractor for quite a few years now. The Uni Din can be really good. I like it on my FR64S, but in truth I haven't developed a metric for when to use it or not. Try it on for size :)
jtimothya
612 posts
 
I also use the UNI-Pro version, the big brother to the SMARTractor.

I like it. It works well for classical works that have complex climactic third and fourth movements. .

Here’s Fremer on UNI-Din playing off an excellent chart from Wally Malewicz. But he doesn’t talk about listening.: https://www.analogplanet.com/content/uni-din-versus-l%C3%B6fgren-b-just-clarify
mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn OP
8,570 posts
 
Thanks guys. I'm will try to evaluate it but not having two arms at the moment might make it difficult. My own feeling is that for the vast majority of records ending by 65mm Lofgren B is going to be the best.
Raul, the inner null point of Uni Din is at 63.3 mm. 
jtimothya, I do believe Mr Fremer's graph is mislabeled. The Y axis I think is degees of error not Harmonic distortion although the two are most likely related. Notice at the null points it is listed as Zero. Harmonic distortion is never zero.
If you were really interested in inner groove error I think you would go with Stevenson. Some of my older classical records do run darn close to the label and the big crescendos are always at the end but this represents maybe 1% of my listening. I love string quartets.  
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