Will fine tune adjustments with protractor help with "brightness?"


Hello everyone-

I've had my TT setup now for 2 months. System looks like this:

Piega C10 Ltd speakers
McIntosh 402 amp
Technics SL1200GR TT
Lehmann Audio Black Cube SE II phono pre
MoFi Master tracker cart

My ears may be deceiving me, but I swear my vinyl cuts sound slightly brighter at the beginning of the album and soften a little as we near the middle. I set the cartridge by using the little white piece provided by Technics and it sounds great. I've been told by reliable sources that a good protractor, maybe even  Feickert Universal Protractor can help me get even more out of my carts. 

Would enjoy hearing your thoughts on this. Thanks! Brent

128x128knollbrent
@basement  I have adviced $60 Zerostat to Brent long time ago when he asked me. Cardas sweep record is a great tool, i use it to ultrasonically clean vintage cartridges (or to burn in).    
Milty was a great suggestion and use it regularly. Anti static brushes, ointments, salves, I've got em all. All records clean with Record Doctor, stored in anti sleeves, the whole works. Still get static once played and pulled from TT. I Milty and play the other side or store it. 
@chakster  I've been wondering if there's a "set up" album for about a week now. I've been curious regarding a few albums with the voice placement and thought how nice it would be if there was a record you could test your system to too. Would this album have this voice placement test?
Knollbrent,
  There are probably hundreds of LPs that were created for testing and setting up audio systems. Many of them were made and marketed by Shure, the cartridge company.  Audio Teknika also made several.  I wouldn’t really know where to begin in order to tell you what you should seek. Stereophile made a series of at least five CDs that provide for testing of vocal reproduction, but that’s on CD. One of the best test LPs made in recent decades is the Cardas test LP, but that one doesn’t have human voice.