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Recent retip(canti also) Dude where did my soundstage width go

I'm trying to not get worked up because it's a huge trade off. I've put 10hours on it so far. Crisper and more detailed. There's some bass on a couple jazz records that I know and that I very thrilled about. But, everything is bunched up between speakers comparably. In anybody's experience will my Grado Reference1 open back up.  I've not done this before and I'm kinda thinking this is the side of my "new" cart that I'm gonna have to learn to live with. I was warned by plenty of researching that it would change and be a different cart but in my optimism I didn't realize a better (boron cantilever/micro ridge stylus) replacing a previously considered lower quality cantilever/stylus would turn out to be disappointing. Thanks

128x128fourwnds
lewm
13,155 posts
 
Terry9, I am not lubing my nuts, no matter how it might benefit the sound.
terry9
2,348 posts
 
Don't knock it 'til you've tried it, Lew.
bondmanp
1,818 posts
 
@terry9  - Lubing the nuts will reduce chaffing, but I am not sure it will make anything sound better.  Well, courderoys, perhaps.
lewm
13,155 posts
 
fourwinds, with regard to your question of 04/06, I am not clear what you actually did.  I had suggested aligning the cartridge for zero azimuth by eye only, ignoring the Foz reading.  You could use a mirror or whatever sort of aid might help in that.  Some people put a small bubble type level on top of the headshell when adjusting for zero azimuth or is it 90 degrees of azimuth?  I hope you know what I mean, top of headshell parallel to the LP surface when viewed from the front.  (My computer changed to italics for no apparent reason here.)

As to whether the Foz is reading cartridge output per channel or crosstalk, I have no idea, since I have never even seen a Foz.  As Terry wrote, there are two schools of thought regarding crosstalk/azimuth.  Some recommend adjusting for equal crosstalk, which means that the amount of R channel signal appearing in the L channel would be the same as the amount of L channel signal appearing in the R channel (measured in negative dB).  Others recommend just minimizing crosstalk.  When you do the latter as a goal, the amount of crosstalk will usually NOT be equal in one channel vs the other.  I don't think there is any right or wrong in that regard.

So, have you set azimuth to 0 or 90 (whatever) without any regard for the Foz, and what did that do to your soundstage width?
fourwnds's avatar
fourwnds OP
277 posts
 
You guys are nuts fo sure ; )  lubed or not. Man those torque tools ain't cheap but neither is anything else as I chase the dragon higher. I might just invest in a really nice mission appropriate flat head. I like the idea of a tiny bit of lube. It was difficult getting em sunk and then awkward to loosen and then tighten. I've accepted it in the past but if this enables a little more finesse and control I'm in. What kind @terry9 

Lew, yep I actually did end up setting without regard to the Foz! With that said I'm not sure about the unit. Maybe I'm missing something. Soundstage width was coming along nicely and with the improvements in the finer detail department I'm good with the outcome as it stands. I'm still under 30 hours as well. 
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