Cartridge Opinions - Sorry

Forgive me if I haven't read every word of every comment posted on my thread  (please point it out if I've missed something), it has gotten pathetically long as people continue their pissing contests .

I understand the challenge to accurately mount a mechanical transducer where it needs to be perfectly aligned in 3 dimensions: pitch, yaw & roll to put it in common terms. My tonearm, the Linn Ittok, doesn't provide for adjustments in roll (azimuth). I know that this can be measured with a test record and a scope. If azimuth adjustments need to be made, I can get shim stock. 

My question is how can one accurately measure yaw (twist) and pitch (VTA)? I have a USB scope but trying to accurately measure the angle of a stylus to a record surface, or the angle of a cantilever to a record groove using a cheap optical instrument while coping with parallax seems silly. Buying software that magically simplifies this seems more so (again, correct me if I'm wrong).

On the other hand, I'm sure some do it by ear which IMO shouldn't be dismissed. The best musicians I know tune by ear and they understand that no acoustic instrument can be "perfectly tuned" but they know what works 90% of the time.

Please help me make sense of this. Thanks.

Try the nagaoka mp 300/500 for excellent sound altho i am not quite sure its compliance is matched to the ittok. Someone with that information please chip in. 

@klooker   The Linn philosophy with regards to tonearms seems to be that the ability to adjust azimuth is not important. Your Ittok has limited adjustability in regards to a number of set up parameters. Linn seems to think that the cartridge manufacturer should have exacting manufacturing tolerances to make azimuth errors irrelevant. This is not something that I personally believe occurs. Unfortunately, the weak link with the Linn platform is the Linn arm(s),although no one connected to Linn will agree with me.

@daveyf I’m the last guy who’s going to defend Linn and their superior opinions.

So what adjustments does the Ittok lack besides azimuth? Besides overhang, VTA, twist/yaw, and anti-skate what is there? 

Oops, I just re-read your post and you said "limited adjustability". Using the Feickert protractor the cartridge seems to be right on within a fraction of a mm. It's hard to gauge the tangential alignment though.

Thanks

Dear @kennyc :  ""  it appears you’re confusing cartridge cantilever with tonearm. " 

how is that, can you explain it?

"  Second, I’m referring to manufacturing inconsistencies whose point you appear to miss. ""

Why?, as I said almost any one but new comers knows how to make the TT/LP/cartridge/set up on differents alignment parameters: P2S distance, off-set angle, overhang, VTF, VTA/SRA, Azymuth, cartridge loading, TT and tonearm leveled, tonearm mounting in TT, TT plattforms, TT mats, clamps and the like.

You posted too:

"""   “optimum” cartridge setup by others is rare. When you think about a stylus in the groove, is a very minuscule stylus/diamond tilt audible? Absolutely! ""

is " rare " for you and nothing else.

"" What complicates setup is that less than perfect stylus to cantilever mating is common, and occasionally the cantilever is less than perfectly mounted. Most will align using the cartridge body which doesn’t address this less than perfect mating/mounting. """

today all but new comers knows that is not the cartridge body whom must aligned in the protractor.

What is what you want to teach/show or share in this thread that no other true analog audiophile knows?

Your answer appreciated.

R.