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Wally Wally Wally

Anyone else get the latest Wally tools? Likes or dislikes? Not asking for opinion on purchase of said items, only your experiences; both, good and bad.


I just went wild Wally Tool crazy and ordered everything. Long story short, I will be accumulating at least two more turntables in the next 6 months, and wanted to have another set of eyes to spot check my current methods of installing and measuring cartridges performance; ears, SME protractor, test records, Fozgometer, Schon Schablonne (German protractor), and glass protractor by Avid. 
It’s a means to an end as I want quick, verifiable, and repeatable measurements due to the amount of tonearm and cartridges swapping that will be occurring. It’s a means to an end which supports my listening studio.


I have, like many others, used my ears and standard measurement tools over many years and it’s pretty cut and dry. I figured what the heck, why not indulge in tools that support the hobby, and can be used to help others while also giving me some peace of mind.

audioquest4life
mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,570 posts
 
There is no mystery in setting up a turntable correctly. The weakest link in the chain is the person doing the setup. If a tonearm's geometry is correct and it is mounted spot on, all that is needed is an overhang gauge. I made my own as there is not one on the market that suites my needs. It fits over the spindle and was calibrated for my arm on a lathe. There is not aiming things at the horizontal pivot or lining up the cantilever with fine lines. Once I find my the right VTA for a cartridge the gradations on the tonearm's shaft allow me to return to the same spot instantly. 
IMHO all that other stuff is wasted money. The Wally Skater in particular would make Rube Goldberg proud. I can do exactly the same thing with a digital VTF gauge. 
lewm
13,718 posts
 
So "Wally", unlike Houdini, has managed to reach across the River Styx and remains in business even though no longer among us. No RIP for him.
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
12,149 posts
 
@lewm  Exactly- has someone started making his products again??
benjie
329 posts
 
WAM Engineering is a newly formed company, a partnership between the late Wally Malewicz's son Andrzej, himself a mechanical engineer and Wally's former production assistant J.R. Boisclair.
benjie
329 posts
 
A few questions, how do you know that your tonearm geometry and mounting is spot on without the use of tools? How do you know the native stylus rake angle of your cartridge without the use of tools? Can't judge that by eye or ear. How do you know how much anti-skate your tonearm is producing when set to zero? Internal wiring and tonearm bearings are the culprit. They all produce a small amount and every tonearm is different, even from the same manufacturer. Can't use a VTF gauge for that. I think some of the weak link is the lack of proper tools and making too many assumptions on what you think is correct without verification.
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