Wally Tools to Offer a New Service.

It seems to be that most Cartridges when set on a Headshell and Tonearm are not optimised, as the Cartridge is aligned using a visual of a Alignment Tool and a visual of a underside of a Cartridge Body.

It also appears that when a Stylus is set at a incorrect SRA position,
as well as,  set in a Rotated Position on a Cantilever.
The common used Cartridge Setting Up procedures are compromised.

With the evidence being presented and the methods for correction being made available, that are quite costly.
It seems to me to be that there are Cartridges more commonly being offered for purchase, that will require a unusual geometry to be put in place.
The Tonearm and Head Shell will potentially be set up with not so commonly seen geometry to overcome the production shortcomings of the Cartridge.
    
There are Multiple Cartridge Purchasers, who use their Cartridges regularly, at which could be calculated as a ball park from 
$00.50 to $4.00 per Album Played.

Using Cartridges not set up in a optimised condition, even though for many are thoroughly enjoyed, as I do with my own Cartridge.
As an alternative view, using a Cartridge that is not optimised as a set up,  can quite easily be seen to equate to a expensive outlay for a inferior service.

A Cartridge that is supplied that has a assembled parts that allow for a traditional setting up to achieve a almost optimised set up would be the ideal. 
   
As many Cantilevers and Stylus are supplied as a Pre Assembled Part.
It does seem that there will be 'Tolerance Allowances' for the
Production Processes.
This is the usual commonly used Business Model for many Corporate Businesses. .

If a Stylus is requiring Zenith Correction and is to be rotated by adjusting the Cartridge.
In a worse case, it can't be corrected, because the Cartridge when mounted on a common type Head Shell can't be rotated sufficiently to correct the Zenith,  then this will be a Assembly of Stylus / Cantilever that should not be welcomed and accepted as a part to be used by a Cartridge Producer. 
In the Case of Head Shell Mounting, the Ideal would be a Cartridge that requires the minimum rotation, if any.

Same again for the Stylus Rake Angle - SRA
If the Pre Assembled Stylus / Cantilever Assembly has a requirement to adjust a Tonearm Wand way beyond the common angle of 180 degrees to correct the VTA, then the SRA supplied should not be welcomed and accepted as a part to be used by the Cartridge Producer.

A Cartridge Producer would do their customers better, if they challenged their suppliers and demanded a improved set of tolerances
for Setting a Stylus on a Cantilever from their supplier.
This will ensure a customer can use their Tonearm set up close to its ideal geometry.

If a Cartridge Producer is Setting a Stylus in a Cantilever,
the Customer should expect a very tight tolerance for the Stylus setting,
as they would be most happy knowing their Tonearm's are set as close to the ideal geometry for usage, and the Cartridge when set in the Headshell will seat in a very close to optimised position. 
     
 

mijostyn

... the definition I learned for zenith is the point in the sky directly over your head. I have no idea how that relates to horizontal tracking angle. Lateral tracking angle would probably be a better term but "twist"is short and sweet even if nobody knows what I am talking about ...

I agree with you about the traditional definition of "zenith" and that's why I don't care for use of the term as applied to phono cartridges - it's unnecessarily confusing. The traditional literature (SME, Van den Hul) refers to what you call "twist" as "Horizontal Tracking Angle."

@cleeds , who am I to argue. I think somebody just likes catchy words with a "th" stuck on the end.

The Terminology is not off importance, the need to investigate and carry out the additional alignments are the practices that have importance.

The World of Vinyl replay is governed by Multiple Disciplines that need to be adhered to, with the intent to achieve the best performance / presentation that can be acquired.

Working backwards with a Vinyl System from the mounting of the fully assembled system > mechanical and electrical interfaces > to the basics of the Geometry used for the Tonearm > Head Shell > Cartridge Assembly.

Taking into account the Products commonly used in the above System, there does not seem to be blatant failings being discovered by Producers that are akin to a very poorly aligned Stylus > Cantilever Assembly as offered by the Cartridge Part Suppliers and Producers of Cartridges. 

It seems from my research that in multiple cases when a Conventional Tonearm Design is set up with a Wand at 180 Degrees the Cartridge Manufacturer has been allowed to get away with their failings, and have been able to repeatedly offer a product that will not offer a almost ideal configuration for a Alignment of a Stylus Set on a Cantilever.

This failing from the Cartridge producer is now leaving doubt with the Cartridge End User and further measures that are being incorporated to achieve a basic geometry, with such ancillaries as,
i.e, Microscopes, Computers and Measuring Software.

It does not feel correct that such expensive products that typically cost 
$500 - $4000 are to be subject to the requiring expensive ancillary support to overcoming what are basic assembly defects.

The use of such additional ancillary measures would be best justified if used to ensure a already near optimised set up through a conventional set up, was fine tuned with a Technology to offer a assured final set up with the data produced to confirm. 

As said before I feel most Cartridge Users like myself have a user enjoyment satisfaction with a Cartridge set up in the conventional manner.
A careful use of conventional protractors for alignment and maybe a Test Record has sufficed.

The Cartridge Industry owes the End User of their Products a much more prioritised approach to how they align a Stylus on a Cantilever.

This failing to offer a consistent Geometry for a Stylus set on a Cantilever is the Antithesis of the 'Zenith',
and would be better referred to as the 'Nadir'             

         

@pindac, absolutely, but please don't get in a conversation with rauliruegas, the two of you will drive us crazy:-)))

If we get critical enough with our microscopes and such the deluge of returned cartridges will keep the manufacturers honest. In my recent experience the major manufacturers do quite well, Ortofon, Clearaudio, and Soundsmith for certain. It is the cottage manufacturers who can't afford to waste a lot of stylus assemblies Like the now defunct Transfiguration that would worry me the most.