A pitch too High!

Thanks to all for your input to this problem. Turns out my VTF was way on the light side.

Here is how it happened. While waiting for this TT on backorder I read a lot of reviews. One reviewer noted that the tracking force seemed a bit on the heavy side once he started to serious listen after the break in period. Sure enough he was right and he made an adjustment. Musical Surroundings also suggests that VTF be checked due to shipping in a youtube video on how to set up this table.

As it turns out, my factory settings were probably absolutely accurate. Even though the reading I was getting was 3 grams instead of 2. But here is the problem and where I knew just enough to be dangerous. The tonearm has a magnetic bearing and therefore the measurement needs to be taken on the side of the platter rather than on the platter. There is not much room there and it can be tricky. You have to put a record on the platter and then build up some material on the side so that when you put the scale on the material it will be even with the record and then weigh the tracking force. Turns out 2 grams where this tonearm needs to be measured is basically a reading of 3 grams on the platter. So I was running this thing about a gram light.

Unbelievable. So right now it is tracking better, no more skating off the record when cueing a record, detail is enhanced and bass is more pronounced. I am now in a much better mood. Oh, and surface noise on older records is much less noticeable.

And here is the reason it was happening with some records and not with others, of course I am referring to the tonearm falling off the record. Lighter records is where it was occurring more. My heavier 180 gram records were much less effected.

Since platter level can affect anti-skating, it's important to do this first (Also buy a blank record to verify anti-skate response. I found that my Technics 1200G anti-skate dial is close to being accurate but very slightly over compensates).

Here is how I recommend to proceed to completely re-set the anti-skating position of the magnetic bearing tonearm (“0”):

-             Demount the cartridge

-             Adjust the counterweight so, that the tonearm “floats” while not in rest position

-             Now twist the anti-skating-screw to get the position of the headshell of the tonearm

                right above the edge of the platter (where the lead-in groove would be)

-             You now can mark the position of the anti-skating-screw by drawing a line with a pen

                from screw head towards tonearm foot

-              Now then there’s a simple rule, that unfortunately is valid for Clearaudio Concept MM/MC

                cartridges only: twist the anti-skating screw 3 times anticlockwise if you want to mount the

                clearaudio Concept MM/any other MM V2 cartridge and 4 times if you want to mount the Clearaudio Concept

                MC cartridge

-             finally mount your cartridge again and check the tracking force

 

Please note this is a quick guide for the standard clearaudio cartridges.

 

If you want to be more precise just use the “traditional way”: get a testrecord (like clearaudio trackability test record) and set anti-skating force by checking the tracking with oscilloscope (or listen to the test signals via headphone/the speakers, which is less precise).  There is no rule of thumb for 3rd party cartridges, please understand.