2. analog
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Cartridge alignment, WallyTractor, SmartTractor, oscilloscope and Analogmaigk.

I am building my new system in my second home in the US which I use only when I go to the US to work, and I will not have the benefit of having my partner and analog guru with me when I set up my table there. 

To be clear she much rather have a new cartridge, tonearm, table or phono amp than nice jewelry, shoes or dresses, and 2 of the best hifi stores in the area are always asking for her opinion and sometimes to set up tables. 
Until now, all I had to do was to put my record on the table of her choice, and enjoy the music. 

 During our dinner with her, we were discussing,  what should I be doing and what tools to bring with me. I am an a mathematician  and work with electrical engineers so I understand numbers so I like the idea of an oscilloscope and Analogmagik and I have done quite a few setups with the WallyTractor before I met her, but she swears by the SmartTractor and claims that the SmartTractor is more accurate, simpler and flexible.

My question then is, what is your opinion on the 2 protractors?
Please do  not add another different one, I am not going to buy another one. :) 

In her opinion the  UNI  alignment is superior to the new record in the Wally, and since pivot to spindle is never identical, the SmartTractor does a better job as it actually takes into account for those imperfections/discrepancies in the spindle to pivot distances, while the Wally does not. 

If I am going to face the firing squad, I want to have some good different concepts.

I apologize for my English, until a few months ago I never discussed Hifi in English. 


astolfor
lewm
13,586 posts
 
You will get a dozen or more different responses. Some will say the Smartractor is too expensive, others that it’s too complex. Many will swear by protractors you’ve never heard of. Smartractor is a great choice. Don’t overthink it.
larryi
4,270 posts
 
I own both.  If you can accurately located the center of the arm pivot, the Smartractor is much easier to use.  This is the case because you do not have to move the arm to many different locations and find the precise point of contact multiple times.  The Wallytractor affords one more ways to confirm the correct settting so I suspect that it is more accurate.  
I don’t think that extreme accuracy makes sense to try to achieve when manufacturing tolerances in setting styli is so poor that the zenith can be off by several degrees.  The only way to know about how far off is your cartridge is to have it examined by a service like Wallytool, which also has a way to compensate for small zenith error (a protractor that provides for a way to deliberately set the cantilever at angle away from perfect tangency to compensate for zenith error).

My answer is: If you can locate the pivot point, and you find it difficult to see the precise point of contact such that making a single observation is a big plus, go with the Smartractor.  If your eyes are up to it and you have the patience, the Wallytractor offers more confidence in the setting.

Something like the Mint protractor should also be considered; it is quite easy to use and is supposedly very accurate.  The only downside is that it is bespoke (made to order for your particular arm and spindle-to-pivot distance) so it cannot be used for other set ups.
rdk777's avatar
rdk777
580 posts
 
Another vote for the SmarTractor and the Uni-Din alignment.  
mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,570 posts
 
I bought the SmarTractor. It is a more finely made device than the others with an excellent magnifier.  It gives you all the major alignments and once you are used to it is a breeze to use.

I politely disagree with your guru. I use Lofgren B and here is the logic. It gives you the least average tracking error from the edge of the record down to 75 mm. Perhaps one in ten records continues in closer than 75 mm. People will say "but, that is where the crescendos are."  How many records do we play that actually have crescendos in closer than 75 mm.
I will venture to say very few. Get a 6" millimeter rule and measure every record you play for a month and tally the score. 

Both Marc Gomez and Michael Fremer I believe are also now using Lofgren B.  

To be perfectly honest I can not hear a difference between Lofgren A or B and have not tried Uni Din at all.
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