it's scary to see your expensive cartridge and stylus on a badly warped record.
How best to eliminate LP warps
I own about 2500 LPs, and I like to think they're flat. Furthermore, I espoused the view that warped LPs ought to be discarded. But lately I have found 2 or 3 of my LPs that do have warps but sound too good and are too precious for the music recorded on them to throw away. So I am in the market for ideas on how to remove warps. I am aware that there was a device on the market that looked like a large waffle maker, to be used for warp removal. I think Furutech made it, but I never see it advertised these days. I am also aware of the DIY method of placing an LP between two glass plates and heating the ensemble. The question there would be how hot and for how long? Any suggestions are welcome, especially opinions on the efficacy of the Furutech. Thanks. Please no comments on vacuum hold down; I think it's a great idea but none of my five turntables has that feature.
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@terry9 , we already established that the two channels can have very different cross talks. (Peter Ledermann) So, by taking measurements you can assure that your stylus is digging into your records. If you want to do it this way then confirm it with a visual inspection, OK. I think it is a waste of time and money. Money that would be better spent on a USB microscope. |
@melm , you are a little late with that idea but you are right on except with a good eye you are far more accurate visually than your hearing. If it make you happy. I have made recordings with the arm set up correctly and with the stylus 2 degrees off and no one can reliably identify the right set up switching back and forth. |
I think that you are talking about electronic measurements. I am not. I doubt that you can set up correctly with your procedure. Therefore, I suggest that you may well be comparing 1 degree out clockwise to 1 degree out counterclockwise, which might be difficult on some records. Further, what system are you using? In what state of repair is it? Perhaps the differences are swamped by TT noise. Or your tonearm may wobble. As per Lewm’s point, the records and their dishes and warps are also a factor. In summary, your inability to find an azimuth effect is not evidence of lack of same, except to you on your system. IMO |
@terry9 I am talking about any procedure other than direct visual adjustment of azimuth. The mission here is not to get the best sound, it is to get the stylus perfectly perpendicular to the record so that it does not dig into the vinyl. On a well made cartridge this will also give you the lowest crosstalk. If your cartridge is skewed it will not give you the lowest crosstalk but it will protect your records until you get a better cartridge. Perpendicularity, especially with the mirror method is easy to see and your eyes are 10 magnitudes more accurate than your ears. You do need to achieve the right set up particularly the lighting. A flashlight on either side will do it. A magnifier also helps. I use the one on the SmarTractor which is excellent. |
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