What is you tonearm’s Maximum Distortion?
I’ve been playing around with different cartridge mounting, as a Grace arm the plinth of my Lenco cannot be mounted at the recommended pivot-to-spindle distance of 222mm (closest it can get is 225mm).
My best figures in theory seem to be:
Max. Tracking Error: 3.51 degrees
Max. Distortion: 1.21 %
Average RMS Distortion: 0.73 %
This is with: P-t-s 225mm; overhang 11mm; offset angle 19 degrees.
What are your figures for your setup?
Dear @fusian : I don't know which kind of alignment you are trying to use.
Löfgren A/baerwald ( IEC standard. ) gives you a little lower distortion levels : 0.61% and 0.4% respectively with maximum tracking error 1.78°. Now, it's not easy to be aware of the true quality differences you are listening between that average distortion 0.73% and 0.4%. To be aware of it your room/system has to has a very accurated high resolution and " educated " ears.
Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS, R.
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Right now I am using the HiFi news test LP protractor, just because it is handy. Does anyone know what alignment it is? And I am mostly curious what the figures are for the tonearms of folks like you? Just because this is a new area of exploration for me and it might help me get a better overall concept of what is going on and how important the numbers are. My ears are pretty good (professional orchestral musician who is a bit obsessed with tuning perfect intervals, including overtones). But my listening room has never been really ‘tuned’. |
@fusian : Here the calculation. For a protractor you can contact MINT-LP and he will makes a dedicated protractor for your today TT/tonearm, ask him for Baerwald alignment. It’s really accurated and not an expensive protractor:
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Both you and Raul referenced the same algorithm on Vinyl Engine. I see where it has a readout for distortion once you plug in the known values for any particular tonearm, but I have no idea how it comes up with distortion %, mathematically. I guess it uses formulae first promulgated by the gods of alignment, Lofgren and Baerwald. Anyway, sorry I cannot respond to your actual question. My feeling is that distortion has to be measured, not predicted based on angular errors, |
