What is you tonearm’s Maximum Distortion?

Hi guys,

Debates on this level of refinement (which alignment pattern to use or which tonearm offers lowest tracing distortions) are really insignificant compared to zenith error tolerances in the cartridge industry. Your zenith error should be known and corrected before any of this inquiry will deliver results. The average zenith error in the last few hundred cartridges I’ve analyzed is a hair over 2.5 degrees. If we look at the dataset with Gyger replikants removed, that number goes up substantially. Industry assembly tolerances are so far beyond the differences between Loefgren, Baerwald, Stevenson, etc that the debate and inquiry offers limited “yield” until zenith correction is satisfied.

I don’t mean to rain on you fellows. There still may be value in this inquiry but it can’t benefit us until we’ve first managed the elephant in the room.

I am still in development with a tool to correct for zenith error in the field so it does not require sending to me in the lab. Technically, the WallyZenith allows for it already but the correction involves using your ears in a rather tedious process of listening for best results. The tool makes it very easy to know where you are and return to any previous position with a high level of accuracy.

You might ask why I bothered to put alignment variations in the WallyTractor in the first place then. Simply: I redesigned the WallyTractor before I came to realize how poorly stylus/cantilever assemblies are made and mounted.

In a product development process I had to do repeated static and dynamic repeatability tests for zenith error in which I repeatedly aligned the cantilever by 0.5° increments. We were able to confirm that these attempts were accurate though I do believe 0.5° is likely my limit of resolution when aligning a cantilever. One of the engineers on our research team who has a fantastic analog rig and is a VERY discerning headphone listener insists he can hear 0.5° zenith error differences on his pivoted tangential tracking arm. I have not blind tested him on this but I’d say that I’m not worried about resolving below 0.5° accuracy based upon what I’ve seen in Matlab and Abaqus with respect to fine changes in zenith error.

The tracing error difference between Loefgren and Baerwald is less than that. So is the difference in tracing error between a 9” arm and a 12” arm.

@intactaudio : " manipulated numbers without disclosing the manipulation to justify someones choice."

" your proposed alignment simply "

 

and way before you posted the graphics I posted to you:

 

 

" that is the SAT tonearms alignment. "

Btw, was ridiculous/false/untrue/lie that in your graphic instead to write SAT use it my name when the alignment came from SAT and I posted to you before that graphic and you knowed.

 

" I do not believe he would fudge the inner groove radius to 75mm in the calculations "

 

that’s only your ignorance because you showed with this kind of statements that your knowledge level on the SAT tonearm is near zero. Your problem not mine.

 

""" Everyone is allowed their own choice of compromise """

 

Yes, that’s why exist the custom key in the calculators.

 

@optimize thank’s for your expert explanation.

 

Btw, intactaudio you posted that with the SAT the distortion level goes at 60mm to 2%. Well could be that your speakers goes even way higher that that figure and no compliant about. The phono stage you are using ( I think you are using it ) develops a huge distortion level with that high swing of 3db deviation in the RIAA inverse eq. and I can understand with out compliant because it’s what you are using and that makes more harm that the SAT alignment. Incredible that you made a " film of drama " on this issue.

 

In the other side all SAT owners are fully satisfied with Mark tonearms. I listen 3 times to the SAT and it’s really good and I think that @mijostyn did it and like it too.

 

I think that if your main undisclosed attitude is to hit me then you are wrong in that specific alignment issues that as I told you I’m only using it and whith not the kind of critics like you other than exactly the same opinion that @optimize about Stevenson A alignment.

 

So I appreciated if you take off my name in your posted graphics due that no belongs to it.

 

R.

 

 

Btw, this is the scenario of SAT:

 

Tonearm Alignment Calculator Pro - Vinyl Engine

 

R.

Thanks @wallytools ! You guys are doing a great job.

Yes, there is most likely bigger fishes to fry than select a alignment but we need one anyway so why not select one of the better ones.

But it is something that we can do easily. And by understanding what they’re bringing to the table makes it simpler to choose the correct one when knowing their strengths and weaknesses from our priorities.

 

The zenith error is baffling that the 3 different mounting companies that mount the diamond to the cantaliver is having that low precision!

Here we go and have different inventions of stylus diamond advance shapes that has very small cutting to make those shapes and ridges.

It feels that we have a made a very beautiful and precise part the diamond and then we have a cantaliver that is tapered aluminum, boron or other highly refined material.

Then we take those two parts and ask someone that has not the understanding of their beauty and precision made parts and their importance of their alignment when gluing them together as a whole unit. I mean it feels that it is not done with the proper care and attention that those parts deserve or with the same precision as they were crafted.

Keep up the good work and hopefully cartridge manufacturers start to put higher requirements on those manufacturers because their tolerances you have uncovered to the public is not doing their products and efforts any favors.💞

 

 

Zenith error should be able to be resolved with a compensatory alignment angle I assume. Ears seem an adequate way to hone it in, once an appropriate alignment protractor is chosen and set to (although time consuming).