Rechecking Cartridge Alignment
Had my Ortofon Cadenza Bronze installed 3 years ago and it has approximately 800 hours of playing time. Run it on a VPI Prime.
Question: When does it make sense, if at all, to have the alignment rechecked professionally? I am not hearing anything problematic, but don't know what I don't know.
Dear @dsockel : Some gentlemans makes each " new " set up around 3-4 months other every 6 months or one year, there is no rule about.
In your case, just do it. There are not perfect tonearms and the cartridge suspension goes in deterioration over time as the stylus tip, only to name why you need that " new " set up.
Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS, R. |
Let's all keep in mind that alignment is futile unless the zenith angle (the relationship between the stylus and the cantilever, viewed from above) is such that the stylus is perfectly square to the long axis of the cantilever. If not, you are deluding yourself if you think you've got it exactly right. Once I was made aware of this source of error, I started examining my cartridges under a microscope. Very few are perfectly squared or even look to be squared. Namiki and Ogura (and whoever is the 3rd source in the world) tolerate an error of +/-5 degrees in cantilever/styli they sell to cartridge makers or re-tippers. I can only hope that the big time makers of expensive MCs are hand selecting assemblies that are perfect or nearly so. |
