Triplanar Question??

Stltrains,

Last night I played at 1.88g, but that really doesn't tell you much. My optimal VTF changes daily with the weather and yours does too, and they're unlikely to be the same. The cartridge is so sensitive it can change in mid session just from warming due to being played. That happened when Raul visited last year. I had to adjust VTF after a two hour dinner break. The cartridge had cooled off and the bass was weaker. Adding .02g brought it back.

Hot/humid weather = lower VTF
Cold/dry weather = higher VTF

FWIW, until we reached the 1000-1500 hour mark our ranges were about like this:
- Winter: 2.05-2.15g
- other 3 seasons: 1.91-1.98g

With more hours on the cartridge our optimal Summer range is now 1.82-1.94g. I won't know if the Winter range has also shifted until it gets cold.

There is no way to do this except to do it yourself, by ear. My best advice is this: play 2-3 sides to warm things up. Then reduce VTF in small (~.02-.04g) increments until you hear faint mistracking on dynamic peaks. That's your mistracking point, which will vary with conditions. In every condition, however, optimal VTF is ALWAYS about .02-.04g above that.

Doug

Doug your explanation is top flight. thanks for your input on universe its much appreciated.

so Doug
your seasonal VTF
is that with Air Conditioning?
if it's any more humid down here in New Orleans
my tracking will be below a gram ;-)

tom

Tom,

What are you doing using vinyl down there. Don't you know you're not supposed to play records wet? ;-)

We do have good AC but not central, just thermostatically controlled window units. The house isn't as tight as a newer one would be and southern New England (CT) weather presents challenges because it's always changing. A full four season climate with day-to-day swings of as much as 40 degrees. Last week it was 98 degrees with near-Pontchartrain levels of humidity. Two days later the daytime high was 55 and raining. Two days after that it was 80 and dry (ah!). In the winter temps swing from 40 to near zero and the air can be throat-scratchingly dry. Your climate, while warmer and wetter, is more stable and "should" present a smaller range of challenges, hurricanes excepted of course!

BTW it's not just ZYX or the UNIverse. Every MC cartridge we've used has reacted similarly. Elastomers (in the suspension) respond strongly to temp and humidity changes. Shelters, Ortofons and Koetsus behave like this, with individual variations in the numbers of course.

I no longer bother trying to find the actual mistracking point very often, we know the sound well enough to dial it in by ear. For a new cartridge or for those new to this technique however, the method I described above is reliable and repeatable. It also teaches you alot about how your setup is behaving, and it's vital to have VTF optimized just above the mistracking point before attempting to dial in parameters like antiskate, azimuth or VTA.

Hey doug the vinyl in the area is still great for older ears. It was 101 under my patio at 7pm yesterday. We even have some haunts where you can still find great vinyl.
When using a cartridge like universe its amazing what a small adjustment will do the the sound.
One of these days triplanar will arrive in my system. Must be one sweet arm to combo with universe.