setting azimuth on VPI turntables

You are right. Setting up the table correctly is critical. I have a VPI Aries 2 Extended table with a JMW 12.5 arm and a ZYX Atmos cartridge. I am lucky to have friends who are very knowledgeable about turntable setup. One of them has been helping me fine tune my table. The sound I am getting now is amazing! Extreme dynamics, huge soundstage, precise placement of instruments in the soundstage, plenty of "air" around the instruments, and fantastic sense of attack and decay of instruments. Vocals also have a "you are there" feel to them. Don't even bother setting up your VPI with the jig that comes with the table. The only way to go is to set up with the Feikert protractor.

You guys are absolutely correct. Turntable setup requires a lot of patience and careful adjustment to reap the benefits of that big money outlay. Also, we usually put a new cartridge in the new turntable/arm. The cartridge will be in constant flux...mine was for over 150 hours. What store is going to have that kind of time to put in no matter how much they charge you. Its really not that difficult to set up an arm/cartridge if you are careful and do it yourself. Regarding the JMW arm. When you set it up, don't tighten the Allen screw on the counterweight very tight...this enables you to "coax" the counterweight to accomodate azimuth and VTA without the counterweight moving. Tighten it when satisfied...much easier than trying to do each adjustment seperately. The method SNS used is fine...the rod thing works as well, and the JMW alignment gizmo is fine if done with care..as with all of this. Regarding azimuth adjustment... It is difficult to judge the distance from the rod to the record and have it be equal on both sides. I took two Cardas Myrtle blocks and placed one on each side, then took other wood block of slightly narrower height and put them one on top of each of the Myrtle blocks. The combined blocks both just fit under the rod edges when the arm is perfectly level and sitting on a non-moving record. This enables you to set the arm absolutely level, but in a poorly manufactured cartridge, the stylus may not have been mounted square to the cartridge body. I double check the azimuth by using a top silvered mirror (get it at a camera repair center). Put the arm on the mirror, and carefully look closely down the front of the cartridge. The cantilever and stylus must sit perpendicular to the reflected image. If the stylus is leaning in either direction, I personally would replace the cartridge/stylus.

How low does the A/C voltage scale on the Digital Multimeter need to be?

And where do you measure it?

Thanks, Jerry