Technics SL1200: Baerwald or 1200 white gauge?

Markd51,

When you say "zenith" are you referring to azimuth, or is there yet another angle of alignment I need to consider?

If you're referring to azimuth, one of the added bonuses of ken's plastic protractor is that it in fact is reflective (when cartridge is backlit) and I've been able to easily correct azimuth -- the new lpgear zupreme headshell makes it extra easy!

I can't speak to the other differences you discuss as I've never used a mintlp unit. But judging from its description and looks, I'm pretty sure that I'm not going to fork out an extra $55 over ken's unit - at $55 shipped, I think ken is providing one of the most cost-effective tools in the analog world.

Both the Ken Willis and MintLP protractors are arch-style. But they are not exactly the same. The extra features of the MintLP are, IMO, worth the extra bucks.

Winegasman,

The "zenith" angle of a cantilever means the direction the cantilever points when viewed from the zenith, i.e., from directly overhead looking downward.

Of course one can't actually adjust zenith this way (though it would be optimal) for the obvious reason that the cartridge body and headshell block your view of it.

We adjust zenith by looking at the cantilever from dead ahead. As pointed out by Mark, a mirrored protractor like the TTB, Mint or Wally offers the only practical way to have any certainty that we're actually viewing the null point from precisely along the intended alignment line. If you move your eye off line by the tiniest amount, the dual images of printed/scribed line vs. its reflection go out of synch, letting you know you're out of position. No paper or plastic protractor offers that, and no one who's only used them has any idea whether their cantilever is aligned or not.

***

The "battle" above over Technics vs. Mint was saddening. The only people saying the Technics is good enough are those who've never tried anything else, never heard the results. Why is it so tempting for humans to invent theoretical "explanations" to discount things we're unwilling to test, even in the face of overwhelming testimony from those who have tested. The popes treated Galileo that way, and we haven't improved much since.

Hello Winegasman,
Zenith Angle, is the Alignment of the Cartridge so that it is parallel, or I should say plays parallel to the Groove.

Commonly, all we used to do decades ago (now I'm showing my age) is make sure the Cartridge was aligned squarely in the Headshell. Zenith Angle can only be precisely correct at two Null points on the LP.

Zenith Angle perhaps may not be so critical with a Conical Stylus, but for Elliptical, or Micro Line, Line Contact-Shibata, it is very important.

It of course goes beyond this, it is the Cantilever, and hopefully the Stylus, provided the folks at whatever factory, have done thier work, insuring that the Cantilever is straight, and that the Stylus is properly bonded to the Cantilever.

Many know that just aligning the Cartridge Body to the groove, or just squaring the Cartridge Body on the Headshell is not good enough. It is more particularly, the Cantilever itself that must be in perfect alignment-parallel with the Groove at the Null Points.

Azimuth is the angle in which the Stylus is positoned in relation to the Groove Wall (Looking from the front of a Cartridge, and this angle should be at exactly 90 degrees. In other words, the Stylus must be precisely straight up, and down, for proper, even contact of the sides of the Stylus to contact the Record Groove Walls.
As for a visual aid, this is where I feel a reflective surface, such as the TB , or Mintlp Tractor can be used to an advantage, just sitting the Stylus on the mirror, it does anhance being able to see any slight cocking of the Stylus, better than just sighting on a flat surface, or an LP. Even a small cosmetic mirror could probably be used, prvided its surface is flat. There are other methods which I understand can also be used to check Azimuth, such as a Multimeter. Mark