Alignment tool for SME V + Shelter

Axelwhal, believe it or not, there is a small coterie of SME V owners who are quite anal retentive. They're the ones who refuse to use the arm with the finger lift attached, and who remove the bridge across the main bearing.

With all audio refinements/improvements/adjustments, proof of concept is always going to be decided by the answer to two questions: "Can you hear a difference?" and "Do you like the Emperor's new clothes?"

No one who uses anything more sophisticated than a record changer will argue against careful setup - even those who haven't learned to do it themselves. The implication that certain arms/tools can provide 'tighter' setup tolerances is just baloney as I see it. I've been setting up arms and cartridges for 50 years, and I'm a stikler for precision in all things mechanical. The only changes I've witnessed in all that time vis a vis tonearm setup, are tools (such as Mint and Wally) that make the process easier -- especially for those who don't have a lot of practice and/or skill. What makes me laugh is the notion that one can do a better job using those tools. Maybe faster, but not better.

If anyone using a line contact (or micro-ridge) stylus equipped cartridge really wants to experience a revelation in cartridge performance I would refer them to the following thread: http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?eanlg&1140840022&openmine&Nsgarch&4&5&st0 Boy! Do I wish someone would make a tool for doing that!!~
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Nsgarch
y.s.:
>> ...the ones who refuse to use the arm with the finger lift attached, and who remove the bridge across the main bearing. <<<

No finger-lift, OK fine, I just put some heat-shrink over it so call me anal too. But removing the bridge is BS^2, call it crap, sorry. I have listened to it, it makes the sound in-coherent, period. (That arm was designed with the bridge and so was the sound or 'non-sound' it makes.)

As to that VTA tool, -- the longer I been fiddling with VTA, all the more I keep it with Roy Gandy's (REGA) take. It's important to find a good working level (and take some time to do it) but then get a rest and listen to music and don't keep on chasing 'sound'. Every cart has some sort of 'sweet-spot' but is not normally THAT small so we have to get anal about micro-degrees --- really it is not, and neither is all the rest from LP to LP. If it was, I'd been long, long back with this harmonically leached out CD music.
Greetings,
PS: taking care and practicing good set-up is one thing, getting 'retentive' quite another in my experience.
Enjoy a good weekend,

Axel, you clearly did not read my thread on SRA.

"VTA" isn't even a real world entity (or concept or whatever) and is absolutely useless. People who think VTA is real are indeed doomed to "keep on chasing 'sound'" because VTA doesn't exist (unless your cartridge just happens to match the cutterhead in all dimensions and angles -- yeah right!) So just forget about it!

As for SME mods, I just don't believe in guilding the lily (or removing petals from it ;-) The SME arm is all about RIGIDITY and ZERO FRICTION -- both to the max. So I have to assume the bridge is there for rigidity, or else, as Bette Midler would say, "Why botha?!" As for the finger lift, I hardly think the tiny axial torque it creates will affect those huge ABEC horizontal bearings in the slightest.
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Howdy Nsgarch,
well now didn't I read that 'VTA' post, don't know, maybe I did? - didn't I read enough VTA stuff already? Uff...:-)
SRA, VTA, what ever, I do know the difference picture's right there in my head (as I said, didn't I read enough yet?).
I still use(d) the more widely 'used' terminology, it's less confusing with most folks - I think. (Like every UK dude weights in STONE --- then come the Kilogram, etc.)
I do not suggest to start yet another white-paper on the subject. If the stylus' contact ridge angle be always 90 deg to the cantilever it actually would be a perfectly interchangeable figure. Alas, this is not the case, so VTA ~ SRA are somewhat a bit more loosely related ~ by a couple of degrees at best.
As I said, take time out to optimize it for each cart/arm and then - peace be with you brother.

As to the finger lift 'story' we seem to agree on NOT mutilating, stripping down the V arm. It is not the torque (measured in uN/um of 'angel-wings' in this case?) but rather the resonance of this thing sticking out on the side. It's too practical for me to leave it off, putting heat shrink will take care of the resonance (at least in the audio band) so I guess nobody can say that I didn't try :-)
Greetings,

Axel, please! It is NOT another "VTA post" ;-) You do me an injustice!

VTA and SRA are NOT 'loosely' related. In fact, they are not related at all! You really need to edumacate yourself if you want to discuss such subjects.

Yes, the torque of the fingerlift is miniscule compared to the resistance of the vertical bearings. Fingerlift torgue is an issue of course with unipivot tonearms. As for the 'resonance' of the fingerlift? Another 'audio chimera'. It is apparently made of spring steel, yes, but constrained only at one end -- so if it does resonate, be assured it's WELL ABOVE the range of human hearing and at an amplitude only bats could hear! Good God!!