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Azimuth observations and importance

After adjusting azimuth with a Fozgometer loaned to me, the following is what I observed. Individually, these changes were subtle although noticeable. The combined effect however, was significant to the overall presentation.

Imaging improved.

Vocals became more focused, not as big and wide as before.

Instruments more detailed with greater air. Location is more precise.

Tighter bass versus the slightly lingering bass notes previously.

Better top to bottom detail and clarity.

I never realized how important correct azimuth adjustment is and this exercise was quite a learning experience for me. Thinking I was correctly adjusting azimuth by visually setting the headshell as level as possible was a reasonable but flawed attempt.

I have found at least two stylus issues that if present will affect azimuth and sound.

1) A straight cantilever that is twisted left or right changes the attitude of the diamond and its relationship to the groove. By twisted I mean the cantilever has rotated on its own axis. This one is very difficult to see without appropriate magnification.

2) A cantilever that is canted to the left or right a degree or more but is still straight, not bent. It points left or right probably because it was not centered correctly when the cantilever was installed. It also changes the attitude of the diamond.

What is probably basic and common knowledge to everyone here is something I have just been enlightened about after giving it very little thought. I am now convinced that accurate azimuth is a required step in the turntable set up process and I will be giving full attention to this part of the equation.

No more guesswork and eyeballing which I am embarrassed to say was the norm. Doug
128x128dougolsen
teres
120 posts
 
I am a proponent of using your ears rather than instrumentation for adjusting azimuth. There seems to be a lot of angst about getting this adjustment "right". I assert that "right" is when it sounds best, regardless of what the technical parameters may be. I suspect that in most but not all cases an instrument guided alignment will also deliver the best sound. But since the only thing that matters is the sound, why take the detour into instrumentation.

With good line contact stylus it is very easy to hear when azimuth is properly adjusted. For most people I think it is quite unlikely that using an instrument will result better sound. And there is a distinct possibility that an instrument alignment could produce worse sound.

Some cartridges are considerably less sensitive to exact azimuth and VTA adjustment. Instrumentation does make adjustment easier in this case, but what does it accomplish other than to ease audio neurosis? If you have a cartridge where you can not hear the difference between close and exact then exact adjustment buys you exactly nothing.

Oh, yes and our ears are free.
lewm
12,993 posts
 
Dear Teres, You make a good point, mostly because with most all the cartridges that I have ever bothered to align electrically, there IS no one "correct" setting. Usually I have ended up choosing a setting that gives seemingly the least possible crosstalk in each channel, but as those two values (R into L vs L into R) are virtually never exactly equal, one still needs to use one's judgement. I guess I just don't trust my ears enough to do it all by ear. I generally start with an electrically determined setting and then fiddle with it a little more "by ear".
guinness
48 posts
 
I'm in Teres' camp at the moment. I purchased a Wallyskater a few years ago and found the method helped ball park a setting, but listening led me tweak it - YMMV.

I also remember seeing the lissajous patterns back in the days. I like Elizabeth's idea of a PC based o'scope. Michael Fremer reviewed just such a product - Dr. Feickert's Adjust+ in Stereophile's Oct. 2008 issue. Mikey liked it, conditionally. The manual was poorly translated from the original German. When/if the manual was re-written in plain English, he'd highly recommend it. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be in their web archives.

The article mentioned the cost was $250 with a Pro version available at $399. It measures phase angle, crosstalk, speed, wow, flutter, S/N, harmonic distortion, tonearm resonance and frequency response using a test LP (included) and high quality sound card (not included).

For more details: http://www.adjustplus.de/index.php?lang=english

It's unlikely it will ever hit my priority list, but it looks to be the best method at the moment. Until that time, my ears do just fine.

Relax, have a just released Founder's KBS (extremely limited) and listen to some Dead...
hiho
451 posts
 

Sometimes I wonder if the reason some tonearms are more sensitive than others in azimuth and VTA adjustment is because the arrangement of the vertical bearings. Arms without offset angled at the bearing will have a greater effect when changing VTA will result in changing azimuth, vise-versa. Arms like Rega, SME V, etc.. have bearings angled approximately 23 degrees to match the headshell angle are, I believe, less sensitive to VTA and azimuth settings. Arms like Clearaudio Satisfy, Origin Live, etc.. that have no offset angle at the bearing are probably more sensitive to azimuth and VTA settings. The only true unipivot arm that has this offset angle is the pre-Phantom Graham models.

Just a hunch.

_______
lewm
12,993 posts
 
Dear Hiho, I am not sure what you mean. Any well designed tonearm should have no play in the bearings, regardless of the offset angle. Unipivots are uniquely likely to induce a variation in cartridge azimuth during play, because they can potentially rotate around the pivot, and need to be designed so as to avoid or reduce that problem, vis the Graham. But the prime reason for a need to adjust azimuth is the variability among cartridges in the accuracy of the alignment of the motor with the external boundaries of the cartridge body. If that were always perfect, one could just align with a mirror. Possibly I have misunderstood you, and if so I apologize.
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