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Cart not parallel after Mint LP alignment?

Howdy,

So after reading about 1000 paragraphs on how good the Mint LP Tractor is - I purchased one and had a marathon session yesterday with my new SL-1210 M5G, AT440MLa and Zupreme headshell...

After all was said and done - the alignment itself took 90 hard minutes - I am finding the cartridge sitting about 5-7 degrees "right" of center. The actual cantilever and stylus are about as dead on as I wanna go with it for now.

Now a comment and a question....

Question: Is this non-parallel result in the headshell normal? It's making me think I may have a bent cantilever or something.

Comment: I have run 10-12 sides thru the rig so far and I must say - I have not yet heard the "revelation" that others have described when comparing their alignments to other protractors or even the white Technics alignment gauge. The rig sounds good...but...what I am missing here.

I must temper the above by saying I have changed phono stages frequently in the last month as well...I was getting nicely familiar with a Bellari VP-130 and then moved that for a Cambridge which lasted less than a week and I now have a Moon LP3 with maybe 25 hours on it...Even my AT440MLa might have 40-50 hours on it as well....

I am thinking that a whole bunch of stuff might need to "burn" in before the system starts to really reveal itself.

But I am very concerned with the stylus/cantilever on the cart...even with all the moves the Mint required...I expected the cartridge to sit straight in the headshell...perhaps expecting too much?

Appreciate any feedback.

Cheers!

VP
vocalpoint
audioquest4life
774 posts
 
Raul,

Are you implying that someone should select one of the alignment calculations and use a single null point to align the cartridge rather than two?

I have seen excellant results with either situation, depending on the arm and cartridge combination.

I think the bottom line here based on what you stated, is that one has to be willing to accept the inner or outer groove distortion levels based on the geometry model they select. Is that correct?

Ciao,
Aidioquest4life
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rauliruegas
13,105 posts
 
Dear Audioquest4life: No, the Calculators give you both null points.

Due what the geometry model ( equations ) we choose then we have to accept: lower distortions out the null points with higher distortions between null points or higher distortions out the null points and lower distortions inside the null points.

In the Enjoy the Music calculator you can see on the graphic what I'm talking about on those null points.

Now, the distortion level between those little different geometry equations are really low and maybe we can't hear it.

As I point out the accuracy of our cartridge/tonearm set up is what could makes the differences, but in this imperfect analog world that is surrounded by so many parameters/factors that could affect that set up this task is very complex: example what I posted about the set up of the cantilever in static and dynamic status, which " road " we have to take here? and with the VTA/SRA changes.

We have to be on the " middle " of the whole process because if not we can hear/enjoy music because almost anything we change we have to re-set the whole process: endless process one and again.

Each one of us have to decide with which trade offs we can live.

Regards and enjoy the music,
Raul.
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rauliruegas
13,105 posts
 
Dear friends: In the Timeltel Calculator link we can choose DIN, IEC or Typical Groove radius standards.

The IEC standards are the ones choosed by the Enjoy The Music Calculator.

Regards and enjoy the music,
Raul.
dan_ed
2,451 posts
 
Why the MintLP seems to us better when it is not?, IMHO because when we use it what we do we do with more accuracy,

I don't think that anyone who uses a Mint LP protractor has every claimed it to do anything more than this. This is pretty much what I replied to Hesson11 back on 4/22.

Assuming a protractor is properly drawn, an arc is an arc is an arc. The Mint is simply made to more precise tolerances. That's it. Nothing more.

Can someone do just as well with any other protractor? Absolutely. Those of us who chose to use the Mint do so because it is easier to be precise, and to repeat that precision such as it is.
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rauliruegas
13,105 posts
 
Dear friends: Now you have the Löfgren A/B and Stevenson Calculators. If any one else is interested on Baerwald please email me and I will give you.

Maybe it is time to build our own protractors and choose with " geometry " works/match our each one priorities and you don't have to pay 100.00+ for it: free stuff!

Regards and enjoy the music,
Raul.
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