How important is Cartridge Overhang? Need help


Just received a Mint protractor for my Pro-ject 2 Xperience. I started the processes of setting the Overhang and it seems that my Ortofon HMC 20 can't achieve the proper overhang. The cartridge is maxed out to the front of the head shell and the result I get is: at the outside of the arc it sits perfectly and on the inside it sits behind the arc. I guess my question is this how important is overhang and if it is important is there a good compromise.Should I just get as close as I can and worry more about alignment?
128x128wilson667
Rauliruegas,buy my measurements 230mm is not possible, The center of the head shell sot is at 228mm the slot is 6mm long witch means I can only go back a max of 3mm putting me at 225 mm add the MHST of 8.5mm and I get an effective length of 233.5. please correct me if I am wrong
Just curious, and I have a question.

Is there a way to verify the Arc Protractor itself, that it was indeed made to proper spec? Should there then be a specific measurement from center of Protractor spindle hole, to the Arc on protractor? Mark
Dear Wilson667: That is something that you have to check " live ": I mean you have to measure ( you have to do it physically. ) the distance between the stylus and the tonearm pivot.

It is hard to believe that with that tonearm you can set up that cartridge: the overhang ( center of the TT spindle to stylus. ) must measure 18mm.
Now if the spindle to pivot distance is 212 and you can't get/match 230mm from stylus to pivot then you need a different tonearm or a different cartridge or you can make wider the headshell slot.

regards and enjoy the music,
Raul.
Hi, Wilson667, have been gone this weekend or would have responded earlier. Sounds as if the tone arm MAY have been redesigned and the specifications have not been revised to reflect a different effective length of (perhaps) ~237.5mm. That's assuming that Pro-Ject still designs the headshell for a range of cartridge mounting holes-to-stylus distances. If the center of the slots is at 228mm plus ~9.5mm gives an effective tone arm length of ~237.5mm. The other assumptions are that the headshell offset angle has been revised to accomodate the Lofgren A/Baerwald alignment geometry and that Pro-Ject may have unfortunately failed to change the pivot-to-spindle distance to ~220mm to accomodate the revised effective length.

So many variables and so many assumptions. Not a good scenario.

My advice is for you, or the retailer that sold you the turntable, to contact Pro-Ject/Sumiko USA and ask about the apparent discrepancies.

Tom