Dertonarm:
You said:
If a phono protractor really is universal, it must automatically align regardless of the given mounting distance.
I would agree with you in that, but I would disagree with you when you say that
Setting the mounting distance is done before aligning the tonearm. It is a "conditio" already set before starting the alignment.
This is only necessary when using a protractor which requires it - like yours - because, as you say,
The UNI-Pro does follow the smart idea of Francis Dennesen and adapts to whatever P2S a given tonearm is mounted.
As is the case with the Dennesen, arms with adjustable bases and fixed headshell mounts are awkward for your protractor. So it canĀ“t really be called universal, as it only caters for arms with adjustment for effective length and offset at the headshell.
In most cases the tonearm is already mounted when one starts to align the tonearm/cartridge
All arms are "mounted" prior to alignment, but, as you are aware, not all arms have the pivot to spindle distance fixed at a specific measurement, but have the facility to adjust this, as in any arm on a pod or adjustable arm board, or the SME, and arms like it.
It could be argued that a more universal version of the Dennesen would have adapted it to allow its use with arms such as these, as well as with different alignments.
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