How critical is alignment error??

Thanks guys for the advice and tips. I will recheck the S-P distance again and work the numbers on the Vinyl Engine. Assuming I can adjust the cartridge in the head shell to achieve the correct effective length, how do I adjust the offset angle.

However, I'm still confused. As I mentiond above, I have an aluminum Dennesen protractor which automatically tells you what the effective length and offset angle should be once you adjust the device by measuring the actual S-P distance. As I also mentioned, I need to shorten the effective length by about 3-4 mm, but the headshell won't take the adjustment.

Just "thinking outloud" here, I could work the problem backwards. That is, if I know the effective length and S-P distance, then the only other variable is the offset angle. So, as I asked above, how do I adjust the offset angle??? Does V-E have a compass??

Bifwynne; the cartridge (and thus stylus) can be rotated slightly in a slotted headshell so that they are aligned to both null points of a protractor. That's IF the effective length (pivot-to-spindle plus overhang) is within the range needed for alignment. What you have is the possibility that the tonearm headshell slots will not allow the cartridge to be set back far enough so that the stylus is within the range of a typical alignment geometry.

If the tonearm is indeed mounted 5.0 mm too close to the spindle (217.0 mm instead of 222.0 mm) then you have to set the cartridge back in the headshell roughly the same amount.

Refering to my post above, with the tonearm mounted 217.0 mm from the spindle, you want an effective length of 234.7 mm (217.0 mm + 17.7 mm) to align to Lofgren A/Baerwald. Notice that the overhang of 17.7 mm is close to the 17.3 mm overhang needed for the 222.0 mm pivot-to-spindle distance. So basically you need to have the sylus in about the same place either way. And the offset angle is also close; 23.0 degrees vs 23.5 degrees.

The problem you've encountered is how to get the stylus back to a +/- 17.7 mm overhang. If the headshell slots don't allow the cartridge to move back far enough it won't matter how much you rotate the cartridge; it won't fit a typical alignment geometry. You need to either move the tonearm back away from the spindle or else lengthen the headshell slots so the cartridge can move back far enough. I'm not suggesting either one but instead agree with the other recommendations to talk with the tonearm installer.

If you want to see what null points you currently have with the cartridge all the way back in the slots, print out a copy of the Chpratz protractor from VinylEngine (linked below) and see which null points the cartridge lines up with.

VinylEngine protractor downloads

Regards,
Tom

Thanks Tom. I double checked my measurements and checked V-E as well. I can't move the cartridge back far enough in the head shell to achieve optimum geometry. It's back to the tech for me. I'll take Audiofeil's advice and take some pictures.

The real problem is the hassles of packing and shipping. I may take another direction and try to make the fix myself. If I do, I'll report back and let everyone know how I made out.

Thanks to everyone else for the great advice!