"Making Mono" for checking Azimuth

If you want to supplement Doug's typically excellent suggestion with the test record method, it would most likely be ok to use either of the y-adapter approaches you asked about. The one circumstance in which I would be hesitant to do so is if the output impedance of the phono stage is particularly low, meaning significantly less than perhaps 50 ohms, especially if the tracks being played may have significant content that is off to one side (i.e., mostly in one channel). In that situation I would seek the manufacturer's opinion before shorting the two outputs together.

To the extent that the output signals of the two channels differ at any given instant, the output stage of one channel will have to drive a load impedance equal to the output impedance of the other channel, resulting in current flow that is much greater than under normal circumstances. The lower the output impedance the greater the current. With most and perhaps nearly all designs I would expect no harm to result from that, even if the output impedance is very low, but better safe than sorry IMO!

Regards,
-- Al

Peter,

I haven't used the SME and from your description I think truly fine tuning azimuth may be difficult. The adjustments needed are on the order of 1-2 degrees at most.

The easiest and most repeatable designs I've used are of two types:
- TriPlanar, Kuzma Airline: loosen two set screws along the armtube; adjust azimuth with a third, finely-threaded screw that rotates the armtube (1/24th of a turn makes an audible difference); retighten the set screws.
- Durand Talea: rotate a finely-threaded screw that moves a magnet toward/away from a second, fixed magnet that's located above the arm pivot; the opposing magnetic fields hold the armtube at a fixed angle, varying with the distance between the magnets.

The Talea's is the best I've used and unique. It's the only arm I know of that allows azimuth adjustment on-the-fly. This lets you hear exactly what you're doing, a great feature. It's a great arm generally, sonically head and shoulders above either the TP or the Airline IME.

Good technical advice from Almarg, as usual. I tend to avoid technical measurements if listening will do, since for me listening to music is more fun and I can perform most adjustments that way... but as always, YEMV (Your Ears May Vary!).

Dougey Dougey Dougey. As always, your comments are always bang on. When I had the Tri, your emails helped me immensely.

May I make an observation?,..........thank you.

I have the Talea ll. On some records the sound is bang on. On others it is not. I now have sticky notes on which albums are this, and which albums are that.

Could it be that the cutting lathe, which did the master, was not perfectly lined up on some.

This hobby of ours is maddening.

I will say that half the fun of listening, is tweaking till it's perfect.

Your lucky you have Paul, all I have is red red wiiine.

Should I start saving for the Telos?.

Bifwynne....your bubble level on the head of the tonearm would give you good azimuth if and only if your stylus was manufactured properly and mounted square on the shank and square to the cartridge itself. If you have a cartridge manufactured by a trustworthy company, you could go with your method. I use a similar method..using a carpenters level holding its weight in my 2 hands and aligning the level to the tonearm head...I have a Benz LPS and trust the manufacturer.

Al, what do you think about my use of the small bubble level thingy that comes with my protractor kit? Seems to me that if the air bubble is dead center while the sylus is sitting on the record, azimuth is perfect. Am I missing something?