Turntable Setup by Ear?

my comment above should have been "maybe i dont know how to follow directions" :) I have a template for my rb300 and im using the denon dl110, I have to look at the recommendations. im just at my wits end with this LOL

rb301 not rb300

03-20-15: Thegoldenear
so far i have had better success after a day of doing it by ear than 2 years using tools,

Well, maybe you really do have "The Golden Ear", or maybe, you just have the wrong tools, and/or don't know how to use the tools.

Why do things the hard way? A good protractor and small level will make nailing your cartridge setup much faster and eliminate guesswork. More tools are useful but not absolutely necessary.

In the old days when I used to tune up my own cars I used an ignition timing light and a spark plug gap tool. Was I doing it wrong, or maybe missed enjoying the experience to it's full potential?

What works best for you works best.

ok so i went back to using a protractor and spending some time making sure the alignment is within the lines printed on the template were just so. there seems to be a major improvement with using both my ear for fine tuning and the protractor to getting me where i want to be, but the inner grooves on some recordings still give me terrible "S" pronunciation, im not sure how to tone that down. or zero in on eliminating it, what can i do for that issue?