Graham tonearm tweaking

Boy did you touch on my pet project of winter 2004!!This is a critical adjustment that can make or break the ultimate performance of this arm.I spent the good part of winter into spring RE-LEARNING to dial in these parameters.What I'm really refering to is the CRITICAL FLUID LEVEL!Obviously the adjustments for anti-skate/VTA/downforce/and azimuth are critical,but,it is the amount of fluid in the bearing that really brings out the supreme level of performance that this arm is capable of,IN A HIGH RES SET-UP.What I find so frustrating is the fact that the mainstream audio press has never been really specific as to just how critical it is.Afterall,this arm is very popular,and,has been discussed(in length)on numerous occassions.I guess they are too busy pushing Home Theater to the YUPPIES that will ultimately own SKY BOXES (BIG BUCKS)in the proposed JETS STADIUM,in NYC,that will ultimately push out all the "REAL" fans.The same way the audio press is pandering to the "JUST GRADUATED FROM COLLEGE CROWD".Hoping to SHILL some 5.1 stuff.What about those CLASSIC covers of old TAS issues that were printed in TAS.Those audio journals really catered to the true hobbyist.Now we are a forgotten breed and must use forums like this to find out technical stuff that used to be covered regularly.Those that go back a ways know what I'm griping about.Afterall in"The analog Column"of a famous audio journal,the reviewer,who owns this exact arm, has never been specific in lettimg the reader know anything about the INCREDIBLE SENSITIVITY OF THE FLUID LEVEL.All that had been mentioned was,from my memory here,"the fluid should be about half way up the bearing shaft".I have found that going up and down a pinhead at a time results in clearly audible changes that you will recognize immediately!Why this could not be mentioned in one of the Audio Mags is a mystery to me,but, I have a sneaky suspicion that these so called reviewers never experimented to this degree, to find out.Too many new updates for them to keep up with?So, they never get to the actual EXACT SETTING?Believe me there is No approximate setting with the Graham(2.0 or 2.2,I have no familiarity with the Phantom),but,once you have learned to play around with the "RUBIC'S CUBE personality of the Graham,you will find that when it is dialed into an EXACT SWEET SPOT,you KNOW IT!OK.Let's get specific.Firstly I'm going to assume that you have your arm set correctly regarding Azimuth and correct antiskate(easy to do).Even though you ask about the fluid level,only,the fact is that there is a definite correlation between fluid as well as downforce,and VTA.I read a fine article last year in HI FI NEWS that discussed in length the effect of downforce on VTA and visa versa.This started me thinking about what I was hearing in my system,as well as some of my friend's set-ups.I have a friend with an air bearing arm (AIR TANGENT).It always frustrated me that every time I heard my records on his set-up there was an INCREDIBLE lack of a subtle grainy thinness,that I have come to idetify as groove distortion.I believe that some of the colorations we hear in an analog rig,are actually these distortions,which are easy to confuse with those of what we think other components are adding!Obviously other things,in my friend's set-up could be helping,but,because I'm so familiar with his rig,and the fact that I have pretty good stuff,I've come to these conclusions by TORMENTING MYSELF in trying to find the secret within the Graham's fluid level.There were many occassions,on Saturday evenings,when I had my wife screaming at me to "shut off the stereo or we'll be late for a dinner engagement".I always needed to hear one more piece of Oboe material or flute,for the airyness in the players breath when you have it right,or massed voices etc.It was a "REAL NIGHTMARE" and, I LOVED IT!!I want to stress that in order to get the fluid level EXACT(as it MUST be)you must SLIGHTLY RE-ADJUST THE vta AND DOWNFORCE EACH TIME YOU MAKE A slight change.iF YOU CARTRIDGE HAS A RECOMMENDED FORCE OF BETWEEN 1.7 AND 2.2 GRAMS,START AT ABOUT 2.0.vta WILL HAVE TO BE DONE BY EAR,SINCE THER IS no EXACT SPOT.Start with the armtube parallel to the record.The fluid level should be set slightly under halfway on the bearing shaft.Ultimately, you are going to be better off with the level slightly lower,since this will open up the sound and increase bass.There is a resonant signature from too little fluid.Don't worry. Experimenrt as you play music and you will soon be able to make chamges,ALWAYS slight,on the fly.You will ultimately become intimately familiar with how the 3 parameters(VTA/downforce/Fluid level)all work in conjunction with one another.If you have a bit of undershoot in fluid,and you don't want to add anymore(since too much overdamps the sound)you can add a tiny bit of downforce to compensate.Remember to only work with TINY amounts of adjustments at a time.Always stay within the recommended parameters on downforce.The fluid should,MUST,be added or subtracted a PINHEAD at a time.It is that critical!!!Don't worry,you will get the feel quickly.Vta can be moved up or down until it sounds open and clean.ALL three variables,as I've stated work in proportion to oneanother.This whole procedure will take MULTIPLE LISTENING SESSIONS.Just when you think you have it right,you probably DON'T.As I said multiple sessions.Remember,and I'm not kidding,though it sounds crazy,"the fluid HATES YOU".It is SO critical to work in adding or subtracting PINHEADS AT A TIME,THAT YOU WON'T BELIEVE IT.I really believe that those who have been unhappy with this GREAT arm never mastered this.I don't really blame them.It has taken me and my friend's who have it ages to realize how critical dialing in all 3 parameters TOGETHER are.Every time we think the fluid level is perfect,some other complex LP brings out an area where it needs further tuning.This is a fact!Patience will reward you,and you will easily learn to listen for the types of inner groove distortions that will help you to identify problem areas in other systems(analog based,of course).It may be a pain in the ass,but will be an education as well.I was invited to my Air Tangent pal's house recently,to hear his new TITAN cartridge.It was immediately clear to me that there was a subtle grain riding with the music.A vta adjustment solved it.If I hadn't been so fanatical with my Graham's signature,I don't think we would have taken care of the problem as quickly as we did.You will learn to identify this groove distortion in other systems.It won't make you popular with some of your less critical audio friends,but,you will know the signature sound I'm talking about.As for what I listen for in the music.I have a recordingcalled La FESTE DE LE ANNE(The feast of the ass) on the Harmonia Mundi label.There is a ton of difficult to track stuff on this disc.Difficult to track in the way the timbres should sound.There is a hand held shaker of tiny bells that overwhelm the listening area when all is right.These tiny bells should sound almost like a series of tiny metallic bubbles,shimmering with a real dynamic of their own. They must sound like metal,not,glassy,or the dialing in,is off.I,also,listen to a Melodya(EMI) recording of Rachmaninov's VESPERS.This has TONS of complex male and female chorus that can be VERY demanding of tracking.It should sound clean with a real sense of hall,and vocal naturalness.Hard to describe.This may sound crazy,but,you want to shoot for a subtle degree of what I call RESONANT LIFE in the arm's set-up.You can easily damp this down too much to cover up distortions.OR,you can make it sound too brittle and hard.What you want is a Resonant Glow from your system.There should be a real dynamic"jump"that cames from having the arm's parameters set.The fluid level is of Paramount importance here.If you want to control resonance and want a bit of undershoot in fluid,which will give the most openness,but can sound too bright and hard if too little is used,you can add a bit of downforce or lower vta slightly.YOU must experiment.A LOT.There is no other way.I have an album of hand bell music which is useful here.It is called The Pealing Bells of The Weatminster Handbell Choir.Great stuff.Gorgeous music.If you have ever been to a hand bell choir concert you will be able to dial in,with the arm,a metallic glow that should jump up the walls of your listening room.This should also be accompanied by an ultra delicacy,that is gorgeous to hear.Well I'm sorry for BLOVIATING. Hope you find this helpful!

Crikey sirspeedy, your posts are dense reading.

A few paragraphs would help your loyal readers. A space after a period and a comma too.

Do you realise there is at least one blind reader here who uses software to "read" the post and then convert it to speech? This software needs to see the space character after the commas and periods to recognize the natural break and insert a pause.

I know we all have our own writing styles, but please think about it.

Regards,

Not dense, but informative, and spot-on from my experience. Metralla, I sympathize with your plight but, in fairness, I'm not sure anyone can be expected to write in a form accpetable to a speech converter.