Stylus Rake Angle

Dear Stringreen: ++++++ " What I did today was LISTEN. " +++++

that's all about.

+++++ " The arm is a bit high, but not absurdly so which the microsope dictated. " +++++

as Dougdeacon I posted several times that those 92 degrees could be a start number as could be 89 or 91 or whatever. 92 is not a compromise, perhaps and only by coincidence ( at random ) what you listened in a specific LP grooves can be that 92 but in the next one will be different.

LP are way imperfect items. For some time now and in some LP titles I bought two samples ( same lot. ) and I can tell you that even here both can/could sounds tiny different.

Now, what's important is to have a well proved VTA/SRA self test process that in almost any " escenario " can works and be repetable.

That test process must has a reference/standard against you will/can compare it. Best reference can be live music at near field listening because normally recording microphones are " near field " position against where we are seated in a concert hall.

IMHO could be a mistake to make comparisons against our latest set up when that set up was made with a different reference/standards. In the other side and even with the same reference we have to ask our self: what if that set up was " wrong " even that we like it and that we are accustom to?

++++ " Because the arm was raised, the VTF is now probably a bit too light, the Azimuth, is probably skewed....I'm too tired to futz with this arm.... " +++++

not only that butyou need to reset something more critical: overhang, because if not then you will have always a higher tracking distortion and all the other set up parameters could help almost for nothing because the overhang was moved with those VTA/SRA/VTF chanes.

Now, the right cartridge VTA/SRA set up depends on the audio system/room quality performance level and your self knowledge level on how live MUSIC ( near field. ) sounds.

IMHO DYNAMICS is the main live MUSIC characteristic that we " want " to even in our system ( with out success. ) and the one that contribute the more for comparisons. Main definition of that Dynamics is how we perceive both frequency extremes in a live event, any deficience in the bass range or HF range goes against dynamics. Precision, definition, accuracy, velocity and natural coloration and agresiveness are part of changes on dynamics.
I think we have to look for in our systems through analize quality performance at both frequency extremes and very especial on the bass that IMHO put the frame for the reproduced sounds in he audio system.

Regards and enjoy the music,
R.

Just to comment on Karl_desch's post above, we all assume (expensive!) cartridge manufacturers ensure the styli are mounted correctly on the cantilever: then starting with a parallel base should work if designed properly and within VTF recommended range but Fremner examined some (expensive!) ones and found significant variations which apparently came as a complete surprise to the cartridge manufacturer who outside sourced styli/cantilevers. Assuming correct orientation may be unwise.

I forgot: with out that " perfect " Dynamics what you are hearing is only sounds but no MUSIC, Dynamics put/contribute to other live music characteristic: rythmum.

R.

Doug, your final assessment is spot on and is absolute since what proper timing sounds like at the stylus tip is exactly the same as what it sounds like on all the rest of the gear individually and is a perfect reference. Perfect because the same transitional changes will take place during adjustment no matter what the gear is and therefore represents an ideal model.

Nwright: what came as a surprise was when Stereophile (not Michael) switched around the photos and captions, so that the SRAs and cartridges in the published article didn't match up. Corrections were printed in a follow-up issue.

FWIW, there never has been any published industry standard for SRA. The sole documentation supporting the 92-degree SRA that I have been able to find - in any language - is the Jon Risch article, and that never became part of any industry standard. What does "mounted correctly" mean if there never was a standard?

There is more of a standard for VTA (originally 15 degrees, which is where Shure's "V-15" name comes from, later gradually revised upwards until it became 20 degrees) than there is for SRA, but even so, some cartridges (both present and vintage) deviate from this significantly. On the Vinyl Engine website, Werner Ogiers collated a VTA table for various cartridges from various manufacturers, based on measurements made by HiFI News & Record Review magazine (rather than manufacturer's specifications):

http://www.vinylengine.com/turntable_forum/viewtopic.php?t=34909

You can see that even industry heavyweights such as Ortofon or Denon made cartridge models with 28 or 30 degrees.

Raul, in the "Who needs MM/MC" thread, didn't you write that some cartridges sounded best with the back of the tonearm raised quite high up? Do you still believe this to be true, or do you feel that improvements to your system and testing methodology since that time may give different results?

Also, did you ever try to measure what SRA you had when the cartridges were adjusted to their best-sounding position?

As a general message (not addressed specifically to Raul), rather than attempting to force all cartridges into a single SRA "standard" that never existed to begin with, it would be far more useful for both manufacturers and audiophiles if audiophiles would align the cartridges to their best-sounding position, measure the resulting SRA (and VTA), and the various real-world experiences could gradually be collected into a single table for further study.

OTOH, regarding overhang, due to decreasing linear groove speed towards the record label, the frequency response of an LP changes with groove radius, and so does distortion. The upper frequency response falls the closer the groove being played is to the label, while distortion increases.

At the same time, many classical orchestral works have their most dynamic climaxes at the very end of the LP, where distortion is highest and upper frequency response most suppressed. For this reason, you should not choose your cartridge alignment (Baerwald, Lofgren, Stevenson, modified versions of these) without considering how close the groove extends toward the label on the LPs that you prefer, and how dynamic and complex the musical content is at the innermost groove positions.

kind regards,