Stylus Rake Angle

Dear John_gordon: It's unfortunate that with a pivoted tonearm a " right " set up cartridge is almost not posible at all. All the set up parameters are interrelated and any change on one of them affect the others and we have to reset it, tiresome.

The best we can do is to choose the best trade-offs and enjoy the MUSIC and when choosed try to stay inside those trade offs all the time because when we change the null points and accepted we are changed almost all: mainly distortion levels that means new trade offs.

The analog medium is full of imperfections and we have to deal with in the best way we can. Sometimes I think is an endless enterprise.

At the end each one of us have its own targets and MUSIC sound reproduction and each one trade offs choosed are related to achieve those targets.

Regards and enjoy the music,
R.

Dear Lewm: ++++ " then it seems to me that small errors in overhang (say +/-1.0mm, but I would have to do the geometry before settling on that margin) can be tolerated. " ++++

as I posted we have to choose our trade offs, this is each one privilege. For you 1.0mm could be tolerated and maybe for me even 1.5 mm too and as JG posted there will be an offset angle/linear ( and the like. )deviation too.

Imperfect world!

Regards and enjoy the music,
R.

Of course that we can take the attitude to don't care about at all and only listen. Nothing wrong with that.

R.

Dear friends: IMHO speculations and theory is something that we have to prove.

Any one of you ( with Barwald or Löfgren B today cartridge/tonearm alignment. ) can make the next test:

simple make a change ( new set up ) to either of those alignments where you just need to make a change in overhang ( offset angle is negligible. Overhang less than 0.4mm. ) and listen carefully on both set ups with very good ( in deep ) know LP tracks at three LP surface positions: between null points, outer grooves ( out side null point. ) and inner grooves ( outside null point. ) .

You will now and understand why Löfgren calculated ( 50+ years ago. ) two alignment solutions: A ( Baerwald ) and B. Of course you can read his white papers somewhere in VE.

If you can try to find out tracks with high bass content ( more easy ) and listen the transient response on both set ups looking for differences and then share with us your experiences.

Regrads and enjoy the music,
R.

I'm still not convinced that SRA should match VTA(cutting stylus) necessarily. What shape is the cutting stylus vs. the many different playback styli? How many different cutting stylus shapes are there?