ARO set up….

Hi-Fi Corner
1

Hope someone can give me some simple straight forward advice…. After 15-20 years of using my ARO quite happily with a Leonard Gregory Music Maker (had 3 different versions and when they sang oh my goodness what a sound!!) so it’s years since I’ve set one up. However as I’ve just removed my last MM lll to be looked at for possible re-tipping, also the fat wad of sorbothane which Leonard fitted with my last MM, and am fitting a new pickup at least for the foreseeable future, I will need to sort the ARO out…. So I’d be glad of any basic guide lines, particularly re the horizontal setup- having removed (for the time being at least) the „Isolator“ that has obviously changed the angle of the arm. My main question is this, are there any hard and fast rules re the angle of the arm? Should it be parallel to the record surface? Pivot slightly lower? As it is the pivot is (I think) too high so that the cartridge is at the end of a slope downwards…..

Any guidance and suggestions gratefully received

Thanks

Simon

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Simon, for most cartridges you want the arm tube to be level and parallel to the LP surface during play. Obviously not all cartridges are the same (and there can be some variance in cantilever rake depending on VTF as well as VTA) and some may like a very slight tail-down on the arm. If you loosen off the grub screw on the base it will allow you to change the height of the bearing pillar - be careful though as you’ll need a hand or finger on the pillar to stop it dropping right through when the grub screw is loosened. When you have found the right height, secure the grub screw again but DO NOT tighten, just nip it up enough to hold in place.

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