Thanks for further explanation. I don’t have an arc protractor. I had thought about getting the Wally, but ended up with the SMARTractor that I consider good enough.
Clearaudio includes a paper protractor, the same one for both 9" and 12" versions of the arm I use, but they recommend using their proper alignment tool, which has four different alignment geometries. They don’t state which one to use. They are IEC r=60.325mm (similar to Baerwald), IEC r=65mm, IEC r=70mm and IEC r=75mm.
As stated before I use Lofgren B DIN. That sounds the best overall to me.
I guess that, as someone once said…‘if it sounds better, it is better’…wise enough words, and a concept which frequently defeats all our rationalisations to the contrary. I did find that you can overcome the StoP dilemma with a combination of custom printing protractors and twisting the cartrigde in the headshell (so that it is not aligned along the axis of the arm!).
Yeah, but the different alignments also vary in how much tracking error/distortion there is between the null points. Some have more than others.
This is a graph from Wally to illustrate. This is from the article “UNI-DIN Versus Löfgren B Just to Clarify” at Analog Planet. Note that Stevenson (i.e. what Rega uses) has the highest overall.
…and you would have thought that, by now, there would be some consensus as to which is best.
In any case, as pointed out by yourself, inner groove distortion with classical music is important to some.
I’ve never used an arc protractor, they might be great for a given P2S but how do they set the offset angle?
Even with a Smartractor I’m not certain I get it within 1 degree on the cantilever with the Ortofon or Transfig, I tend to align the body with those and have done, the Denon’s is a bit longer and with the mirrored surface I may be in with a chance, then there’s the Decca.
Don’t forget also the indispensable microscope advised by Michael Fremer, to set perfectly the 92 degree angle of the stylus.
These things can turn into madness. I used a Rega protractor and don’t worry more. And electronic balance and that’s all.
The beauty of the 3 point mounting (which also includes rigidity, and as long as you accept the alignment protocol selected) is that you don’t need the arc/2nd null point and that offset is done for you. Too many parameters…and we’ve not gone to just how much bias varies across the surface yet!
Yes, this was certainly appreciated by yours truly just the other day when I came to fit the new Apheta 3 to my RB2000. With the pre-loaded Rega torque driver in hand, it made fitting the cartridge really easy. Only way it could get much easier would be as a T4P mount…
I’m getting quite adept at setting rake angle by ear, given a repeatable adjustment for VTA. The Schröder has an excellent adjuster, the Korf’s is a bit cruder but works well enough, The Aro I ended up trimming VTF for that last bit but the interaction with VTA meant both changed with either adjustment.
I’d struggle to accept the limitations of a Rega these days though I hope the RB3000 will have lost the grey sound pallet of the RB300.
I’ve been playing around with cartridge mounting torque using this
and find the lower end of the scale gives the most enjoyable result with both the SPU Royal N and a Denon 103 where 3.5cNm set on the scale came out best on both Schröder and Korf arms. Though I doubt the accuracy of that figure it’s nowhere near what the Rega torque driver delivers and a far cry from “Linn tight”.
Linn tight…how many deformed headshells!
I doubt that many dealers, nowadays, understand the finess in setting all this.
I tried setting VTA correctly, on a P9 /DV XX-2 Mk 2, by using spacers, but lost more than I gained.
RB 3000 (on P10)…fireworks, full spectrum!).
