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dialing in new (to me) turntable...

post #1 of 6
4/26/06 at 8:45pm
Thread Starter 
a month or two ago i plunged into a new tt (michell gyro se)...coming from a rega P3 this was a nice step up. in the mean time i bought a benz h2 cartridge and i was well on my way to the "next" level. got both in and things just didn't sound near what the cost was...read a lot of tt setup instructions and discovered that my rb300 arm was not parallel to the record surface...causing what others would describe as supressed dynamics and limitations on the frequency range. warming up the credit card for another war, i ordered michell's VTA nut made for the rega arms. i just got it in and installed tonight...insert backflip here...what a difference a few degrees make!

my last concern is in regard to the headshell/cartridge alignment. using the hi fi news template i do feel that i have 90% certainty of the alignment, but i am not sure how to judge if the cartridge is forward or backward of the correct location...i feel confident in the side to side alignment. am i correct to assume that the cartridge would not end up square to the graph on the template if i was off from the correct location on the headshell?
i hope that was all clear...

thanks
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post #2 of 6
4/27/06 at 11:31am
Quote:
Originally Posted by chadlesko
my last concern is in regard to the headshell/cartridge alignment. using the hi fi news template i do feel that i have 90% certainty of the alignment, but i am not sure how to judge if the cartridge is forward or backward of the correct location...i feel confident in the side to side alignment. am i correct to assume that the cartridge would not end up square to the graph on the template if i was off from the correct location on the headshell?
i hope that was all clear...

thanks
I would buy or download another template, one that uses two comparison points rather than one. Then check to see if both templates match up properly, or at least closely (I think the HFNRR one is calibrated slightly differently than some others, but they should be close).
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post #3 of 6
4/27/06 at 6:39pm

[edits: links added]

Regarding alignment tools, you might want to check out The Vinyl Engine's free protractors (I also have the HF News test record/protractor, but instead decided to use what was available on The Vinyl Engine).

As you apparently are finding out, in aligning TT/carts, a very little means a whole lotta difference in sound. I also use a Pete Riggle on-the-fly VTAF for setting VTA on my vinyl rig. It's great to be able to fine tune the VTA by ear, the sound just seemingly snaps into 3D focus when you tweak the VTA just right; nor does it hurt my feelings that I can easily adjust VTA for each album without stopping the album.

I've never used "michell's VTA nut", but I do swear by the J A Michell Tecno Arm Stub & Counterweight, it made a none-to-subtle difference with my P25 tt - the Tecno AS&C also fits RB300 arms (there's a review of this product as well in The Vinyl Engine). FYI - the HFN test record, IMO, is great for fine tuning re: setting anti-skate, etc.

Happy listening!
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post #4 of 6
4/27/06 at 8:37pm
Thread Starter 
thanks guys...the techno weight is highly regarded and i do feel it is in my near future...i just wish it wasn't $175ish...i own a machine shop and i am thinking about making something similar.

do either of you use a protractor? according to the latest stereophile mag michael fremer is selling a new instructional video for tt setup that i will probably pickup for the sake of being reasured everything is setup properly...due to the aforementioned improvements with proper setup...and i want all i can get!

thanks for the vinyl engine sight...i am going to download the free tools tomorrow at work.
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post #5 of 6
4/27/06 at 8:46pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by chadlesko
thanks guys...the techno weight is highly regarded and i do feel it is in my near future...i just wish it wasn't $175ish...i own a machine shop and i am thinking about making something similar.
Brit Audio has the tecno weight for $135 (scroll about 1/2 way down the page). I purchased mine there and he's a quality guy. Good luck with your decision making/machine shop building. If you do go with the Michell Tecno Arm Stub & Counterweight, please pay attention to the directions provided in The Vinyl Engine (TVE) re: removal of end stub!

Glad you like TVE site. Lots of good stuff there.
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post #6 of 6
4/27/06 at 10:19pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by chadlesko
do either of you use a protractor? according to the latest stereophile mag michael fremer is selling a new instructional video for tt setup that i will probably pickup for the sake of being reasured everything is setup properly...due to the aforementioned improvements with proper setup...and i want all i can get!
I used several to set up my cartridge, comparing results between them. Note that they can be calibrated different... in my case, two of the three lined up properly, and the third (I think it was the HFNRR one) didn't. I guess the latter is calibrated for a slightly different alignment... if I remember right, it depends on which portion of the record surface you want tracking to be optimized at. Most of them aim at the leadout grooves, I think some aim at the center of the record.
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