[]eep]

I don’t see this arm as being particularly difficult to adjust. Far from it. Where things get faffy for me is alignment (not vta), swapping out headshells (I know, not an issue with the kind of arms you’re advocating), adding/removing effective mass, choosing the right mat, etc.

The at-lp7 is a belt drive.

I’m 0 for 2 on MC carts I’ve tried so far. Those would be the Hana el and dl 103. There was something lacking in the low end for me. A lack of sweetness and good feelings in the body in response to the bass. I have a pretty good SUT and I think the Skoll is a fine pre.

There is just something about MM that I like. Perhaps more solidity and punch. Perhaps more euphonic. If I have to go much higher in price than where my rig is now, I’m not ready to take that leap.


I recently bought and set up a u turn orbit as a gift for somebody. A fine table but I wouldn’t say it blew me away (though maybe it doesn’t have the arm you’re referring to). Also the at lp 7 arm isn’t quite a 1200 clone, being J shaped and having different effective mass. I too avoid using a 1200 for serious listening.

I think getting the overhang right is your challenge. That's how far the stylus protrudes over the spindle. If you don't get that right your alignment arc will be off. Then you can get it right on the outer point but not the inner and vice versa. For that you need to slide the cartridge up or down both screws loose. Yes, that's a hassle. But if you have 1 cartridge right you can do it beforehand on the other by just making it the same distance to the collar.

On my fixed arms I can just move the whole arm. On my s_shaped I won't, because then the other cartridges are all off kilter.
I never realized this until I got this TT how easy a sliding SME base is, or rotatable arm-mount. Before I only had 1 hole where the arm was fixed. Like my Linn, Pro-ject and Clearaudio. They did have height adjustment at least.

I agree that mats can make a huge difference but don't worry to much about thickness. But I don't agree on using a mat on a perspex platter. Anything that mimics vinyl is best at transporting vibrations out.

If an MC doesn't get you bass it's probably the arm and the platter (mass). Don't use a felt mat. Compare it to hammering a nail in a plank when you hold it in mid air. Same as when you nail it to a beam with inches of isolation between it.

 

[theeclone]

I think getting the overhang right is your challenge. That's how far the stylus protrudes over the spindle

Yes, I understand overhang but as you say it's still a pain. Some of us don't have a steady hand that's good with small hardware. But, as I alluded to earlier part of the fun is hearing the differences when making adjustments, even if it involves tedium.

If an MC doesn't get you bass it's probably the arm and the platter (mass). Don't use a felt mat

I don't mean to say the MCs didn't give me bass, only that I didn't enjoy the character of the bass I got from either MC cartridge. I tried with many variations of effective mass and mats/no mat. I'm not using any mat currently. Interestingly though, the uturn orbit does come with a felt mat.

Sometimes I think it's too easy to get caught up in the idea of One True Way in audiophilia. I for one am glad there are different tastes.

 

[]eep]

Yes, I understand overhang but as you say it's still a pain. Some of us don't have a steady hand that's good with small hardware. But, as I alluded to earlier part of the fun is hearing the differences when making adjustments, even if it involves tedium.

I don't mean to say the MCs didn't give me bass, only that I didn't enjoy the character of the bass I got from either MC cartridge. I tried with many variations of effective mass and mats/no mat. I'm not using any mat currently. Interestingly though, the uturn orbit does come with a felt mat.

Sometimes I think it's too easy to get caught up in the idea of One True Way in audiophilia. I for one am glad there are different tastes.

Taste is also what guides compromises in engineering. Everything winds up in a compromise somewhere. But sometimes manufacturers get caught up in a certain choice and get stuck there. That puts a ceiling on performance.

I mentioned U-turn because they are focussed on best return on investment and producing their own parts. That new magnesium Orbit arm 3 tonearm is impressive!
They offer lots of custom choices so you can decide what you want to spend your money on. One of those is a acrilic platter so you don't need to use the felt mat like on the MDF platter.

I remember going from the Linn Axis felt mat to Pro-ject Perspective with a surface made of vinyl, with a screw on puck. And a Cardas rewired arm. Wow. What an upgrade. Especially to the bass and see through clarity. I was forever cured from the Linn hype (mythbuilding, overpriced, focussed and committed to only 1 thing).

 

[penmarker]

Do you have any tips for aligning the cartridge when the build is nude or when the body is curved? For angular cartridges we can use the body as reference against the protractor but for more unique form factors we'll have to focus on the actual cantilever. It's harder to gauge small misalignments.
Sometimes I tape a small mechanical pencil lead to the cartridge to amplify the offset.

 

[]eep]

For an nude body exposed cantilever it's actually quite easy I found out. But I did use a clip on lens for my phone for this photo (only a few €). I also bought a USB microscope, that's around €20 but this is easier. The usb microscope should be the item of choice for round bodies. Fatshaming won't help btw.

 

[Brandfuchs]

 

[]eep]

This picture goes against what I said about MC cartridges and cheap phonostages. I made my custom rack for limited space and for what I thought was versatile for my gear at the time. But that has changed rather quickly. And upgraded a lot. So I do t have much room for an extra phono for the third arm on my TT. This Douk fits in a tiny spot and it sounds ok. But the MC amplification factor is rather low. But adjustable for impedance. So this Chinese Zhige Z002 cartridge has 0.8mV medium output, 20 Ω impedance and a super elliptical stylus. I put the Douk T14 plus on 220 Ω and that works. The output is healthy and on par with other inputs. No noise and not much electronic hash (what you get when opamps have to work hard). A very nice combination that works well together. It sounds better than an MM (HE stylus) on the same phono. And that for under €300 for the cartridge AND phono.

The lp is a special edition of Thievery Corporation ' Saudade' to get you in that Brazilian mood.

 

[Bowmoreman]

Sliding SME arm bases are the balls…

Jes sayin’

My 309 has been doing Yeomans work on my SOTA Star Sapphire III (Vacuum) for 34 years now and counting… I picked it up (grey market) on a business trip to London… imported me-self, as they’d say…

But, it has made alignment over these decades a doddle…