As I said close tends to be close enuf, for me, YMMV! As you mentioned the stylus shape will have quite an effect here with Line Contact being 1 of the more fussy. Remember the tolerances we are speaking of!
I like to setup ttbls with the client present so they gain some insights into what it's all about. Also do you really want to assume that someone else did a thorough job?
Regarding geometry, many rely on the Baerwald Equation, which IIRC, has 2 tangent points, perfectly perpendicular to the groove, 66mm and 120.9mm from spindle center. A single point can work as long as the distance from the tonearm pivot to spindle center is known. The Baerwald goes back to the 50s(?) and relies on lead in groove and lead out as part of the equation, again IIRC.
Michael Fremer and a seemingly growing number seem to prefer Lofgren B, and then there are other geometries. My current vinyl rig uses a Graham Model 2 tonearm, I've got 3 arm tubes and more than 3 cartridges so rotate them. The Graham comes with a really neat jig for aligning cartridges so I run with that.
"The Graham comes with a really neat jig for aligning cartridges so I run with that."
Exactly my point 👍
"Also do you really want to assume that someone else did a thorough job?"
Why not???
Do you question the competance of your mechanic, everytime you had your car for service??
I´ve been in this game for a long time. Fully educated/certified technician for close to 50 years, and i have yet to meet a
dissatisfied customer (except for the price point of my work of course) 🤣.
We really need to put more trust in the experience of others and their different competances.
There´s enough distrust in the world as it is. If you don´t believe me, look around or read the news 😉
Exactly my point 👍
"Also do you really want to assume that someone else did a thorough job?"
Why not???
Do you question the competance of your mechanic, everytime you had your car for service??
I´ve been in this game for a long time. Fully educated/certified technician for close to 50 years, and i have yet to meet a
dissatisfied customer (except for the price point of my work of course) 🤣.
We really need to put more trust in the experience of others and their different competances.
There´s enough distrust in the world as it is. If you don´t believe me, look around or read the news 😉
Uh, yeah, it often takes a while to find a competent mechanic. Besides, I prefer to have at least a cursory understanding of things.
For me, I agree w/ Papa's statement about the happiest audiophiles are DIYers, the more involved that I am with all aspects of my system the more fun/engaging it is! 😉
I don´t disagree.
But interrest (or lack of) shouldn´t discourage people from enjoying their music system/vinyl playback.
In the lack of skills/interrest in the technical department, you´ll do fine trusting qualified people to help, where it´s needed 😉
Yup, that's part of the fun of this hobby, you can always go deeper if you desire, or get things to a point and just sit back and enjoy!
What do you think about the SME V tonearm?
I like the look of in......but Magnesium?
Carbon is lighter.
I like the way the Ortofon technician adjusted the Antiskating......just turning a knob.
I like the look of in......but Magnesium?
Carbon is lighter.
I like the way the Ortofon technician adjusted the Antiskating......just turning a knob.
Haven't played with 1 in a long time, certainly a top quality tonearm!
Don't stress over AS, the 2nd notch from the back is good. The Satisfy arm is pretty nice for the $$$, not as adjustable as some but quite good.
For what it' worth, back in the day Linn would say that the hierarchy of performance in a vinyl system is: table first, tonearm next and lastly cartridge. We have tried a few combinations that would seem to confirm this, and logically it makes sense. Ultimately I always preach balance in a system.
Don't stress over AS, the 2nd notch from the back is good. The Satisfy arm is pretty nice for the $$$, not as adjustable as some but quite good.
For what it' worth, back in the day Linn would say that the hierarchy of performance in a vinyl system is: table first, tonearm next and lastly cartridge. We have tried a few combinations that would seem to confirm this, and logically it makes sense. Ultimately I always preach balance in a system.
Regarding the weight of the tonearm, again in the old days there was a push toward light tonearms, cartridges, tracking force and of course a lot of that has been superseded by a better understanding. There are online calculators that allow you to enter variables such as, effective mass of tonearm, cartridge compliance etc. The goal is to arrive a system resonance around 8-10 Hz, this to aid in tracking, especially if there is a warp.
It seems SME use it as an "advertisement". They write "Magnesium tonearm" 🙂
@Toys4Boys
You write "Satisfy arm". Satisfy is a "brand"?
Only thing I know is that Elac had one made especially for the specific TT.
Another Ortofon video was about cleaning the stylus with a carbon brush. I knew how to do that but I did not clean each time I clean a record (before playing). It was recommended to also to clean the stylus each time the record was cleaned (brushed). So now I do that. Looking at high magnification the stylus can look very dirty. Something you will not catch from a distance. It looks clean frem a distance even it is not......it seems.
Yes, the resonance should be well below the lowest freq on a record. And then the TT suspension itself should be even lower.
@Toys4Boys
You write "Satisfy arm". Satisfy is a "brand"?
Only thing I know is that Elac had one made especially for the specific TT.
Another Ortofon video was about cleaning the stylus with a carbon brush. I knew how to do that but I did not clean each time I clean a record (before playing). It was recommended to also to clean the stylus each time the record was cleaned (brushed). So now I do that. Looking at high magnification the stylus can look very dirty. Something you will not catch from a distance. It looks clean frem a distance even it is not......it seems.
Yes, the resonance should be well below the lowest freq on a record. And then the TT suspension itself should be even lower.
Ok, if I can find the arm model then maybe also a manual.
One thing I find a bit strange is the lever to set down the stylus on record.
From the Lenco days I was used to just force the lever and then a dampened action took place and the stylus was placed slowly on record.
Here it will dump rather hard on record. To have the slow action I need to just move the lever a little bit so it starts the motion by itself and this way I get the "slow action". But I don't know it this is the intended way to do it or something has to be adjusted.
Maybe this is described in a manual for the tonearm.
One thing I find a bit strange is the lever to set down the stylus on record.
From the Lenco days I was used to just force the lever and then a dampened action took place and the stylus was placed slowly on record.
Here it will dump rather hard on record. To have the slow action I need to just move the lever a little bit so it starts the motion by itself and this way I get the "slow action". But I don't know it this is the intended way to do it or something has to be adjusted.
Maybe this is described in a manual for the tonearm.
Again citing Linn, they claim that cleaning the stylus is more important than cleaning the record, I'm skeptical on this 1. Generally I clean the stylus every few plays, but I clean my LPs generally with an ultrasonic cleaner or my VPI 16.5 if my ultrasonic isn't set up, and before a play I use an Audioquest Carbon Fiber Brush, cool and interesting design! The AQ brush has a nicer feel than others that I have used, and if you look closely there is gold plating contacting the carbon fibers and the gold on the handle. When you hold the brush you are the gnd plane for the static.
A few words regarding cleaning the stylus, some liquids come with a nail polish type brush, probably not a good idea to use that directly on the stylus as capillary action can pull the liquid up into the elastomer and body. Instead moisten a stylus brush with the fluid. Also the sorbothane stylus cleaners became in vogue, but there are reports, owner of Wally Tools and Michael Fremer, is electron microscope showing the diamond and cantilever after using the sorbathane, and they became crusted with crud that according to them was very difficult to remove.
A few words regarding cleaning the stylus, some liquids come with a nail polish type brush, probably not a good idea to use that directly on the stylus as capillary action can pull the liquid up into the elastomer and body. Instead moisten a stylus brush with the fluid. Also the sorbothane stylus cleaners became in vogue, but there are reports, owner of Wally Tools and Michael Fremer, is electron microscope showing the diamond and cantilever after using the sorbathane, and they became crusted with crud that according to them was very difficult to remove.
The AM brush is also conducting. The paint on handle is conduction. I verified it by using a DMM. This is probably a cheaper option than the AQ.
AM claims they invented this type of brush 🙂
https://www.amcleansound.com/products/vinyl-brush
AM claims they invented this type of brush 🙂
https://www.amcleansound.com/products/vinyl-brush
Maybe, but I don't think so, I think Hunt(?) might have been first, no matter. Many of the brushes use aluminum handles which is also conductive, I will say that the AQ brushes have a very nice feel to them due to the density and length of the carbon fibers, and at $30 won't break the bank.
I also have an aluminium. But there will be a thin oxidation layer on the aluminium so I had to have more pressure on probe to be able to measure that it was conduction. The AM I should just touch with probe. Yes, $30 is not at lot.
The AM concept:
The AM-history:
https://www.amcleansound.com/about
The AM concept:
The AM-history:
https://www.amcleansound.com/about
SME V is a marvel of engineering. Every time I set mine up with a new cartridge or make an adjustment I text my buddy who also has the same arm. I thank him for 100th time for turning me on to this arm, and we reflect on how well thought out the setup tools and procedures are.