:-)
Showing 7 responses by dougdeacon
Agree with Syntax. If it's truly the arm that's out and not the cartridge, get it fixed. If it's visible to you, it was visible to the builder. IMO there's no reason to accept clearly visible inaccuracies at this price point. You can get those on a Rega. Azimuth affects more than L/R channel balance. That isn't even the main thing it affects. As good as the DaVinci arms are, the lack of adjustable azimuth would be an annoyance for me. But Halcro already knows I'm one o' them purists! ;-) |
Alectiong, Since Psag hasn't adjusted his azimuth he may not be able to identify what effects it has. Azimuth inaccuracy has all the effects Dertonarm described and it also has a major influence on L-to-R image focus. I used to take electronic crosstalk measurements to adjust azimuth. With practice, I've learned to adjust just as accurately by listening. Image focus (tight vs. fat) changes more than the soundstage shifts, at least IME. Optimal adjustment needs to be much finer than is possible with headshell shims, but if that's all your arm allows AND it's visibly off, they're certainly better than nothing. |
Guess why Graham's Phantom II has now an added, permanent "spirit bubble" to his latest creation...Good question, Axel. I can't imagine anything less useful (except maybe a Wally Skater). As Essentialaudio said, getting a headshell level is no guarantee of proper azimuth. It's not even the best visual starting point. Balancing toothpicks on headshells a la VPI or futzing with a Phantom bubble is focusing on the wrong parameter. Assuming the arm isn't flawed, as Psag's appears to be, azimuth is about adjusting the stylus in the groove. That's where you should start - that's where you should finish. Nothing else matters. Given the multiple variabilities inherent in even the best cartridges, levelling a headshell is foolish. Spending money on a bubble to level a headshell is just foolishness squared. Perhaps the liquid provides some useful damping? ;-) |
Rsrex, Good idea. Of course the optimal SRA for one 120g record is not necessarily the same as for the next, especially if it's on a different label. Ultimately each LP must have SRA individually fine tuned by ear. Still, starting from the same baseline for a given thickness should shorten the process - and of course you knew THAT. :-) |
Thom is correct. Optimizing azimuth for any particular cartridge requires a MUCH finer adjustment than 0.5 degree, at least 10X finer I'd say. I don't believe any set of differential shims you could easily buy would provide the necessary precision, except by dumb luck. Despair not. As Thom suggested, rather than inserting shims beneath each cartridge screw, try running one skinny shim longitudinally down the center of the cartridge. A ~2mm wide strip of thin tape works well. Adjusting the mounting screws "rocks" the cartridge L or R as needed, and provides an almost infinitely small range of adjustments. (If your cartridge is really off, use two layers of tape.) Credit to Wally Malewicz. You can see a photo here. This works. |
For clarity, I think we all agree that shimming is sub-optimal. The method Thom and I described and the link I posted are a band-aid for a problem that shouldn't exist, at least not on pricey tonearms. Shimming works for azimuth but it also has sonic side effects in at least two areas: MOUNTING RIGIDITY The more rigid the coupling between cartridge and headshell, the more accurately cantilever movements are translated into electrical signals. Looseness in the cartridge mount slurs transient responses, reduces amplitudes, adds overhang to every note and raises the sound floor - slop, slop, slop. The solution is self-evident: if you must shim for azimuth, use a rigid, non-compliant material. ENERGY TRANSMISSION As Larryi already described. The precise sonic effects of altering energy transmission between cartridge and headshell will vary with individual components. Nevertheless, inserting two new material interfaces increases the frequencies that will be reflected back into the cartridge. That necessarily raises the sound floor. Shimming's a reasonable band-aid, that's all. And what Syntax posted! ;-) |