Offset Angle on VPI Classic Tonearm


Out of curiosity, is it everyone else's experience who owns a VPI Classic with the Classic tonearm that they have to twist the cartridge out to achieve correct offset angle? I have a Lyra Delos, and I've used the VPI jig, the Mint, and Ken Willis' Accutrack that allows setting up with all four geometries (Baerwald, Loefren, VPI, and Stevenson), and they all require a healthy twist of the Delos in the headshell to achieve a proper offset angle. I understand that having to twist the cartridge in the headshell when aligning it to a specific geometry is nothing new or controversial, but I am puzzled why make a tonearm that does not comply symmetrically even with the proprietary jig designed specifically for it. I can't imagine a cartridge that would not require twisting to be aligned correctly, but am perhaps wrong?
actusreus

Showing 5 responses by actusreus

Interesting. The twist is required for every alignment tool I've tried. This tells me the cartridge must have some sort of an asymmetric quality to it; I guess an almost imperceptible cantilever asymmetry. It'd be interesting to hear from other Delos owners.
Captain_winters,

As you're looking from above, you can see that front of the cartridge's body is not parallel to the front of the headshell's face (my Delos also extends beyond the headshell). The Delos also has a symmetrical hole drilled through it for a different mount and you can see that the hole is not aligned with the symmetrical line notched through the front of the headshell. To describe it differently, you can see the mounting screws are not aligned symmetrically in the headshell slots. I had to twist the cartridge out to get the correct offset angle on the protractors (to have it parallel to the lines on the arc when the stylus rests on the null points). The cartridge appears perfect. Any ideas why the twist with mine is necessary?
Hmmm, I thought I posted last night...I spent four hours realigning the Delos yesterday, and it still ended up twisted in the headshell. The azimuth was as balanced visually as it could have been, using the VPI-supplied rod, and a tiny bubble level placed on the headshell. I suppose as long as the cantilever is "parallel" to the reference lines on the null points, it's what really matters.
Captain_winters,
Thank you very much for taking the time to share this detailed description of your process to align the cartridge. I'm a bit unclear what you mean when you say to place the loupe "on the inside." The only time I can view the cantilever on the arc from the left is maybe when it is in the most outside position. As you move the tonearm in, I'd have to be on the other side of my rack to view the cantilever from "the inside," which my set-up does not allow. All I can really do is to view the stylus from its right through a loupe or magnifying glass to ensure it is perfectly on the arc.

Also, my Classic does not have the VTA tower, unfortunately, so your advice on the settings cannot be implemented by me, but is sure extremely useful to all those who do have the VTA tower. I used a tiny bubble level to get the tonearm parallel to a thin record's surface so that the tonearm ends up either parallel or slightly tail down on all records. That seems to work quite well on the great majority of my records. I sure wish I had the VTA tower and ability to easily adjust the VTA though.

Again, thank you very much for all your feedback and advice. It's greatly appreciated. Perhaps when you happen to be in San Diego one day, you can drop by my humble abode to take a look at my humble set-up. Cheers.