Stylus alignment help

@nosleeptilldownload ,

Try emailing [email protected] to inquire about it. There use to be an ad for it on Audio Asylum as well.

Here's a couple more options:

www.highendcity.com
www.nasotec.com

Good Luck!

@slaw 
I live out in the sticks it a day To do anything around here but it did cross my mind.
i have all my hifi at an accessible height. I also put a little blob of blutac on the corner of my turntable so if I lose grip on an album the worse it gets is a greasy mark which my okki nokki can deal t can’t deal with a scratch. The whole area is set up with buckled hands in mind.
i just looked at the link you posted but couldn’t see the alignment tool you mentioned. 

!!!!!!!!

Alignment is now done. It took a few attempts but everything lines up. I used the supplied alignment tool from AT as the two null point measurements for the arm seemed different on the other protractors I looked at.
Audio Technica also advised me that the overhang was set correctly with the supplied AT95ex cartridge (they seemed confused why I was moving anything) so I popped that back in and made a mark where the stylus point was with the tonearm over the spindle and used that to move the new cartridge forward a touch. It sounded good to start with but now it sounds amazing, I got more bass response and the imaging is amazing. Listening to SRV playing little wing from the 45rpm release left me wondering if there was any point playing another song. I can’t believe how big a difference there is between the 95ex and the 120eb, it is bright but I like that.

Thank you all for being patient and helping me do this as I’m sure it’s second nature and rather trivial to many of you. 

@nosleeptilldownload,

Here are the three main things I can currently think of:

I know it isn’t the best solution or maybe even (a) solution, but try and have your TT at a height that doesn’t require bending/kneeling.

If possible, just take your TT to a reputable dealer for a precision alignment. Then, later on when the cartridge suspension has sagged a little,..I bought on of these... NASOTEC headshell alignment block. available through www.soundsofsilence.com . It’s a clear acrylic "see-through" block with etched reference markings that make adjusting VTA VERY EASY . It’s a good reference for visual azimuth as well. The good thing about it is it can be set on a lp next to your tonearm and is visually a real help!

All the best!

Thank you everyone. Had a couple of rough days so going to attempt this today with the supplier protractor and, if I can I’ll print another suitable one and see how it lines up with that. 

@nosleeptilldownload , 
Download an arc protractor, it's easier to to align a cart with it, just gotta make sure your stylus tip follows the arc.

Holy crap! Sorry to hear of your conditions. It would be great if folks could visit and support each other with issues like this.  

@stringreen ,

Your powers of perception are F#ing~! Amazing!!!

slaw,

I get your message. This is the only "social media" I participate in, so sharing a bit of "personal stuff" isn't a big deal for me.

Otherwise yes, anything further should  be discussed privately among members offsite. PM welcome.

Back to topic.....

If the stylus is at the correct indication, the cartridge should be rotated clockwise.  The most important adjustment I found is getting the proper azimuth.

@tablejockey ,
I don't think, going forward, this forum is the correct one.

Maybe we three could join in an off-line communication?

Thank you...

Gentleman, looks like I'm in good company here...

Stroke survivor, degenerative arthritis in both wrists, and a list of other maladies!
The pisser is my TINNITUS that sometimes makes me feel like driving into a wall...

Fortunate the stroke didn't leave me with any noticeable physical deficits.

Nosleep-Godspeed to you.Just take your time with the cart adjustment, and remember DEEP,SLOW DELIBERATE BREATHS
when faced with cart adjustment not cooperating.  

I'll PM you this week.

@slaw Luck and pills are all we have somedays, I understand totally,  some days I cannot get out of bed. Music is the last hobby and enjoyable thing I have left, its not being taken without a fight. Oxycontin and the residual effects of methotrexate are keeping me upright currently but the mtx attacked my respiratory system, back to rheumatology and the  musculoskeletal experts in the morning and then put the info here into practice after.  

Thanks again for all the replys

@nosleeptilldownload,

Hi, I'm intimately familiar with these debilitating issues. I've been dealing with polymyalgia rhuematica (primary) , for years, and fibromyalgia (secondary) diagnosis recently. I got to the point that I could barely take care of my most intimate basic daily functions.

It's been a real point of frustration. The fact that for almost one month, I could not even think about listening to music was a big feeling of "not much left for me". I'm able to function right now due to the miracle of (predisone).

I'm going to think more about this and respond.

Good Luck!

I see what your saying about the reference pictures but at the time I gave it no thought. I will retake them and have also worked out how to light the cantilever so it can be seen and not washed out with camera flash.
This seems a daunting task regardless of having hands that refuse to do what they are told, I guess it’s easier once you have done it and understand what you are doing. 

My adjustment options are limited, my deck is an LP5, when I decided to dive back into records and sound quality I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to handle getting records out of a sleeve and back and forth to the plattter so I couldn’t commit to purchasing what I wanted so this is an inbetween deck. 
I shall concentrate on getting the cantilever aligned properly tomorrow and then move into hopefully I’m right in understanding the two are separate. 

@slaw anything that is a help to someone with any impairment can only be a good thing. I’m only 47 and arthritis and fibromyalgia has ripped through my body over the past eight years and made everything difficult. The one thing I don’t think anyone expects is the confusion and inability to absorb information at the level you used caused either by their illness or medication ( hence asking for help,with something that many seem to find easy ) I used to be able to learn a new programming language now I get confused by cooking instructions 😂 you have to laugh or you would go mad. 

Thanks for the pointers

nosleep-

Unless your eyesight is superhero strength, get a magnifying glass and sight the cantilever as close as possible by putting the stylus on the "X’ and lining up the cantilever with the grid line. This is done looking at the cart from the front.

Once that is accomplished, try adjusting the headshell level with an average record. Listen, and bumping the arm up or down may fine tune the sound. Good luck.

edit- I wouldn't obsess on getting it perfect. Trust your ears.

Like @tablejockey says, the grid is a means of initial relationship. Going forward it is how the cantilever/stylus is in alignment.

Your pictures should be taken at straight angles.

I do find the Op's post timely as I was recently thinking about a thread on helpful hints/tools for audiophiles into vinyl that are aging or disabled that would be helpful.

You're aligning the cantilever, not the body of the cart, to the grid.

There’s parallax error on these pics, so it’s difficult to tell for sure. But it does look like your overhang is way off. I'd set that first, then check for tangency, then azimuth last. Then repeat.

Check the stylus assembly is fully home first. I would align it so it matched the template. Whether it'll be all that noticeable as it is is another thing.