Dear William62: +++++ " Don't know if what I am intending to do will be any good, but I am certainly going to enjoy the experience. " +++++
any audio experience is a learning one and certainy could be fun.
Now, why exist a tonearm?, IMHO ( like the TT ) is a tool that the cartridge needs to recovery the information that was/were recorded on each groove on each LP tracks.
Which is de " ideal " way for the cartridge can/could recovery that recorded information?, IMHO that is through a linear tracking tonearm that in theory has no tracking error ( angle ) over the LP.
Well, the main subject/target on that tool name it " tonearm " is to help the cartridge to recover the recorded info with no tracking error ( of course, between other important things ).
IS there other form/way to help to the whole cartridge job different than a linear tracking tonearm?, yes, one of that forms/ways is a pivot/ed tonearm.
will it be any trade-offs using a pivot tonearm against a linear tracking one?, yes, any other tonearm form/design means tracking angle error against cero traking angle error on the linear tracking tonearms.
So, what to do if we want a different/pivot tonearm?, well some people like Baerwald, Loefgren, Stevenson and others made scientific studies to achieve/optimize how to put at minimum that tracking angle error for the cartridge really can to take out the recorded information with almost no ears perception distortions trying to even the linear tracking ( in theory ) cero distortions.
And this was the main subject on those " tonearm projects and was from them that the terms " effective length, overhang and offset " comes out.
Today normally we align the tonearm/cartridge through Baerwald or Loefgren ( where Baerwald has a slightly higher distortion over the LP but the inner grooves against the Loefgren ) trying to have the lowest distortions and the highest quality performance.
Any one of us ( including you, according with what yu posted ) knows that very small deviations on/out that " ideal " alignment alternatives makes a difference in the quality performance and almost always for the worst.
Now, you don't want to make a " small/slightly " change but a " big " one with the non offset tonearm, this fact makes that what you hear will be a far far away " sound " of what is in real in the recording with a lot of distortions, no doubt about because is a totally wrong " road, if you like it or not ( what you are hearing ) it is another matter and does not change the fact that is wrong: you can't change the geometry rules, well at least I think ( with all respect ) you are not a " new " whole geometry proposal scientist man.
If we analize all the different parameters on the tonearm/cartridge alignment/set-up like: VTA/SRA/VTF/overhang/Azymuth/anti-skate/etc, probably the less/least important is the anti-skate and you want to make a " huge/great " trade-off changing the main tonearm target for the " less " important one!!!!!
Have fun.
Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.
