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Variations of the Micro Seiki MA505 tonearm

I recently purchased an MS MA505 MkIII tonearm. This unit has the straight, replaceable arm tube, but unlike earlier versions of the MA505 (with the S-shaped arm tube) that I have seen in photos only, it does not have VTA "on the fly" adjustment, nor does it have the weight that extends out on a horizontal post from the vertical bearing on the inner side of the tonearm, which is referred to in early MA505 manuals as the "lateral balance weight". The various MA505 manuals do not use the term "azimuth" anywhere, but does the lateral balance weight allow for azimuth adjustment? And if so, why oh why did MS eliminate both VTA on the fly and easy azimuth adjustment when they went from the MkII to the MkIII version of the MA505? As far as I can tell, one cannot adjust azimuth at all with the MkIII version, except by the usual primitive method of shimming the cartridge body. Thanks in advance for any relevant information on this subject.
lewm

Showing 2 responses by clio09

clio09
3,341 posts
 
I may have to disagree with Thom on this one, unless I am not understanding his statement. I have the MkI version and it allows VTA (as well as VTF and anti-skating) on the fly. On my arm I twist the lever to loosen it, then I can move the lever to the right or left which results in the arm being raised or lowered. While the on the fly feature is nice I would not recommend it for anyone who does not have an extremely steady hand. To much room for error leading to potential cartridge and other damage. I did it once and feel fortunate I did it right. Never again though.

I have the S shaped tonearm and my experience from Thom's is different here as well. After attaching the MS headhsell to the arm I was able to adjust the azimuth by twisting the shell. At first I thought I may not have turned and tightened the collar properly, but it appeared I did and was still able to move twist the headshell. Maybe I still haven't tightened it properly???
clio09
3,341 posts
 
Lewm,

On Vinyl Engine there is a copy of the MkIII instruction manual. You do not have VTA on the fly. You have to loosen the lock lever to make the adjustment. There is even a warning to make sure you somehow anchor the arm in the process so it doesn't drop quickly and damage the stylus or record.

On the column of the MkI there is a slanted spiral groove etched into the column. The nub at the end of the lever fits into this groove. So when you slightly loosen the lever, it provides the ability to slide the arm up and down. The danger is the nub is small and if it comes out of the groove the arm will sink quickly.

I imagine you are correct that MS felt the original design was not fool proof enough. So they decided to replace it with something a bit safer.

As for azimuth, it does not appear you can make the adjustment via the headshell. However, can you loosen the screw that tightens the arm tube and rotate the arm tube to make the azimuth adjustment? My Kuzma Stogi allowed for this type of adjustment. Maybe the MkIII provides the same capability.
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