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VPI 3D tonearm adjustment

I have a couple of questions on set up of my new Prime and the 3D tonearm:

1. I've had the TT for about three weeks. I had a scout and moved my Dyna 20x2L to the Prime.
my first impressions was this is a wonderful upgrade. But after a couple weeks I noticed there was more glare on the highs.  I initially set the tonearm parallel to the record - dead level. I then ran across articles about how on some earlier 3D arms the shell warped. I think I have a new style arm, but last night I decided that rather than set the arm parallel I would check and make sure the shell was paralelle - it was not. It tilted downward 1.5 degrees. To get back to paralelle had to turn down the vta adjustment to where the body off the adjustment tower is almost all the way down. But with it adjusted as such the sound is now fantastic. My first question is the shell supposed to be parallel?

2. My second question is now that the tower is almost all the way down I can't use the alighnment jig, the tonearm hits it.  I've heard that the small cup on the underside of the tonearm where the needle sits,can be raised and lowered - is this true for the 3D arm?  There isn't a screw on the top of the arm to adjust with?
last_lemming

Showing 2 responses by tooblue

tooblue
1,882 posts
 
Meant: even with this issue. Sorry
tooblue
1,882 posts
 
Lemming, my original 3D arm wand became very warped and was replaced recently with the newer thicker headshell 3D arm. The original arm was twisting and throwing the azimuth off but the major damage to that arm that prompted the replacement came when that arm was stored in a plastic VPI holding box that is made to house an extra arm cartridge combo, the peice of Styrofoam that is cut to be placed over the cart headshell put to much pressure on the headshell forcing it to bend down now with that said the arm had issues before this. I have had the new arm a few months and I have to set the azimuth before each listening session this arm twist  back and forth ever so slightly but yes it does twist. Now, what do we do about it I really don't know but I have a Classic Stainless Steel arm that I have my other cart on and I like it very much just not as much as the 3D, when it is set up properly with no issues it is really special. I am going to hold on to this arm knowing that when VPI gets this issue solved that they will back their arms up no matter when purchased as they have stated and in the mean time I will be using the Classic arm when I don't want to keep adjusting the 3D arm and wait on this issue to be conquered. With all this said I very much love my Prime and believe it to be one of the best bargains in audio eve  with this issue.

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