2. analog
  3. 1304552009

VPI Classic/Clear Audio Maestro Wood Question

I just bought a CA Maestro Wood cartridge from an A'gon member. Per the seller, the cartridge is practically brand new and hasn't even broken in yet. The seller has great feedback and I found him to be very reliable.

I mounted the Maestro Wood myself, being careful to double check alignment, azimuth, VTF and VTA. My turntable is a VPI Classic, with the stock JMW 10.5iSE arm. As far as I can tell, the turntable and arm are in good working order. As regards azimuth, I adjusted it with both the little aluminum rod provided by VPI AND with a bubble balance. Azimuth is perfect. Ditto VTA. Oh, per VPI's suggestion, I am NOT using anti-skating force AND made sure the tone arm wire is not twisted.

After all mounting procedures were performed and double checked, I "eye-balled" the cartridge and cantilever alignment while playing a record. I noticed that as best I could tell, it seemed as though the cantilever was pulling slightly inward towards the spindle, maybe 10+ degrees. Same thing with the cartridge just sitting on a record with the platter not turning. However, when I lifted the arm, the cantilever seemed to hang straight down. Sound imaging is spot center in play mode. Ordinarily, I would have thought the cantilever was pulling slightly inward towards the spindle because of excessive anti-skating force, but as stated above, I am NOT using the anti-skating set-up.

Ok -- the question: Is it normal for the Maestro Wood cantilver to pull slightly inward towards the spindle under the circumstances described above?

One more question: I also own a CA Virtuoso Wood which needs a new stylus and cantilever. Does anyone know who the Clear Audio contact is that does the re-tips?

Thanks for the advice.
bifwynne

Showing 6 responses by bifwynne

bifwynne OP
2,206 posts
 
Mark, as I mentioned in the OP, I used both VPI's very thin aluminum bar that fits on top of the tone arm head to set azimuth. I checked the results by putting a bubble level on the top of the tone arm head. Azimuth should be fine. I used a VPI balance to set VTF and checked the results twice. I adjusted stylus overhang and offset angle using a Dennison protractor (based on Baerwold geometry) and checked my results twice. I think that's it.

And btw, I did NOT intend to imply that the seller misrepresented anything about the cartridge, including hours of use or the integrity of the cantilever. To the contrary, the seller has impeccable feedback and was a great communicator with me.

Thanks for the suggestions.
bifwynne OP
2,206 posts
 
Stringreen, my bubble balance level is part of a 40+ year old Sumiko Dennison protractor kit. The bubble level is about an inch or inch and a half long, is made of plastic and is very light. Even still, I am very careful when lowering the tone arm so as not to crush or damage the cantilever assembly of my cartridge. IMHO, I believe the bubble level is very accurate. Hey, at least I'm tryin' to get it right!
bifwynne OP
2,206 posts
 
Follow Up Note:

I rechecked my adjustments using different methodology and tools. I rechecked cartridge alignment and overhang using a recently acquired VPI jig rather than my Dennison protractor. Although both tools incorporate the Baerwald (sp?) geometry, the VPI jig enabled me to make more accurate adjustments. The VPI jig lays flatter on the platter and the brightly painted alignment grid is easier to use as a reference. I also used my bubble level in a different way to check VTA. It turns out that additional adjustments were required, especially VTA -- the tone arm had to be raised quite a bit to achieve the right SRA/VTA.

I rechecked the cantilever alignment after I made the adjustments described above. Interestingly, because I raised the tone arm to achieve better SRA/VTA, I actually had a better "look-see" of cantilever alignment. I believe the cantilever is pretty straight. It might always have been ok, it's just that because the tone arm was hanging so close to the platter, it was hard to get a good look at its position relative to the cartridge body.

Moreover, consistent with other posts in this forum, I believe the various adjustments affected the sonics somewhat. In particular, the music playback is more airy and less bassy. Imaging is correlatively improved as well. I'm still fine tuning SRA/VTA, but the adjustments are now pretty small -- on a "tweak" magnitude of change. Overall, an improvement!
bifwynne OP
2,206 posts
 
Mjglo, Thanks for your comments.

I agree 100% with what you said, particularly using the bubble level to adjust azimuth. Hence, I set the azimuth with the level using the tonearm lift to gently lower the arm to just touch the record a tad. I then checked the level at the point of contact and determined which way to rotate the tonearm weight. The process was iterative and a pain in the as* because the adjustments were just a hair touch and everytime I screwed with azimuth, I affected VTF. FWIW, I agree that using the bubble level could damage the cantilever unless extreme care is used, but it's inherently much more accurate than using the aluminum rod. The rod is useful to do an "eyeball-double check" of azimuth. You're right . . . it takes time and patience.

BTW, as I mentioned above, I do not use the external AS rig, but as you said, just a little twist of the arm wire is plenty.

It has taken time, but it was fun!
bifwynne OP
2,206 posts
 
Stringreen, thanks for your suggestion -- it makes sense. What do you think about my careful use of placing a tiny bubble level on the tone arm head just over the cartridge, perpendicular to the tone arm wand, to measure azimuth? As I mentioned in a post above, I take great care when lowering the tone arm onto the record to avoid crushing the cantilever.

FWIW, after I very carefully adjusted azimuth using this method, I double checked my results with the VPI aluminum bar thingy. Based on an "eye-ball look see," it seemed as though azimuth was lookin' good.
bifwynne OP
2,206 posts
 
Hi Mark -- you're 100% correct. I'm still fiddling.

My most recent tweak is VTF. Clear Audio recommends between 2 amd 2.5 grams, with 2.2 grams recommended. I followed that recommendation, but I noticed that there was a low frequency resonance when I played classical music and the cellos and basses came on line, probably somewhere between 50 and 100 Hz.

I turned off my sub woofer, but still the resonance; the sub rolls off at 40 Hz. I fiddled around with VTA which resulted in a very slight improvement, but the low frequency resonance was still there. I then rechecked alignment -- no problem there. Azimuth was ok too.

So, I turned back to VTF. I increased weight. Yuck - even worse and the top-end took a vacation. I tried damping fluid. Worse still. I then lowered VTF to 2 grams and got rid of the damping fluid. The resonance disappeared and the top-end came back from vacation. Tomorrow, I may try reducing VTF by another .1 or .2 grams and see what gives.

Ok, so it was fun when I started, but now I'm getting bored. I just want to enjoy my music and stop listening to my equipment.

I share this tale because my experience shows just how much tweaking this arm requires. Hopefully, there WILL be an end-point, and then I can get back to the music. Also, I agree 100% with your comment "that the ears will always be the final criterion in most matters concerning vinyl playback." FWIW
More to discover