What is the Best Tool to Measure Cartridge Azimuth?


What do you use to measure / set azimuth of your cartridges and / or styli? I am afflicted with diminished eyesight, so aligning the azimuth of the stylus by eye is not practical.

To that end, I’ve use a simple bubble level (spirit level) about 1-1/2” in diameter to get the headshell as close to level as possible, after first leveling the platter by adjusting the turntable feet. 

I figure some clever lever engineer has made an easy to use electronic tool for this purpose, but I haven’t found anything in my searches. Nature abhors a vacuum, so one day if not already, it might surface. 

Until then, does anyone have alternate methods? How about using a test record? Is that feasible? I do have a couple of good oscilloscopes by the way, so I can make precise measurements of levels, phasing, frequency, etc.... 
128x128sleepwalker65

Showing 2 responses by melm

Have we become so enamored with technology that we have neglected the best tool: our EARS?

First, it is easiest to set azimuth if you have a tone arm that makes it easy.  Generally the VPI tonearms do NOT make it easy unless you use the dual pivot.  IMO the dual pivot makes it crazy easy.

Then, using a small flashlight shine it on the front of your arm and cartridge and make a horizontal line on the cartridge/arm parallel to its reflection on a record.  That is your starting point; do a lot of listening.

Then using your fine azimuth adjustment, move VERY slightly in one direction.  Listen for a while, and if better continue with small movements in that direction until one of those settings gives you the most spread and separation.  If worse, do the same in the other direction.  If both worse, stay at level.

Best of all, your ears are free!
@lewm 

For a long time I set it at horizontal and let it go at that.  Using an AT Art 9 I felt very comfortable with that, as the more expensive ATs are probably more carefully aligned than lower volume cartridges.  I was enjoying my analogs.  Using a VPI uni-pivot arm, setting at a true horizontal was as much work as I wanted to handle.

But when I got the dual pivot, I made a real discovery.  Using the long slender hex screwdriver that VPI used to include with their arms, I made the very slightest adjustment in azimuth (so easy to do) and was astonished at the results.  Fortunately it was in the correct direction.  It is such a small change that I can see no difference in its horizontal alignment, but I can surely hear the difference.

Interesting that I am at the moment working on improving the digital side of my listening.  After the very basics, trying to make it sound like analog, most of the refinement is exactly like setting azimuth, to wit, soundstage, width, depth, etc.  So my ears are well tuned to these things these days. They tell me everything I need to know.