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Cartridge position on headshell . . .

Hi there

 

Such a simplistic query after decades in this endeavor, but not long back I replaced a Clearaudio cartridge on my VPI Scoutmaster (early 2000's vintage . . . . JMW-9 tonearm).  I've run Clearaudio pretty much from day one.

I put a Hanna SL cartridge on this tonearm.  Fairly light cartridge so weights added to headshell and even with that counterweight isn't too far back from full forward.  

But my question has to do with the position of the cartridge beneath the headshell.  Perhaps just because I so rarely upgrade its simply a non-issue, but this is the first cartridge I've had that had to be placed so that it under hangs slightly forward of the edge of the front of the headshell.  Reason isn't weight balance, but rather the limited space available at the rear of the cartridge for the tonearm cables to connect.

Overthinking this, or is some mod needed here for optimum setup?

The cartridge sounds fine to my ears; certainly what I was expecting from what I had heard of its performance to date with others.  But its a nagging question I finally decided to post.

Thanks in advance for any and all on this . . . 

terra3
oddiofyl's avatar
oddiofyl
3,447 posts
 

I thought I had overhang correct when using a paper protractor.   It just didn't sound right to me and I bought the MoFi Geodisc and my cartridge sounds way better.  I was clearly off trying to set overhang by eye 

elrod
226 posts
 

Overhang will determine the placement of the cartridge in the head shell - you get what you get

elliottbnewcombjr
5,091 posts
 

to start you need to know 3 things about your arm and cartridge

1. overhang (specs about the arm)

2. two null points (specs about the arm)

3. cartridge tracking force (specs about the cartridge).

.......................................................

scroll down in this discussion, I just posted about cartridge alignment, and the tools needed to do that.

 

 

holmz's avatar
holmz
2,328 posts
 

Overhang is about the easiest measured and least important thing.
If it was so important, then why would Bayerwald, and the other alignments have millimetres of difference?

VTF is important too.

There is also SRA/VTA, Azimuth and Zenith.
Zenith seems particularly difficult.

dogberry
538 posts
 

If the stylus is at different location, in relation to the headshell, that the previous cartridge that would indicate that one of the cartridges was not placed correctly or maybe even both.

How about the cartridges are different sizes? Rather obviously the stylus will require the cart to be mounted slightly differently if the cartridge body and stylus placement differ!

This is one of the advantages of the better SME arms, only two holes for the cartridge bolts, and the whole arm slides back and forth to allow overhang adjustment. It is a lot easier that way.

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