Turntable advice / opinion on setup / sound.

@lewm 

Underhung tonearms cannot benefit from headshell offset and so are straight

I looked up Stereophile's review of the Viv Float underhung tonearm so at least I now know the difference between overhung and underhung! 

(In the review, Stereophile uses the term Lateral Tracking Angle for what I called Horizontal Tracking Angle.  Lateral is a bit too biological for me whereas everybody can grasp Horizontal and Vertical)

Seems to me the arguments for under-hung are quite, well, under-done!

Try this.  Imagine a reference line between the tonearm pivot and the stylus. The primary friction force is along the reference line.  But any time the groove at the stylus point is not completely aligned with the reference line, there will also be a sideways component, the skating force.  This is regardless of the shape of the arm and any offset of the cartridge.  It is also regardless of the amount of under- or over-hang.  It is simply because the friction force always has a sideways component, except when the groove and reference line are in perfect alignment.

I would love you to invest in a Holbo - which I would call well-hung  because there is virtually zero skating force.  If the zenith and azimuth are set properly there should be zero tracking errors, either lateral or vertical.  The reference line is the straight tonearm, there is no headshell offset.  The entire system costs roughly as much as the Viv Float, I think?

@audphile1 

Guy’s a new yorker. You must have not encountered smug

I have only encountered one guy from New York recently. Other four letter words spring to mind.

Good things can happen though.  Hudson HiFi has a couple of affordable universal templates Turntable Setup Kit – Hudson Hi-Fi which might solve @elliottbnewcombjr’s problem setting up Rega’s which are missing their own template

@richardbrand I never had any luck with these mirror protractors. 
I used the VPI protractor to align the cartridge on my VPI table. On all other tables I used Dr. Feichert cartridge alignment tool. But on the VPI the original protractor works best for me. I would assume Dr. Feichert would work great for the rega. It is pricey though. 

Oh, I know smug. I said he LOOKED Smug, then, after the video I said he is NOT Smug.

I lived in Brooklyn, Manhattan; worked in NYC for around 20 years, after that, my own home based business in NJ, train to clients in NYC for around 20 years.

Still have Studio Apt in Manhattan, but should sell it, hardly ever there.

Aside from strangers, I designed Corporate Office Space, thus I interacted with the executives, and every employee of my clients; engineers, other project consultants; contractors; NYC building dept creatures.

One line I’ll never forget was Bill, the wizened contractor building a 12 story Bank’s Headquarters Building in Tyson’s Corner, Va. After meeting with the Health Inspector to get write offs for the big kitchen serving the cafeteria and executive dining, he says "Elliott, I thought I had met EVERY KIND of ahole, but I was wrong". 

///////////////////////////

I use a weight, I have used a clamp, I heard no advantage, and his explanation needs practice.

As for the 4mm up for 1 degree of VTA:

so what, you get close to parallel with the main height PITA set screw(s), then you refine height with the ’on the fly’ easy adjuster.. Substantially different cartridge height: reset the main height close, then refine with the ’on the fly’ easy adjuster.

Rega: add some shims, just need to know they exist.

/////////////////////////////////////

Hudson setup kit. Your memories are daft, eyesight shot, that's their logo around the spindle

Note the range of null point settings for my 9" arm and my 12-1/2" arm, 

There are not enough lines on the Friggin Feickert to handle between 60 or 73 inner, or between 103 or 120 outer.

Faustuss finally got us the answers for Rega RB880: overhang 15 (14.5 exact if you can see/set 1/2 a mm); inner 57; outer 117. I doubt there are enough lines on the Feickert for that either. I prefer the maker’s recommendations rather than the 3 well known standards.

@richardbrand 

Actually, I woke up this morning thinking: I wonder if I could put a linear tracking arm on my setup? I have LT in my office, had it with the Technics SL-J33 (gave it to my son).

I'm a believer in LT, admire the tech, know it's 'better', but I don't hear a difference. I've gotten great sound out of all my pivoted arms.