VPI non-Anti Skate Q

Not an issue I worry about.  I just follow the VPI set up guide when I change cartridges.  Only had to twist the wire 16th of an inch for one cartridge .  No big deal.

@billstevenson 

REW has the same inherent capability as the expensive Analog Magic. And it is free!

REW not only evaluates the sound in a room, but can also be configured to test hardware.

For example, to test for distortion I play a track from a test LP such as Ortofon's "Accuracy in Sound" LP or CBS Labs STR 100. Both are available at Discogs. Certain tracks on these LPs have several 1KHz test tone tracks for both channels. That is : one track for the Left channel and one for the Right.. By measuring the peak signal and distortion products (REW calculates peak signal and THD for you) for both channels, one can easily use simple math to determine channel balance and channel distortion. 

Azimuth. can be set by using two tracks, one for the Left and one for the Right. Channel. By observing both peak signal and the off-channel peak, for both channels for both the Left and Right tracks, one can easily determine separation.

Zenith is trickier. I usually measure distortion as I tweak (that is :adjust Zenith, observe distortion with REW, compare, adjust again until distortion is minimized) using the same 1KHz track.as for the Azimuth setting. In some cases, this becomes a trade off in Azimuth and Zenith adjustments as they can interact depending on stylus shape and orientation on the cantilever. This adjustment can be made real-time if one dares.

With these two adjustments, I can regularly achieve 30dB separation, +/-1dB channel match, and less than 0.25% distortion. Since I don't know how much distortion is already present on the LP itself, I can't say if the residual distortion is from the cartridge set-up or from the LP, but it is an upper bound on the cartridge distortion. This level of distortion is perfectly acceptable for cartridges and LPs and is in fact lower than that predicted using Vinyl Engine's "tonearm Alignment Pro" tool.

I usually set Anti-skate using the Soundsmith method.

My methods work well, but do require the user to become familiar with how to use REW and how to read the Spectral analysis (or RTA) functions. There's also a bit of addition and subtraction needed. One must provide an ADC (doesn't come with REW) and test LPs which cost about $30 each on Discogs. I use the Hf News test LP also, although far less than the others mentioned previously since the Anti-skate tracks are cut to an unrealistically high level and it doesn't have the single channel 1KHz test. Distortion is higher on this LP also.

@kevemaher Thanks for sharing your information.  Your results exceed any that I have obtained ever.  On what cartridge and turntable are you measuring these values?  You are a wizard.

@billstevenson 

Hey, thanks for the thanks!

I have two cartridge setups. One is on the SL-1200G table and the other is on a Micro Seiki MA-505L tonearm on an pod outboard to the SL-1200G.

Presently, I have a Hana Umami Red on the table arm and a Benz Micro LPS on the outboard arm.

One setup is: Hana Red -> Custom SUT -> phono preamp (tape out from refurbed ARC SP-6B) -> rumble filter -> Custom transformer based RCA cable to XLR converter -> to line preamp.

The other is:  Benz LPS -> Custom SUT -> phono preamp (tape out from rebuilt Paragon System "E") -> rumble filter -> Custom transformer based RCA cable to XLR converter -> line preamp (same as other cartridge).

Each path is separate from the other. I do not use switches.

I use Vinyl Engine's "Tonearm Calculator" tool for cartridge mechanical alignment. It is a very flexible tool, allowing one to create an alignment gauge custom designed for your table. I print it out on thick paper. The LPS is difficult to align since the cantilever/stylus assembly is very close to the body and does not protrude from the front of the body of the cartridge, but is located about a third of the way in. It is also very fussy. Needs a lot of work to create the low distortion. The Hana is easy and seems to be better aligned by the manufacturer.

The alignment tool is a key. It prints an alignment arc, so that one can check alignment at any radial distance from the spindle. The stylus is set by eye in the normal way. I work to make the stylus tip touch the alignment line to within one mm. This seems very difficult to do, but this tool allows one to see this minor difference.

One can align azimuth and zenith also, but the electronic approach using REW is much more accurate.

By the way, I use the line preamp output as input to the ADC/REW combo. So I am measuring the distortion from the cartridge setup, the SUT, the phono preamp, the rumble filter and the line level preamp. My components are listed in the Virtual Systems page.The ADC is a Benchmark ADC1.

cleeds, I am sure you know that aligning by the cantilever, while a good idea, does not in any way cure zenith error, because a zenith error, besides being created by misalignment of the cantilever per se, is also created by errors in mounting the stylus at the factories that make them such that the contact patches on the stylus tip end up not being perpendicular to the groove walls. I was told by a knowledgeable guru that the companies that make all the stylus/cantilever combinations available allow for a +/-5 degree zenith error. That is their industry standard. This expert also determined that even a 1 or 2 degree zenitherror at the stylus can result in no null points on the LP surface.

Bill, in your post of 5/18 at 12:52 pm, you wrote, "For arms from other manufacturers the answer for Antiskate settings is not universal.  For SME arms, I find the factory settings are accurate and should be used.  For Technics, Antiskate settings seem to result in lowest distortion set at ~50% of recommended settings.  On a Denon DP-3000NE, that I just acquired, the factory settings proved to be accurate.  For most TTs from the EU, I am finding it best to start at 50% of recommended setting and increase only if you hear a slight mis-tracking in the upper mids to highs."

Please define factory settings for SME.  Do you mean to say that their numerical markings (if such exist; I have never handled a modern SME tonearm) are such that if you are tracking at 2g, you ought to set AS to "2"?

For Technics, how would one determine 50% of recommended settings?

And what about the many well loved vintage and even modern tonearms that still use a string and weight or a rigid lever and weight (e.g., my Kenwood, Dynavector, Triplanar, and Reed tonearms) to set AS?  There are no settings, as such.