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Dialing in my analog rig - Need help

I took a giant leap forward in sound quality this past weekend after deciding to check the setup that was provided by the dealer. Hell, I watched him and thought he covered everything. I was largely unhappy with the sound of my newly acquired rig. I am now only slightly unhappy as I discovered the following.

Being that it was a used Turntable/cartridge with no manual I downloaded the manual and performed the following. What I found was that my cartridge was way out of alignment according to the jig provided by VPI. That was a painless fix I than checked the levelness of the tonearm as it pertains to the platter. What I found was that the tonearm was set (or never set) all the way at the bottom of its adjustment. Doh! So I cranked that up to "level with platter". Was that how former owner had it set? Then there was the alignment of the head shell and of course that was off too. Now I was on to the tracking force which I defaulted to slightly more than 2 grams. The gauge I have is kind of crude compared to what the dealer was using but then the dealer seemed to miss a few items anyway...

As I mentioned earlier in this post, although being very unhappy it has gotten a LOT better. Many smiles have practiced over the last few days but one thing that still plagues my setup is the graininess or lack of smooth sounding highs. It's detailed as hell but vocals still have a "grain" to them. Nice staging and a goodly amount of air. I just seem to lack the smoothness I thought would be natural to vinyl.

Setup is;
VPI Scoutmaster, Dynavector XXV Mark II which feeds a PS Audio GCPH phono stage then direct to a Pass Labs amp. MBL 121 speakers. No preamp yet - still looking.

What's next?
128x128desalvo55
desalvo55's avatar
desalvo55 OP
256 posts
 
Interesting stuff. I took another look at the relationship between the cartridge and the album. I still a ways to go to get the alignment right. So up it went a few turns more.

Now I know what is meant when they say "VTA on the fly".

Great. Nice. That tells me that my tonearm is inferior no? In order for me to adjust and realistically dial in the "sound", I'll need lightening adjustments, remove the coffee table and hope I don't trample Jr on the way to the sweet spot of the couch.

On the other hand, without this forum and the knowledgeable folks within, I'd be listening to a horribly compromised setup as the tonearm rested at the bottom of its travel.

Thanks for all your inputs. Very much appreciated!
raquel
841 posts
 
If a thin LP and thick LP were both cut at exactly the same angle, the thickness of the LP would affect the tracking angle, but it would be a nominal amount (a degree or so). In contrast, differences in angle resulting from adjustment of the cutting head are significant and can vary a lot from LP to LP - they dwarf the affect on tracking angle of the thickness of the record. In short, setting VTA based upon the thickness of an LP reflects a misunderstanding of the way records are made.
stops
56 posts
 
Rodman: Your point is well taken. However the adjustment is VERY small for the record thickness (What is a Medium thickness record?). If you have the patience and the very good system and ears to hear it maybe you should do it.

If my mathematics is correct. A 1 degree change in SRA on a 9" arm would necessitate about a 41mm raising or lowering of the rear of the arm or corresponding record thickness change. We can argue if we can hear that 1 degree and I am not about to go there!!
stops
56 posts
 
OOPS!! That should be 4.1 mm not 41 mm. Sorry about that.
stops
56 posts
 
Rodman: Since a 4mm change will be a degree in SRA. A difference between a thin LP and a 200mm one will be substantial and more than a degree as I first thought-so you stand vindicated from my end!

Do you have a range that you use in mm?
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