TW-Acustic Raven 10.5 or DaVinci Grandezza??

OP: Go with a Raven, Tri-planar or a Graham.

Dear Dertonarm: No, it is not because you choosed de Davinci. In the past I posted that the azymuth and anti-skate tonearm control are two tonearm characteristics that every tonearm has to have and that the Grandezza does not has by design.
So, it is not for you.

In the other side, how can you be sure that the cartridge stylus is dead on 90° and not 89.9°-90.1° by sight? ( I " admire " In_shore because he can!!! ): you need to mount it an during playback set-up decide about and if you think that the stylus is off how can you assure to the seller that's off for he can change it with out any charge ( shipping included. )?. Some times different VTA/SRA positions needs different azymuth position too, for many reasons.

I " admire " your " chameleon " attitude about when you accept off-center LPs, non-flat LPs, high output impedance amps, non-perfect TT and everything in audio items that are not perfect. Why do you accept everything else but that no-sense perfect stylus azymuth? and what about the anti-skate device: now you think that the AS is " obsolete " and the cartridge does not need it during playback? so is there nothing to compensate about those playback forces?

IMHO we are living in a non-perfect audio world where we need some " tools " that help with those non-perfect audio items: well antiskate and azymuth tonearm controlers are part of those " tools ".

Halcro said that he has no problem with a cartridge in the Grandezza but with the same cartridge in the Continnum he has azymuth problem, this make no sense to me either because a tonearm azymuth control is used only when it need it and when not the tonearm is dead on.

Well, to dream in a perfect audio world is only a dream and maybe at its best a big hope. Returning to our real non-perfect audio world IMHO we need all those " tools ", that's why exist third party devices as tonearm/cartridge protractors and several ones.

Regards and enjoy the music,
R.

Let me follow the logic of the argument that azimuth adjustment is unnecessary in high-priced cartridges. So anyone who actually uses a Fozgometer or other measurement device and finds it necessary to adjust azimuth in order to optimize readings either has a bad cartridge (i.e., skewed stylus or mismatched output) or a turntable that's out of level? Sorry, but that's not my experience. I have several high-end cartridges, including an A90 that the designer himself examined and declared to be a "perfect example," and all have benefited from azimuth adjustments on a Phantom II (with a perfectly level platter), both in Fozgometer readings and sonics. I always begin installation of a cartridge at the visibly horizontal using a couple of different gridded acrylic blocks (including the one included in the UNI-Pro) yet find I need to adjust a tiny bit from there. I must be one unlucky dude to get so many dog cartridges.

On the other had, I also have a current high-end SPU that sounds much better adjusted to be visibly horizontal than when I optimize its azimuth with the Foz, so I'm by no means saying that device is infallible. But I am glad I'm able to adjust azimuth, nonetheless.

^^^ My experiences mirror yours Wrm57. I have two A90's and a Shelter Harmony. Both the Shelter and the A90 I am currently using required a bit of azimuth correction based on the matching of the crosstalk between both channels with the Foz. I would never buy an arm that did not allow for Azimuth...wait, I did once before...It was the Kenner Close & Play I owned as a child. :-)

Dear Rockitman: +++++ " Most owners ask us about adjustment. To all we say: add the cartridge and listen the music, then immediately you understand, why we omit div. adjustment tools.
This tone arm is built to bring all the musicality of your LP’s! " ++++

of course, Da Vinci distortions named: " musicality!!!!

No sense at all.

Regards and enjoy the music,
R.