Cartridge alignment by electronic measurements.

[Balle Clorin]

I have not found a good way of aligning the cartridge Zenith/Horisontal Tracking angle by using electronic measurement and test records .
This article brings some hope , but I have tried similar tracks before with little success. I did not get a meaningful result then. The Analog Macic is too expensive for me , but I have ordered CBS STR-112 and have other IMD test records.

Electrical Zenith Setup - Intact Audio

I did try to look at the distortion and Left/right phase difference at various radii across the records . But I do not se two null/ low distortion positions as theory tells me… I get one low point at outer edge and rising inwards..

How to you experts check and set Zenith /HTA electronically?

Maybe this thread could be a place to share electronic and measurement bases cartridge alignment methods.

PS I do have test record tracks for VTA and Azimuth, but please add your tricks too.

 

[morillon]

AnalogMagik Turntable Setup Cartridge Alignment Tutorials

AnalogMagik Turntable Setup Cartridge Alignment Free Tutorials. Azimuth, VTF, VTA, Antiskating, SRA, Vibration, Resonance, Loading, Gain, Wow & Flutter

www.analogmagik.com

can be a basis for discussion even if nothing really new or original... (the 70s and 80s approaches totally democratized thanks to hardware and software)
(remains the approach of anti-skating which in fact will never be anything other than bias... can only be "wobbly"... this is the subject to be taken with the greatest precaution and where there have clearly been stupidities in fact...)

 

[Balle Clorin]

1. I tried this.. but maybe the issue gets complicated by the fact that the distance between the sinus peaks gets physically smaller in the inner grooves?

Frequency Response Test Records

How many uses are people getting out of the STR-100. Is it a myth that they only have so many spins? There are differences of opinion. I worked in a studio complex with a large number of turntables that needed calibrating regularly. In my and my colleagues' experience, the high frequency...

audiosciencereview.com

2. I also tried to compare the change in sinus zero crossing(stylus at peak =zero speed) but the crossing vary due different distortion on each channel, and rumble. filtering the 3150 hz tone used mad the phasee difference between channels shift!!. A loepass/highpass will gove a phase shift, but I only have one frequency+ harmonics, so why ....I am lost

Please add a better idea to measure Zenith/HTA...

 

[morillon]

take virtins in basic version or asio (you don't need the very expensive version with just the module to carry out w&f measurements, which is just analogmajik in very very reduced version, just few fonctions, smalls comments fir "help", and making the name disappear)
thd, imd , crosstalk, fr, etc
in real time ...

find discs with clean 1k, imd, 330hz white or sweep etc and you will have enough to make your measurements..
sound card with your park ( or only your park in asio?)..
rew can use to for somes mesureaments

hungaroton, ultimate, denon etc you already have everything in stock and much more... ;-)

virtins is very powerful software, just a little difficult to use.

 

[Balle Clorin]

Yes ,I got all those records, just need a correct method to interpret the result .
I can use CoolEditPro and REW for analysing.
It is just that the zenith search gives no good results that resemble the theoretical tracking error across the record


red and blue linen is what I get in phase,/angle difference

 

[morillon]

observe precisely the videos, the texts, analogmagik... you have everything in watermarks.. (see exploit the old texts which accompanied the adjustment discs from the 70s...) but you need software like virtins and a hardware means d acquisition.. ,-)

 

[morillon]

Yes ,I got all those records, just need a correct method to interpret the result .
I can use CoolEditPro and REW for analysing.
It is just that the zenith search gives no good results that resemble the theoretical tracking error across the record

I don't really have any explanations for your case... just that starting with just a single frequency so high and coupled with a reduction in bandwidth is perhaps the way to explore? f*n
rew say what in realtime? h4 h5 h6 h7 etc? 48k or 96k?

 

[morillon]

what is important in many of these approaches is being able to work in realtime with thd imd etc... (except for fr or w&f) but be careful with the practices that have often been recommended to regulate antiskating... bullshit...

( for zenith ,measurements in imd rather low frequencies etc... virtins adapts to it automatically... I just need to know what part of the frequencies they have adopted at analogmajik.... special advice.... for you and your tests on your long track dedicated to w&f.... we can help you... make a precise adjustment of antiskating on this signal, at its level... therefore an optimized antiskating... )

 

[Balle Clorin]

Azimuth:

Suggestions here .... - 13th Duke of Wymbourne - Vinyl Asylum

Suggestions here .... - 13th Duke of Wymbourne - Vinyl Asylum

www.audioasylum.com

 

[Bob from Florida]

I have not found a good way of aligning the cartridge Zenith/Horisontal Tracking angle by using electronic measurement and test records .
This article brings some hope , but I have tried similar tracks before with little success. I did not get a meaningful result then. The Analog Macic is too expensive for me , but I have ordered CBS STR-112 and have other IMD test records.

Electrical Zenith Setup - Intact Audio

I did try to look at the distortion and Left/right phase difference at various radii across the records . But I do not se two null/ low distortion positions as theory tells me… I get one low point at outer edge and rising inwards..

How to you experts check and set Zenith /HTA electronically?

Maybe this thread could be a place to share electronic and measurement bases cartridge alignment methods.

PS I do have test record tracks for VTA and Azimuth, but please add your tricks too.

That seems challenging. I visually align the cartridge to the protractor and place trust in the cartridge for decent accuracy. It would seem my standards are lower than yours. Hopefully, you will figure it out.

 

[Balle Clorin]

The stylus in not square with the cantilever. Cartridge needs-to be turned clockwise in the headshell

 

[Bob from Florida]

The stylus in not square with the cantilever. Cartridge needs-to be turned clockwise in the headshell
View attachment 358571

So even if you get the stylus “square” to the groove, you still don’t have optimal energy transfer to the generator. At what point do you just call it a “bad stylus”?

 

[Balle Clorin]

The tolerance producers have is plus minus 3-5 degrees depending on which angle. So 1 degree off is actually quite good. I have returned 60% of cartridges/Stylus bought the last year. The errors were 6-8degrees.

Here is a better picture

 

[Bob from Florida]

The tolerance producers have is plus minus 3-5 degrees depending on which angle. So 1 degree off is actually quite good.

To be more specific, at what point does it become audible and therefore objectionable?

 

[Balle Clorin]

Hard to say, vinyl playback gives 1-15% distortion already and no one is bothered by that….

 

[Bob from Florida]

View attachment 358669The tolerance producers have is plus minus 3-5 degrees depending on which angle. So 1 degree off is actually quite good. I have returned 60% of cartridges/Stylus bought the last year. The errors were 6-8degrees.

Here is a better picture

You're making the case for spherical styli.