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Ammonite Audio
15-04-2016, 16:15
I'm pleased to be shortly taking on products from Acoustical Systems (http://www.arche-headshell.de/), particularly the SMARTractor alignment tool and SMARTstylus SRA/VTA/Azimuth setting template. I'll also be stocking the Arche headshell, to order. The SMARTtractor will be available to hire, on a weekly basis, with an option to buy with the hire cost refunded from the retail price. So, try before you buy!

Anyone who has used a tonearm alignment tool such as those from Clearaudio, Dr Feickert etc, knows that they make a technical and intricate task very easy, so accurate setup becomes really straightforward. I know that I'm not alone in never wanting to go back to other, more 'manual' setup methods! The SMARTractor is the alignment jig that I would have designed, if someone else hadn't already done it - it supports all the alignment standards that you'd ever want, including the UNI-DIN curve that is claimed to offer significantly lower on average distortion (18-45%) than Baerwald or Loefgren, over the last 2/3 of the record's grooves. Only Acoustical Systems offer the UNI-DIN option. It also, and uniquely, provides a magnified viewer, on the proper axis, to facilitate accurate alignment of the actual cantilever. Clever stuff!

There are some video tutorials at http://www.arche-headshell.de/videos/smartractor-video-tutorials/ showing how the SMARTractor works.

There's a good review on Audio Beat at http://www.theaudiobeat.com/blog/smartractor.htm

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s301/hugocass/smartractor1_zpscrt5gyfv.jpg
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s301/hugocass/SMARTstylus_zpsrau6vkrl.jpg
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s301/hugocass/Arche_Headshell_zpskkifrrd4.jpg

montesquieu
15-04-2016, 16:29
Hi Hugo, this looks awesome ... I've had the Clearaudio and currently favour the Dr Feickert, but this looks like a significant step up over either of them. Totally agree that going back to manual methods or even paper printouts would be unthinkable once you are used to proper alignment kit.

Ammonite Audio
19-04-2016, 19:02
The SMARTractor and SMARTstylus are now in stock, and available to buy from the webshop (link below)

Ammonite Audio
20-04-2016, 07:41
The SMARTractor alignment tool is available for weekly hire to AoS members, with the hire cost of £50 deducted from the retail price if the hirer decides subsequently to buy one.

£399 might seem to be a great deal of money for this alignment tool, but when you see what it does and how easy it makes accurate alignment (including optical alignment of the cartridge cantilever), £399 has to be one of the best value SPPV upgrades that a turntable user can make, particularly for those with a number of arms and cartridges. That's £399 just once, for life!

I'll have the SMARTractor and SMARTstylus on show this weekend at the Heathrow Styl:us Show, so please come along for a look and a chat.

Ammonite Audio
21-04-2016, 13:00
I've just set up four cartridges for this weekend's Styl:us Show, using the SMARTractor, and confirmed that this is the best designed, most intelligently featured alignment tool available. The magnified viewer facility really does allow for accurate alignment of a cartridge's cantilever, even with the Miyajimas where there is not much to see because of the fat body shape. My faithful old Kontrapunkt B, which came back from re-tipping with a misaligned cantilever, can now be set up properly and easily! The SMARTractor really is a fantastic bit of kit.

I'll have the SMARTractor and SMARTstylus on my stand at the Styl:us Show for anyone to see and handle.

Neil McCauley
21-04-2016, 16:45
Hello. my features editor Howard picked your FS as one of our three catch-of-the-day bargains and have featured it as you can see at http://www.hifianswers.com/2016/04/fs-smartractor-alignment-tool/ and of course at https://twitter.com/AudiophileStuff

There is no charge; it's a free service we offer from time to time to just a handful of colleague AoS subscribers. Good luck. Thanks and regards - Neil

Howard can be contacted at popeckhoward@gmail.com

karma67
21-04-2016, 18:59
how do you accurately use it when your tonearm doesn't have the pivot point marked or is had to find,say like an ittok

Ammonite Audio
21-04-2016, 20:30
In the case of the Ittok, you can work out and mark the pivot point, by taking a line along the centre of the arm tube, through the bearing yoke, and intersecting another midway through the top of the yoke. It would be nice if every tonearm maker placed a neat dimple to identify the pivot point. A great advantage of using alignment tools like the SMARTractor is that they compensate for minor errors in spindle-pivot distance, but of course the arm's pivot point has to be accurately identified.