Marco has been using SPUs for ages - he just connects the headshell to the end of the arm and pootles about a bit with the VTA and VTF.
Ortofon seem to prefer Baerwald geometry
Hi Ali,
The ebony armboard that Speedy Steve produced for me was drilled to suit my Ortofon arm, using the protractor supplied with it, which outlined the correct pivot-to-spindle distance, and that in turn facilitates correct cartridge alignment (for my SPU), using Stevenson geometry.
The Ortofon, Jelco, stock Technics SL-1200 arm, and every other Japanese tonearm I've used, all perform optimally with Stevenson. The DL-103 is also optimised that way. If you haven't got your Jelco currently set-up for Stevenson, try it, and you should be in for a nice upgrade! :)
Marco.
Hi Ali,
Dom and myself set your arm for Baerwald, that is what I use at home, it sounds the best to me, if you recall Owston in November, both our protractors came up the same, which was Baerwald.
Nigel
There are so many variables with this kind of thing (mainly at which point on the record you wish to minimise distortion), that it's best not to get too anal about it, and simply try out the various geometry options, and go with what sounds best, to your ears, in your system :)
However, if you do some proper research, you'll find that Stevenson is the recognised 'optimal' geometry for all Japanese 'S' or 'J'-shaped detachable-headshell tonearms. Even the little plastic overhang/alignment tool (which is surprisingly accurate), and supplied with all new Technics SL-1200/1210 T/Ts, is set up for Stevenson:
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/841/am5h.jpg
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/543/gnl1.jpg
Trust me, the manufacturer wouldn't have done that for nothing! ;)
Marco.
The standard 750D parameters from Jelco suggest a Stevenson alignment. However, the best alignment for the Acos Arm on my PL-71 appears to be Baerwald, well it seems to work well!
Edit: Confusing the different alignments up!
Incidentally, returning to the original thread topic, I suspect that this could be a more elegant (if not also more expensive) solution:
http://www.cabezon.eu/product_info.php?products_id=265
Worth trying, I think, and not just for those with DL-103s :)
Marco.