New TT, Holy cow!!!

[stairpost]

More natural tone perhaps? I think the techie is not so good at that but does most things well.
Have you got any mods other than the tonearm?

The tonearm is a Clearaudio Satisfy, as far as I am aware it's not modded.

[stairpost]

Sorry if I sound excited but no one else I could share it with would understand

Don't worry we all understand......a new TT is always something to shout about
Now go get MORE VINYL!!!!

It's perfect timing. I've just picked up a copy of a piece of music I've wanted for years. I won't play it until it's set up properly though so it will be a real joy when I finally listen to it.

[chris@panteg]

The tonearm is a Clearaudio Satisfy, as far as I am aware it's not modded.

I meant with the Technics?

[stairpost]

I meant with the Technics?

Got you, sorry.

Nope, nothing modded at all.

[chris@panteg]

Got you, sorry.

Nope, nothing modded at all.

I see, it will sound a little grey and dark if standard.

[stairpost]

^ Wow, much cooler than with a tatty bit of felt on the platter.

I'd be interested in your findings if you do experiment with mats/ no mat.
Clearaudio make a couple, one of which is made of vinyl! http://www.analogueseduction.net/tur...table-mat.html
And this acrylic mat might look best of all! http://www.analogueseduction.net/tur...table-mat.html

Well, I had a listen with and without mat, and I can't honestly say I could hear a difference. I do get the impression that it was intended to be used without mat, as the spindle was much more prominent and gave a good solid seat for the weight without it, where there wasn't a great deal for it to lock onto with a mat. I have left it without mat for now with the intention of trying a different mat or 2 as the opportunity arises. I think a thin cork mat might be my first test.

[Bigman80]

Well, I had a listen with and without mat, and I can't honestly say I could hear a difference. I do get the impression that it was intended to be used without mat, as the spindle was much more prominent and gave a good solid seat for the weight without it, where there wasn't a great deal for it to lock onto with a mat. I have left it without mat for now with the intention of trying a different mat or 2 as the opportunity arises. I think a thin cork mat might be my first test.

I had a Inspire Quest Turntable and that had an acrylic platter. I prefered it with a leather platter mat above the usual suspects.

[alphaGT]

Most people are put off when I say that I made my own protractor, or setup templates. I Googled for the exact information, and a 1/4” hole punch and a metric rule is all I needed to make my own template with card stock. Every bit as exact, if not more so, than any expensive store bought template.

There are a few different scales, so it was easy to make a few different ones, or try them all, to see which one you prefer.
https://www.vinylengine.com/cartridg...tractors.shtml
This page may help fill you in, as to the geometry involved, whether you make your own or buy, it’s good to understand the physics of it all. Plus more info out there on the Vinyl Engine site.

Russell

[stairpost]

Most people are put off when I say that I made my own protractor, or setup templates. I Googled for the exact information, and a 1/4” hole punch and a metric rule is all I needed to make my own template with card stock. Every bit as exact, if not more so, than any expensive store bought template.

There are a few different scales, so it was easy to make a few different ones, or try them all, to see which one you prefer.
https://www.vinylengine.com/cartridg...tractors.shtml
This page may help fill you in, as to the geometry involved, whether you make your own or buy, it’s good to understand the physics of it all. Plus more info out there on the Vinyl Engine site.

Russell

Hi Russell,

I think the physics will be a bit beyond me, I'm purely going to follow the instructions.

I have very kindly been offered the loan of a protractor, but if I can pick one up I think it will be a useful thing to have. So that leads me onto my question if you don't mind, do all protractors display the same set up? Or would I need one tailored to my deck/arm/cart?

I see affordable options for sale, but I am obviously keen to avoid the wrong alignment.

Rich.

[alphaGT]

Hi Russell,

I think the physics will be a bit beyond me, I'm purely going to follow the instructions.

I have very kindly been offered the loan of a protractor, but if I can pick one up I think it will be a useful thing to have. So that leads me onto my question if you don't mind, do all protractors display the same set up? Or would I need one tailored to my deck/arm/cart?

I see affordable options for sale, but I am obviously keen to avoid the wrong alignment.

Rich.

Hi Rich, good questions. Yes there is more than one alignment. But, the differences are slight. And it’s more about different Records, more so than different record players.

Basically, since the headshell on the end of the tonearm is setting at an angle to the arm, you have two points of alignment. Across the width of the record grooves the needle will be perfectly square to the grooves in two places. One, farther around the circle than the other, due to the compound angle of the headshell. The different alignments pushes these two points closer to the beginning, closer to the end, or right in the middle. It’s fairly safe that you can buy a store bought protractor and not worry about which alignment it uses, any of them will work. Unless you’re playing very old Records, or 45’s, 10” Records, or 78’s, the most popular alignment will be the best. There are names for the different alignments, I used to know them by heart, but most standard ones sold on store bought protractors will work just fine. If you ever get into long tonearms or odd Records, then you may want to study up on that stuff.

So the idea is to get the sides of the cart to Line up with the lines on the protractor. But, you may find that it’ll be perfect on one, but not so perfect on the other. The cure for this is to slide the cartridge forward or back, what is called, “overhang”, and why the mounting slots are elongated. Slide it back and forth until you find the length that makes it line up with both points best.

I like to take a magnifier and look at the needle where it meets the groove. That is what we are really trying to do. And the needle should stand straight up in the groove, but leaning forward just 3 to 5 degrees or so. Some cartridge makers will give this angle in their setup literature. But too much tracking weight can squash out the cantilever, that angle is important. Sometimes it too is listed by the maker. 22 degrees is not uncommon, cantilever to the bottom of the cartridge. And if your tonearm has a VTA adjustment, more expensive ones often do, the bottom of the cart should be somewhat parallel to the record surface. Jack the height at the pivot point up or down to achieve this. Some like it a bit higher in the rear, this can be adjusted by ear. Some needle profile types are more sensitive to this adjustment than others, lower and raise it a tiny bit until you hear it pop into focus. This last paragraph is more of my personal attention, getting your first cartridge up and running doesn’t have to be this complicated, but a glance at how the needle is actually setting in the groove is not a bad idea, a sign that things are right.

So basically, yes, use your favorite off the shelf protractor and it should work fine.

Russell