2. analog
  3. 1137521773

Alignment of SME 309 vs. Shure protractor

I recently bought a Shure M97xE for a bedroom turntable, but out of curiosity laid the supplied protractor on my VPI, which has an SME 309 arm that was properly aligned with the SME protractor (that came with the arm).

The Shure protractor is the typical two point alignment type, while the SME is specific for the 309 arm, and contains one point to place the stylus and then an outline of the arm which the arm itself should fit into if viewed from above.

The Shure shows very different results than the SME. The Shure version would suggest that my arm is mounted way to close to the platter. Anyone have an idea as to how the two could be so different?
opalchip

Showing 1 response by jhorowitz128

jhorowitz128
37 posts
 
Hello Opalchip,

Here's how the SME and Shure version could be different: Not all 2 point protractors have the same alignment distances; some have null points at 66mm/121mm, some at 70mm/127mm, some at 60mm/121mm.

I own the SME 309 and find that its method properly aligns the cartridge. If there's no distortion, especially on the inner grooves, then you're aligned properly.

Hope this helps,
Jeff
More to discover