After adjusting azimuth with a Fozgometer loaned to me, the following is what I observed. Individually, these changes were subtle although noticeable. The combined effect however, was significant to the overall presentation.
Imaging improved.
Vocals became more focused, not as big and wide as before.
Instruments more detailed with greater air. Location is more precise.
Tighter bass versus the slightly lingering bass notes previously.
Better top to bottom detail and clarity.
I never realized how important correct azimuth adjustment is and this exercise was quite a learning experience for me. Thinking I was correctly adjusting azimuth by visually setting the headshell as level as possible was a reasonable but flawed attempt.
I have found at least two stylus issues that if present will affect azimuth and sound.
1) A straight cantilever that is twisted left or right changes the attitude of the diamond and its relationship to the groove. By twisted I mean the cantilever has rotated on its own axis. This one is very difficult to see without appropriate magnification.
2) A cantilever that is canted to the left or right a degree or more but is still straight, not bent. It points left or right probably because it was not centered correctly when the cantilever was installed. It also changes the attitude of the diamond.
What is probably basic and common knowledge to everyone here is something I have just been enlightened about after giving it very little thought. I am now convinced that accurate azimuth is a required step in the turntable set up process and I will be giving full attention to this part of the equation.
No more guesswork and eyeballing which I am embarrassed to say was the norm. Doug
I'm in Teres' camp at the moment. I purchased a Wallyskater a few years ago and found the method helped ball park a setting, but listening led me tweak it - YMMV.
I also remember seeing the lissajous patterns back in the days. I like Elizabeth's idea of a PC based o'scope. Michael Fremer reviewed just such a product - Dr. Feickert's Adjust+ in Stereophile's Oct. 2008 issue. Mikey liked it, conditionally. The manual was poorly translated from the original German. When/if the manual was re-written in plain English, he'd highly recommend it. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be in their web archives.
The article mentioned the cost was $250 with a Pro version available at $399. It measures phase angle, crosstalk, speed, wow, flutter, S/N, harmonic distortion, tonearm resonance and frequency response using a test LP (included) and high quality sound card (not included).
For more details: http://www.adjustplus.de/index.php?lang=english
It's unlikely it will ever hit my priority list, but it looks to be the best method at the moment. Until that time, my ears do just fine.
Relax, have a just released Founder's KBS (extremely limited) and listen to some Dead...
Dear Teres, You make a good point, mostly because with most all the cartridges that I have ever bothered to align electrically, there IS no one "correct" setting. Usually I have ended up choosing a setting that gives seemingly the least possible crosstalk in each channel, but as those two values (R into L vs L into R) are virtually never exactly equal, one still needs to use one's judgement. I guess I just don't trust my ears enough to do it all by ear. I generally start with an electrically determined setting and then fiddle with it a little more "by ear".
I am a proponent of using your ears rather than instrumentation for adjusting azimuth. There seems to be a lot of angst about getting this adjustment "right". I assert that "right" is when it sounds best, regardless of what the technical parameters may be. I suspect that in most but not all cases an instrument guided alignment will also deliver the best sound. But since the only thing that matters is the sound, why take the detour into instrumentation.
With good line contact stylus it is very easy to hear when azimuth is properly adjusted. For most people I think it is quite unlikely that using an instrument will result better sound. And there is a distinct possibility that an instrument alignment could produce worse sound.
Some cartridges are considerably less sensitive to exact azimuth and VTA adjustment. Instrumentation does make adjustment easier in this case, but what does it accomplish other than to ease audio neurosis? If you have a cartridge where you can not hear the difference between close and exact then exact adjustment buys you exactly nothing.
I too appreciate the info and perspectives, but I'm left wondering what everyone's thoughts are as to the usefulness of the Fozgometer which at the outset of the thread seemed pretty useful but now I'm not so sure.
Could someone clarify this for me... much appreciated,
I first realized the importance of proper azimuth adjustment when someone demonstrated it to me using his Triplanar tonearm. From that point forward, I lusted for a Triplanar. For a very good treatise on azimuth, how to adjust it, why you are adjusting it, what to expect, etc, I recommend a search of the Vinyl Asylum archives for long posts by B Kearns and by V Khomenko (sp?). Those guys are my bible on this subject.
By the way, I own a now antique Signet Cartridge Analyzer which, if you have the right test LP and a Triplanar, makes setting azimuth a breeze, using the direct output of the cartridge itself, which eliminates the possible effects of downstream amplification. But the Signet does not quite have enough input sensitivity for a modern LOMC cartridge output. It needs an antecedent gain stage.
Actusreus - use your amps terminals rather than your speakers. With a voltmeter set to AC, the 5V setting should do nicely. Also you will need a test record. Below is a link to an A'gon write-up I did a while back - there is nothing unique about it. I've only seen pictures of the Fozgometer, but using it will involve essentially the same technique as a voltmeter and the latter will be less expensive.
Some cartridges more than others are sensitive to less than optimal azimuth. Unless you have a Graham or Triplanar or other tonearm sporting a good azimuth adjustment interface, then adjustment can be a bit fiddley but once you've done the voltmeter technique a couple times, its pretty easy to iterate across multiple adjustments to fine tune the crosstalk and get things nicely dialed in. Dougolsen gives a good description of the characteristic benefits of proper azimuth. I find it worth the effort to get the readings so I can gauge if adjustment is needed and have the peace of mind in knowing. Good luck with your cartridge setup!
Elizabeth, I always enjoy your advice. Do you know how to precisely use a voltmeter (or a multimeter I can get for about $20 from Ace Hardware) to adjust azimuth? I was told you put the leads to the speaker's terminal but mine are bi-wired and I'm still confused about the DC/AC current selection. I checked out the Fozgometer and it looks very straightforward to use; so straightforward in fact that I'd be probably willing to spend $250 to get the damn azimuth right once and for all...
So, for the cantilever canted to the left or right, what's the solution? The cantilever on my Soundsmith Aida cart appears to be very, very slightly canted to the left (toward the center of the record) but is perfectly straight. I have a test record but without voltmeter it is very difficult to hear whether the output varies between the L and R channels. The test tone sounds fine and even. I tried leveling the head shell but then the bottom of the cart doesn't look parallel to the record surface. In the end, I went with Fremer's advice and used a mirror to make sure the cantilever itself is perpendicular to the record surface. Not surprisingly, the head shell is not parallel now.
Seconding the first poster's question: what was your ultimate setting? The cantilever perpendicular to the record surface, head shell parallel to the record surface, or something in between? And how does this device work? Would a voltmeter be equally precise in your opinion?
So, does it still look level after visual inspection? I use a level that's 1 and 3/4 inch long which I place at the top of the pivoting point (that area is a flat surface on my toan arm) of the tone arm while playing a record to see if the azimuth is set level. The head shell does look very level and it is at the very best sounding spot that I can hear. BTW, where can I get a Fozgometer?
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