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Cart not parallel after Mint LP alignment?

Howdy,

So after reading about 1000 paragraphs on how good the Mint LP Tractor is - I purchased one and had a marathon session yesterday with my new SL-1210 M5G, AT440MLa and Zupreme headshell...

After all was said and done - the alignment itself took 90 hard minutes - I am finding the cartridge sitting about 5-7 degrees "right" of center. The actual cantilever and stylus are about as dead on as I wanna go with it for now.

Now a comment and a question....

Question: Is this non-parallel result in the headshell normal? It's making me think I may have a bent cantilever or something.

Comment: I have run 10-12 sides thru the rig so far and I must say - I have not yet heard the "revelation" that others have described when comparing their alignments to other protractors or even the white Technics alignment gauge. The rig sounds good...but...what I am missing here.

I must temper the above by saying I have changed phono stages frequently in the last month as well...I was getting nicely familiar with a Bellari VP-130 and then moved that for a Cambridge which lasted less than a week and I now have a Moon LP3 with maybe 25 hours on it...Even my AT440MLa might have 40-50 hours on it as well....

I am thinking that a whole bunch of stuff might need to "burn" in before the system starts to really reveal itself.

But I am very concerned with the stylus/cantilever on the cart...even with all the moves the Mint required...I expected the cartridge to sit straight in the headshell...perhaps expecting too much?

Appreciate any feedback.

Cheers!

VP
vocalpoint

Showing 1 response by timeltel

timeltel's avatar
timeltel
830 posts
 
Hello, VP, please don't dismiss cartridge alignment. There is a precise point where stylus and grove walls interface. This includes azimuth. Follow this link for a printed arc protractor for your choice Lofgren B, Stevenson or Baerwald (considered there as a variation of Lofgren A):

http://www.conradhoffman.com/chsw.htm

Overhang for each differs (IIRC) by about 2.5mm. Using a two point Baerwald at 15mm overhang, your cartridge may be canted several degrees outboard.
The skeptic doubted Confucious's assertion that a man determined to do so could move a mountain. The philosopher replied he would begin, one pebble at a time. In audio, cartridge alignment is one of those pebbles, and cumulatively significant. If you are willing to devote the time needed to tweak cartridge alignment, you will at the least learn not to use your eyes to listen.
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