Correct alignment for Fidelity Research 64fx/SPU?

@lewm  : For me over the EPA-100 is with out doubt the MAX-282. This tonearm comes with 3 diferent arm wands where one of them is a removable headshell J shape wand.
It comes with a silicon oil facility at the pivot position and its unique gyroscopic type bearing is just a beauty.

But not only is a great tonearm design but really good quality performer that permits that the cartridges can make very good job.

I think that you need to own it. I don't have it any more because I just do not need it due to my own tonearm design. As with other very good tonearms I finished putting on sale and sold fast.

R.

Dear @bdp24  : ""  is at the pickup/cartridge/headshell end of the tonearm...""

I agree because it's there where exist the very first " touch " in between cartridge and tonearms self generated vibrations/resonances/distortions and its feedback.

That's why is so important that pivoted tonearms can comes with removable headshell design for in this way the system owner can choose and test diferent headshells that can help to that damping cartridge needs.

The damping approach at the tonearm headshell does not means the tonearm overall damping work is finished because that tonearm has different points along its design that needs damping in cartridge signal benefits. But yes, at the tonearm headshell the most advantageous and many times not an easy task to have it exactly there.

R.

@lewm  : How can I forgot this one?, the MS MAX 282 that's one of the best ever tonearm design.
R.

Dear @lewm  : I like well damped tonearms with fixed bearing pivot and with removable headshell.

Vintage Technics and Lustre are inside those characteristics along AT design. All internally re-wired.

From some time now I'm using my own designed and builded tonearm and my favorite with any mounted cartridge.

From today and even that some have non removable headshell: Triplanar, Audio Note, Davinci, Durand ( fixed pivot design. ), Kuzma 4 point, SME, Thales, Reed, Townshend. I have no experiences with the fixed VPI but I can think is a good design.

Now, my take is that for any audiophile the favorite tonearm is that that gives the best quality performance levels match with the cartridge he own, at the end these couple is whom has the " last word " about.


Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.

@edgewear : Yes I know is a double point but it's not a fixed bearing as FR or Technics or other true fixed tonearm designs. A fixed tonearm pivot design is a lot more stable than a single or dual pivot designs.

R.

@edgewear : I own both tonearms too and cartridges performs different mounted on each of these tonearms and different because both designs are different and not only in the EL characteristics but the kind iof pivot design: fixed vs unipivot.

It's not easy that two persons can be in agreement in this subject damped vs non-damped tonearms when the premises of those persons are different ( with different room/systems too. ) and obviously full of subjectivity.
Btw, from some time now I'm not with unipivot any more even that I still own unipivots designs.

Anyway, i understand your points.

R.

Dear @edgewear : "  I know you hate the FR64.."

maybe my several posts about through the time give that  conclusion but the FR main subject I don't recomended it ( even that I own it. ) is that it's a non-damped tonearm design.

The tonearm looks really fine but any tonearm needs to " fullfil " the cartridge needs and one critical need on a cartridge is precesily to damp so many kind of resonances/distortions developed in between the LP/cartridge/tonearm.
I know that the FR as SAEC tonearms likes to almost all people because one characteristic is that is so alive as the live MUSIC.

The kind of nice distortuions developed through FR/SAEC tonearms are just that: nice distortions and I prefer more clear MUSIC information with lower " nice distortions ".

This FR/SAEC tonearms example is in some ways similar on why we like more analog than digital or tubes over SS electronics.

So, everything belongs on what be our room/system main targets and mine is try to stay truer to the recording and one path that puts me near to that target is try to leave all kind of distortions generated by the room/system at minimum elsewhere the room/system and a well damped tonearm designs helps a lot to achieve that target.

R.

Dear @edgewear:  ""  you get perfect alignment with the Stevenson geometry. This set up has the convenience to also operate SPU's without having to change the S2P distance. ...... but my SPU's have 51mm and fit the FR64 perfectly. No tracking errors....""

No tracking error? seriously? because Stevenson alignment is the worst kind of alignment due to its very high tracking error all over the LP surface but at the last 3mm. Is the worst of all kind of alignments.

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.