Do I need an overhang gauge, in addition to a protractor to position cartridge correctly?

Dear @millercarbon : """  Records are by far the best gateway drug into the world of high end audio. More and more people are turning to records because they hear the difference.  """

From some time now I disagree with you. I can't deny that the LP analog alternative sounds really good, I own over 6K LPs. Very nice alternative to enjoy MUSIC.

Now, analog basic rig items has and have not any true/real technology improvements in the last 20+ years.
We all today are using the same kind of cartridges ( LOMC, MM, MI, etc. etc. ) that works exactly with the same principles in the design as when were invented: perhaps a little better stylus shapes and that's all, nothing really new.
Tonearms ( pivot ones. ) are even worst in new " technology " because exist some vintage tonearms that outperforms the best today tonearm designs and the same we can say about TTs.

No real/true improvements down there and even that sounds really good, very good experiences with. No doubt about.

In the other side and from some time now digital alternative had and still has ( almost every single day. ) true/real technology improvements that today permits this digital alternative outperforms the best analog/LP one no matters what ( everything the same conditions. ).

LP has 3 Achilles heel : RIAA eq., low output cartridges signal level and average quality sound levels at both frequency range extremes.

There are other analog disadvantages against the digital alternative.

I like to have my foots in a solid floor and not lie to my self.

In both mediums we can ejoy MUSIC.

R.

Dear @millercarbon: ""  Mine is to help guys get set up and enjoying music. Not navel gazing and worrying and spending more on mounting the cartridge than on the cartridge itself. ......... Why not, instead of making it harder and harder, ...""

You can enjoy MUSIC with high or lower distortions, it's up to you. The main cartridge/tonearm set up parameter as the overhang we need to do it only one time till we change to other cartridge or other tonearm.

I posted here:

"  An accurated/precise cartridge/tonearm alignment is a must to have to mantain at minimum the tracking error and tracking distortions levels along the LP recorded surface during playback. "

that means lower distortion levels. If you can detect it or not that kind of distortions is another matters but for me first than all it's a must to do one time what I posted.

Where can you see that " harder and harder " when you do the job only one time?

R.

Dear @bilwojo :  ""  Cartridge must be aligned straight in the headshel  .."""

well, in reality what needs to be straigth aligned with the lines in the protractor is the cantilever it self not the cartridge.

R.

Dear @yogiboy  : Everything of the basic parameters in the cartridge/tonearm/TT set up is important to do it.

Any pivoted tonearm design has a tracking error due that can track/move it tangentially during play back, it's inherent to any pivot normal tonearm designs.

That that gentleman can't detect a different kind of sound in between those 3 cartridge headshell positions he mentioned does not means no one can detect it and does not means he is rigth because he is way wrong no matters what.

An accurated/precise cartridge/tonearm alignment is a must to have to mantain at minimum the tracking error and tracking distortions levels along the LP recorded surface during playback.
For detect overhang set up mistakes we need some kind of characteristics: very good to high room/system resolution, very good experienced " ears ", a " bullet proof " evaluation/comparison system overall process where we use always the same LP tracks ( several LP's. ).

I know I can detect an overhang set up mistake because I learned years ago just by accident: I mounted a cartridge 2-3mm additionals to the correct overhang and in my first listening LP's with that failure in the overhang set up I like what I was hearing till I took in count that something was wrong down there because even that the high frequency range was really good the other two frequency ranges were not.
So I check the set up and noted my error then fixed and problem solved.

@cleeds  yes, we can detect it through the high frequency range but we have to have really very good training about.

I agree with that gentleman that our electronics or speakers or room develops higher distortion levels than the overhang levels but that does not means we can't detect it.

Now, could be that some peoplecan like what they are listening the more with overhang error that with the rigth overhang set up but this is another kind of matters.

R.

Dear @peterhaze476 : No, you only need the protractor, no need an overhang device.


Btw, @cleeds  :

""  Overhang is the distance between pivot and spindle, plus the amount that the stylus point actually "overhangs" beyond the spindle .."""

not exactly as you stated. Overhang is the distance between the center of the TT spindle and the stylus tip settle by the protractor. It's that small distance in between.

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.