HiFi News Test Record Azimuth

First of all adjust the azimuth visually (without test record). 

If you are going to adjust azimuth "visually" (Chakster), then you really ought not to have a tonearm with azimuth adjustment capability, because in most tonearms, the default position of the headshell will already give you 90 degrees of azimuth... 

-On many tonearms without azimuth adjustment detachable headshell can be rotated a a bit in tonearm's bayonet. Correction always needed. 

-There are also headshells with azimuth adjustment. 

-There are also tonearms like Reed 3p with azimuth on the fly. 

But I adjust visually anyway (looking at the cartridge body and cantilever), I have the same Hi-Fi News Test LP.

  

Audiophiles can suffer, because only Flat Profile from the lead-in groove to the run-out groove can guarantee there is no pitch to the profile, allowing your stylus to play truly perpendicular to the grooves from edge to center.

For better understanding we have to cut the vinyl in two pieces in the middle and look at the profile thickness, conventional vinyl record profile is thicker under the label area and thinner on the edge. In this situation (if you don’t have azimuth adjustment) you stylus is is not perpendicular to the record surface, because the thickness of the record is different from lean-in groove to run-out groove.

Conventional records does not have a flat profile like those flat profile pressing of the early Blue Note from the ’50s for example. If you cut such record in the middle you will see the profile is absolutely flat (same thickness everywhere).

Who else nowadays can press a flat profile and UHQR except for the Quality Record Pressings and Anlogue Productions?

Probably most of us have been listening to our records with cartridge azimuth slightly off, did you noticed that by ears? Or does it change anything in your enjoyment with vinyl over the last 20-40 years?

@cleeds No, I think you didn’t get the point. It’s not about platter, mat or clamp or ring weight that anyone can use. It’s about vinyl record profile (you can’t change it), the so called “flat profile” is new feature of Analogue Productions and they explained very well what it is. The reference is Blue Note flat profile vinyl pressing from the ‘50s.

Here is Chad about the history of FLAT PROFILE pressing (at 2:11 in this video). There is a JVC brochure with an example of their FLAT FACE and flat edge UHQR and conventional pressing @cleeds