How long does it take you to install a cartridge?

I t can take me several hours, especially to get the azimuth dialed in.

5min if I need it fast, 10min with great accuracy. Have several cartridges I use and swap them once in a while.

It takes me one to four hours. I read somewhere that you are an audiophile if you feel tweaking your turntable would be great way to spent an evening.

Cheers,

My experience is about the same as Onhwy61's. Perhaps a bit longer when trying a new arm or alignment jig. I use the MINT LP arc-type protractor. Then it may take quite a while after that to fine tune and readjust cartridge loading and gain on the phono amp.

My SME V-12 arm may be quicker to set up because the sled for adjusting overhang is very easy and precise. There is also no azimuth adjustability which saves time.

Love the statement, "You can spend the rest of your life refining the setup."

With a familiar cartridge on my own rig, 30-45 minutes is typical for a reasonable setup. After that I tweak while listening... a never-ending process, as Onhwy61 noted.

That's after 10 years of working with multiple tonearms and dozens of cartridges. It used to take days and several gallons of sweat, lol.

I use just three tools: a small screwdriver, an alignment protractor and a VTF scale. Like many, I've got all kinds of gizmos but I now find they add little if any value to the process or the result.