Rgordonpf, Doug, and others have given you advice which echoes my experiences and observations.
This is yet another case of the tool with which you best relate being the best tool for your needs.
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THE TOOL AS A TEACHER:
This concept of the tool serving as a teacher reminds me of some of the sophisticated bicycling computers - specifically the ones with a cadence sensor. After using this feature for a few weeks, you get a sense of your body's rhythms and how quickly you are turning over the pedals. You will likely not use it again.
That it gets you to that point however can serve as an invaluable teaching tool. There are features in all of the cartridge alignment tools which may end up serving this purpose for you. If you can learn from them, then you will be wiser and will better enjoy your record collection.
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THE DB SYSTEMS PROTRACTOR:
This is a tool that I cannot relate to at all - unless that is, you throw away the translucent top section, which to my experience introduces parallax.
With the DB, I don't understand how you can precisely locate the stylus over the null point when the stylus rests on a second translucent (frosted acrylic) sheet about 1/8" above the white opaque protractor. Without this additional piece, it's like every other generic protractor which is to say, fine but not as good as the mirrored protractors I favor (see below).
Now, if the small graded scale (the translucent sheet) helps you to visualize the setup better, then it serves a valuable purpose, but once you "get the point", I would file it away and never use it again (see "the tool as a teacher", above).
Carrying this argument a step further (the idea of relating to your tool), Frank Schröder uses a protractor of his own manufacture - produced on card stock - bare bones simple. No one who has inspected Frank's work would argue that the does not produce a great setup.
If the tool better helps you to visualize what you are doing, then it is a good tool.
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CARTALIGN and WALLY TOOL:
I cannot comment fully on the Cartalign device that Albert favors. I actually purchased one in 1987, and not understanding it perfectly, I returned it. This was a bonehead move on my part, as it is at a minimum, a cool tool to have around. Several years after returning it, I met someone who owned one, and we did several setups with it - very satisfactory ones. I worked with it a bit, but I'd prefer to have it in hand to comment further than what I have to say below.
The defunct Cartalign (like Wally's) is mirrored, and works similarly to Wally's, in that you need to rotate it so that an index line points from the record spindle to the bearing pivot's center.
The Wally tool allows you to verify that you've sited (rotated) the protractor correctly and the Cartalign does not to my recollection do so. When the Wally tool is correctly oriented, the stylus will perfectly trace the arc scribed on the protractor - either overhanging the arc or being collinear with it.
There is no such arc on the Cartalign, and I don't remember a means of verifying the accuracy of the orientation. I recall making a simple device for my friend - to aid in positioning the Cartalign. This consisted of a small washer with a hole drilled through it. Through this hole, I affixed a piece of nylon thread.
The idea was to slip the washer over the record spindle and stretch the thread to a position over the bearing pivot. This facilitated locating the Cartalign's alignment line so that its index line pointed from the record spindle toward the bearing's pivot. This wasn't perfect, but it helped.
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MIRRORED PROTRACTORS - TURNTABLE BASICS, TRIPLANAR, etc.
Mirrored protractors help you to site down the cantilever and correct for parallax - verifying that you are looking at the cantilever "head on". I currently use one manufactured by Ortofon in the early 1980's, but the Turntable Basics and the Triplanar protractors both have mirrored surfaces. The Wally and the Cartalign are mirrored, and because of their different usage, I discussed them above.
While Frank Schröder's trained eyes don't require a mirrored surface, I am not quite so good at verifying that I am looking at the cantilever "head on" and find the mirrored surface helps me to do so.
Tim's (Turntable Basics) protractor is - a very nice and reasonably priced tool. I recommend it to people and keep a link to Tim's website on my Support page - along with a link to Wally under the section - "Commercially Produced Tools".
My understanding is that the Triplanar setup protractor is made in the same factory as the TT Basics tool. I can't remember the exact conversation with Tri Mai about this, but I recall walking away with that conclusion.
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THE DENNESEN:
I've only briefly encountered this tool. It helps you to verify the pivot to spindle distance easily, but I find that the alignment surface is a bit difficult to use. If it were a mirrored surface, I'd put it in the category of the Wallytractor and recommend it more highly.
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THE GRAHAM ALIGNMENT TOOL (only for Graham tonearms):
I encourage Bob Graham to comment on his alignment tool. I think that it has the potential to be the best tool extant, but in its present configuration, I have found that I can effect a much more accurate setup using a traditional tool.
My suspicion however is that many individuals who may not be quite so careful will benefit from using Bob's tool.
The problem I see with it is that it is predicated on precisely setting the pivot to spindle distance of the tonearm. This is absolutely wonderful in theory, and if the Graham had a captive bearing rather than a unipivot, it would be the perfect tool.
What I've observed is that you cannot perfectly set the pivot to spindle distance due to the rocking of the arm on the bearing. This rocking skews the pivot to spindle distance and invalidates the setup - resulting in alignment errors of 1 to 1.5 mm of overhang - the best results I could achieve with it.
The solution - which would then make Bob's device the best one on the planet is to develop some sort of stabilizing collar to hold the bearing assembly perfectly rigid and parallel to the record surface. Bob's would then be the perfect tool.
If I still owned a Graham tonearm, I would do the following:
1 Use the device as described in the instruction and perform your setup.
2. Cross validate the setup with a regular protractor like the Turntable Basics.
3. If you find any discrepancy (you may be better than I am at holding the bearing in the right position), use the intentional play in the arm mounting holes in conjunction with the Turntable Basics protractor set the overhang perfectly.
After this one-time, initial setup, you can then use the Graham alignment tool - knowing that you've perfectly dialed in the pivot to spindle distance.
Bob may have some tricks to getting a perfect pivot to spindle distance which his tool is predicated on. If anyone smarter than me can comment on this, we will all be richer for it.
Cheers,
Thom @ Galibier
This is yet another case of the tool with which you best relate being the best tool for your needs.
-----
THE TOOL AS A TEACHER:
This concept of the tool serving as a teacher reminds me of some of the sophisticated bicycling computers - specifically the ones with a cadence sensor. After using this feature for a few weeks, you get a sense of your body's rhythms and how quickly you are turning over the pedals. You will likely not use it again.
That it gets you to that point however can serve as an invaluable teaching tool. There are features in all of the cartridge alignment tools which may end up serving this purpose for you. If you can learn from them, then you will be wiser and will better enjoy your record collection.
-----
THE DB SYSTEMS PROTRACTOR:
This is a tool that I cannot relate to at all - unless that is, you throw away the translucent top section, which to my experience introduces parallax.
With the DB, I don't understand how you can precisely locate the stylus over the null point when the stylus rests on a second translucent (frosted acrylic) sheet about 1/8" above the white opaque protractor. Without this additional piece, it's like every other generic protractor which is to say, fine but not as good as the mirrored protractors I favor (see below).
Now, if the small graded scale (the translucent sheet) helps you to visualize the setup better, then it serves a valuable purpose, but once you "get the point", I would file it away and never use it again (see "the tool as a teacher", above).
Carrying this argument a step further (the idea of relating to your tool), Frank Schröder uses a protractor of his own manufacture - produced on card stock - bare bones simple. No one who has inspected Frank's work would argue that the does not produce a great setup.
If the tool better helps you to visualize what you are doing, then it is a good tool.
-----
CARTALIGN and WALLY TOOL:
I cannot comment fully on the Cartalign device that Albert favors. I actually purchased one in 1987, and not understanding it perfectly, I returned it. This was a bonehead move on my part, as it is at a minimum, a cool tool to have around. Several years after returning it, I met someone who owned one, and we did several setups with it - very satisfactory ones. I worked with it a bit, but I'd prefer to have it in hand to comment further than what I have to say below.
The defunct Cartalign (like Wally's) is mirrored, and works similarly to Wally's, in that you need to rotate it so that an index line points from the record spindle to the bearing pivot's center.
The Wally tool allows you to verify that you've sited (rotated) the protractor correctly and the Cartalign does not to my recollection do so. When the Wally tool is correctly oriented, the stylus will perfectly trace the arc scribed on the protractor - either overhanging the arc or being collinear with it.
There is no such arc on the Cartalign, and I don't remember a means of verifying the accuracy of the orientation. I recall making a simple device for my friend - to aid in positioning the Cartalign. This consisted of a small washer with a hole drilled through it. Through this hole, I affixed a piece of nylon thread.
The idea was to slip the washer over the record spindle and stretch the thread to a position over the bearing pivot. This facilitated locating the Cartalign's alignment line so that its index line pointed from the record spindle toward the bearing's pivot. This wasn't perfect, but it helped.
-----
MIRRORED PROTRACTORS - TURNTABLE BASICS, TRIPLANAR, etc.
Mirrored protractors help you to site down the cantilever and correct for parallax - verifying that you are looking at the cantilever "head on". I currently use one manufactured by Ortofon in the early 1980's, but the Turntable Basics and the Triplanar protractors both have mirrored surfaces. The Wally and the Cartalign are mirrored, and because of their different usage, I discussed them above.
While Frank Schröder's trained eyes don't require a mirrored surface, I am not quite so good at verifying that I am looking at the cantilever "head on" and find the mirrored surface helps me to do so.
Tim's (Turntable Basics) protractor is - a very nice and reasonably priced tool. I recommend it to people and keep a link to Tim's website on my Support page - along with a link to Wally under the section - "Commercially Produced Tools".
My understanding is that the Triplanar setup protractor is made in the same factory as the TT Basics tool. I can't remember the exact conversation with Tri Mai about this, but I recall walking away with that conclusion.
-----
THE DENNESEN:
I've only briefly encountered this tool. It helps you to verify the pivot to spindle distance easily, but I find that the alignment surface is a bit difficult to use. If it were a mirrored surface, I'd put it in the category of the Wallytractor and recommend it more highly.
-----
THE GRAHAM ALIGNMENT TOOL (only for Graham tonearms):
I encourage Bob Graham to comment on his alignment tool. I think that it has the potential to be the best tool extant, but in its present configuration, I have found that I can effect a much more accurate setup using a traditional tool.
My suspicion however is that many individuals who may not be quite so careful will benefit from using Bob's tool.
The problem I see with it is that it is predicated on precisely setting the pivot to spindle distance of the tonearm. This is absolutely wonderful in theory, and if the Graham had a captive bearing rather than a unipivot, it would be the perfect tool.
What I've observed is that you cannot perfectly set the pivot to spindle distance due to the rocking of the arm on the bearing. This rocking skews the pivot to spindle distance and invalidates the setup - resulting in alignment errors of 1 to 1.5 mm of overhang - the best results I could achieve with it.
The solution - which would then make Bob's device the best one on the planet is to develop some sort of stabilizing collar to hold the bearing assembly perfectly rigid and parallel to the record surface. Bob's would then be the perfect tool.
If I still owned a Graham tonearm, I would do the following:
1 Use the device as described in the instruction and perform your setup.
2. Cross validate the setup with a regular protractor like the Turntable Basics.
3. If you find any discrepancy (you may be better than I am at holding the bearing in the right position), use the intentional play in the arm mounting holes in conjunction with the Turntable Basics protractor set the overhang perfectly.
After this one-time, initial setup, you can then use the Graham alignment tool - knowing that you've perfectly dialed in the pivot to spindle distance.
Bob may have some tricks to getting a perfect pivot to spindle distance which his tool is predicated on. If anyone smarter than me can comment on this, we will all be richer for it.
Cheers,
Thom @ Galibier