Mint LP a no go – now what?

Jazzgene,
Can you say more about what you liked better after the setup with the Uni-Pro? Is it the pricey protractor I've seen some discussions about on A-gon? After realigning my Delos with the VPI jig, I'm inclined to say I might be liking the VPI jig over the Mint as well, but the differences are perhaps less pronounced than one might expect. Thanks.

It's very interesting, Mac. I had mine set up with the Mint and was happy with it, but when I got one of Diana Krall's albums, I was getting distortion on the last two songs on one side. I then decided to try the VPI jig to see whether it would make any difference. I actually did notice less distortion even though it had obviously more to do with the recording than the cart set-up since it was only on one side. To the point, the zenith (I think it's the right term) was spot on, but the overhang differed by about half a millimeter from the set-up with the Mint.

Holly cow! A thread resurrected after two years! Does the OP even care at this point? If he/she does, I have a Classic and used both the Mint and the VPI jig to set up the cartridge and honestly would not worry too much about not being able to have a Mint for the set-up. The Mint is designed to decrease the distortion between the null points (across the record) while the VPI jig to decease it in the last 1/3 of the record, according to Mike at VPI. I indeed verified it with a few records and currently have the VPI jig set-up and enjoy the sound tremendously. I don't think it's something worth losing sleep over.

Obviously, there are several different alignment philosophies, and if anything can be agreed upon on this topic, it's probably that there isn't just one, ultimate, "right" way to align your cartridge.

Those who contend the VPI jig is "inaccurate" tell me nothing what that really means. Inaccurate as opposed to what? Another alignment approach? Those who use linear tonearms will tell you that all pivoted arms are essentially a poor man's way to listen to records. Those who say that they realigned their carts with the Mint and the difference is "night and day" tell me that they personally prefer the sound resulting from the new alignment significantly, and nothing more. Why would anyone accept this as the US Supreme Court's verdict in the case of Mint LP vs. VPI Jig is a mystery to me.

I had my Lyra Delos cart aligned with three different protractors, including the Mint, and they all rendered a terrific sound, but I ultimately prefer the VPI jig. Every time I listen to music, I'm mesmerized but just how good the sound is from my Classic. Is anyone going to try to tell me that it's not possible because the VPI jig is inaccurate?

So by all means, everyone should try different alignments to see what gives them the best sound, for them. After spending thousands of dollars on the analog front to get the best sound you can get from the money you spent, it's simply common sense. But dismissing the VPI jig as inaccurate and deficient from the get-go is just stupid to me. And if you can't see the grid on that jig, how on earth are you going to align your cartridge with the Mint?