Mint lp best tractor for VPI Classic


Does anyone in the SF Bay Area have a Mint best tractor for a VPI Classic 1 that I can borrow/rent/buy from?  


baaach

Showing 5 responses by folkfreak

To quote @wlutke "I then dial in azimuth by ear". Even after using a fozgometer final adjustment should be done by ear using a method such as this

ps Joel also notes the limits in setting azimuth via a meter given that approach only optimizes for one kHz and that may not be the most musically satisfying result for a broader frequency range
@wlutke does 1 mm make a difference? You bet your socks it does. If IRC the alignment tool I use (an Acoustical Systems uniprotractor) assumes .1mm or less as the goal in setup (admittedly tricky to achieve in practice)

a read of the manual for this setup tool is quite illuminating for its discussion of the desired accuracy


@wlutke cleeds is referring to the cantilever (roughly) The definition of VTA is actually the angle between a line drawn between the stylus tip and suspension point and a horizontal line of the record

See here for a nice discussion of this and a very worthwhile tool for setting this parameter.
https://www.arche-headshell.de/app/download/22879136/SMARTstylus_DIN_A7_aktuell.pdf

Most manufacturers design their carts to subtend the correct VTA when parallel to the record but it is worth measuring

i used to be in the 92 degrees SRA camp but frankly measuring this is too prone to error and a direct view on VTA using a tool like the SmartStylus is much more practical
@jjss49 my comment related to P2S. Being off by 1mm you are basically guaranteeing you will never get the alignment the tonearm manufacturer intended. There is no excuse for such a large mounting error especially as there should be adjustability in any tonearm mounting to get it just right and the manufacturer should provide a jig that demands this level of accuracy (such as a pre drilled metal jig)

having correctly mounted the tonearm there is then the secondary problem with some multipurpose alignment tools such as the AS Uni that demands you measure P2S in using the tool. AS specify .05mm accuracy for this measurement in their current version of this tool https://www.arche-headshell.de/alignment-tools/smartractor/

net net net there is no substitute for being as precise as possible, sorry
@wlutke how funny! Also in the same reference @cleeds linked to the picture showing a measurement of VTA is weird - 27degrees would be way off for VTA in anyone’s book ...

luckily for me it's quite easy to see the pivot point for my cartridge as the coils are exposed http://www.rutherfordaudio.com/shop/media/catalog/product/cache/3/image/1200x1200/9df78eab33525d08d6...