Ortofon A90 or Air Tight PC-1

The A90 was, without a doubt, setup incorrectly.

It's no secret that the Replicant 100 is an extremely demanding stylus profile in terms of setup. Those who are willing to spend a little time and patience, especially with the SRA, will be rewarded.

It also has not been excluded from the review, so please do not manipulate the facts. The review will appear in issue 208 (as was mentioned as the second half of the sentence - the part that you chose not to quote).

Louis/Ortofon

I don't think it's a stretch at all to suggest that a review sample was not set up to its fullest capability, when considering the known history of the Replicant 100 diamond. I also don't think it was a faulty cartridge, as the text of the review pre-print indicated what we felt were textbook SRA issues.

This is certainly not the first time this has happened - we have heard other reports of the very same performance with former models of cartridge like the MC-5000, Ortofon's flagship model back in the day of extreme-low-output cartridges. The consensus was identical - the alignment, particularly stylus rake angle, was crucial to getting the Replicant diamond to track to its fullest potential.

Ortofon is not faulting anybody at TAS for this. When your cartridge is the subject of multiple setup instructional articles in other high end publications, it is plainly evident that the cartridge requires a precise alignment job that goes beyond the average setup.

Louis/Ortofon

The A90 has been the subject of multiple articles by Michael Fremer which explain just how critical the SRA/VTA is during setup. These articles go as far as to explain these advanced setup techniques and advocate the use of a USB digital microscope among other things. Of course one could still do all of the setup by ear, but the goal of using such instruments is to dramatically shorten the amount of time that it will take to achieve perfect alignment and SRA.

And as far as the notion that one should experience the cartridge before buying - I wholeheartedly agree. For anybody who will be attending Rocky Mountain Audio Fest this year, there will be ample opportunity for interested listeners to experience the A90.

Louis/Ortofon

@ Downunder,

Sorry to hear that you're dissatisfied with my suggestions to help set up your cartridge. I'm also sorry to hear that you're not willing to read up on the numerous articles that provide advanced insight into SRA optimization for all cartridges (not just the A90). If you are uncomfortable with the information being discussed here, then it might be worth it to inquire to your local Ortofon distributor about hiring a professional with test equipment to do it for you.

For the rest of the interested parties who DO wish to investigate the topic further, I would suggest checking the Analog Corner article from Stereophile Sept 2009 and June 2010 issues. They give some very excellent information on how one can use an inexpensive digital microscope to get a side-shot of the diamond and then to adjust the VTA so that the contact area can be aligned properly. The techniques discussed for SRA aren't rocket science - they can be performed in a matter of minutes once the USB microscope is set up and focused. It's even a possibility that you might find someone at your local audio society who is willing to let you borrow one.

Of course, one may also do this by ear, but as expected it does require tenacity.

Even though Ortofon recommends that you get the SRA to a value that sounds best with the majority of your records, rather than adjusting for each one, I don't see why one couldn't spend some time with a digital microscope and record the corresponding VTA settings for a 160gm pressing versus a 220gm (or the values in between, perhaps).

Since I'm rarely on these forums (as much as I love to chat about cartridges), anyone who has additional questions may contact me directly - ldorio@ortofon.us is my email address.

Louis/Ortofon

@Dougdeacon, agreed, although you'd be pretty close if the record was mastered according to IEC standards.

@ Dertonarm

Very interesting information, indeed. Thanks!