Rechecking Cartridge Alignment

Define "professionally".  Do you have a decent protractor, stylus force gauge, and etc, that you once used to align this cartridge?  If so, just do it again. Your work is bound to be as meticulous as anyone else's in your immediate vicinity, because you probably care more about it.  If you want to spend $500 to have your cartridge fully evaluated by Wally Tools, that's another matter.

Now, and you might want to have the stylus inspected properly via stylus microscope. Nearby dealer? They want to sell you something? Hard to trust. I send my AT MC to AT, trust them to give me trustworthy response. I tried one of the toy usb microscopes, a waste of time IMO.

Meanwhile, I re-check tracking force and anti-skate often, perhaps monthly, and before any pre-planned listening session with friends. Miniscule particles on the bearings might/can alter fine adjustments. Miniscule changes to level (rubber compression, ??? very slight changes can occur that effect anti-skate to a minor degree, but worth checking.

Alignment: I have an LP with all the lines to easily double check null points, correct means you got the screws tight enough, thus overhang would have remained correct.

Azimuth: fixed cartridges, they always reflect straight, but reassurance is a good thing

Azimuth: removable headshell, I check every time I remove/replace/change the headshell. Mirror technique, pretty easy to see any error in the reflection in the mirror..

VTA is the trickiest, especially if you change to headshell with a different cartridge height. My removable headshell arm allows easy/instant VTA adjustment, I don’t go for perfection by listening, simply arm parallel while playing, sounds great, done.

Avoiding ’wrong’ more important to me than audible perfection. The cartridge’s specified VTA, i.e. shure 15 degrees, Ortofon 20 degrees are for when the cartridge is down in the groove with tracking force applied. I have a transparent protractor with degree lines scratched longer to see ’better’, but I find parallel arm is always close to my best protractor ’guess it’s right’.

I believe any/every one who is involved with LP should acquire the inexpensive tools and skills to mount/align cartridges themselves.

Stylus Life is subject to many factors, and ....

Here's a response in a Ortofon Stylus Life Discussion:

Dear @dsockel  : Some gentlemans makes each " new " set up  around 3-4 months other every 6 months or one year, there is no rule about.

In your case, just do it.  There are not perfect tonearms and the cartridge suspension goes in deterioration over time as the stylus tip, only to name why you need that " new " set up.

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,

R.

Just put the VPI tool on and check the stylus against the grid.  If it lines up you are good to go.  For azimuth I just eyeball it and adjust accordingly.

I have the dual pivot so that helps.

Let's all keep in mind that alignment is futile unless the zenith angle (the relationship between the stylus and the cantilever, viewed from above) is such that the stylus is perfectly square to the long axis of the cantilever.  If not, you are deluding yourself if you think you've got it exactly right.  Once I was made aware of this source of error, I started examining my cartridges under a microscope.  Very few are perfectly squared or even look to be squared.  Namiki and Ogura (and whoever is the 3rd source in the world) tolerate an error of +/-5 degrees in cantilever/styli they sell to cartridge makers or re-tippers. I can only hope that the big time makers of expensive MCs are hand selecting assemblies that are perfect or nearly so.