So I bought a WallyScope...


It's a very nice microscope and the software that comes with it, while I assume off-the-shelf, is excellent.

But here's the thing. At the end of the day, you are still basically eyeballing your VTA setup, and the instructions for the WallyScope have you do two separate observations to reach your conclusion. The first is the angle by which your stylus hangs off the cantilever, and the second is the angle of the cantilever versus the record surface.

I understand why this is done. It's so that you can measure with the record moving to get the dynamic rake angle instead of static, so that's one error that the method corrects for. But at the cost of introducing the compounding observational errors by taking two measurements and then combining them to calculate your angle.

I was very patient with this process. I spent many hours over several days. I even dismounted the scope from its frame because I found a better way to line it up for taking measurements. 

 

And after all of that, I adjusted VTA by listening. Which achieved better sound. This came to me as a revelation, although it shouldn't have.

I don't regret the purchase, but it's a lesson that we can and should trust our ears.

Ag insider logo xs@2xwoofhaven1992

Showing 1 response by joenies

Greetings,

@pindac Thanks for the tip on using a new deck of cards for tonearm leveling. Works great for getting the arm level. This gives you a great starting point.

When I purchase a new cartridge I’ll send it to WAM to get it analyzed. It will be a great starting point. Sometimes it’s hard to trust your own ears but we need to.

 I’m very happy with the tools I have purchased thru WAM. Have not purchased the Wally Scope. It can be very hard to look at a magnified image without a super stable structure for the scope.

Joe Nies