Spacers for Rega P3

The mid sounds much better now. Could 2 mm have such an effect ?

Apparently! Why doubt the evidence of your own ears?

Technically, if you think of it from the perspective of microscopic stylus riding inside a microscopic groove, an arm change of 2mm is pretty massive.

Doug,

The result of your card test is 2mm.
The mid sounds much better now. Could 2 mm have such an effect ?
I'll order a 2mm spacer.

Thanks for the Thorough reply.
Will do as you suggested.

By the way, How tight should screws 1 & 2 in this picture be closed.
http://picasaweb.google.com/100352153551466589742/UntitledAlbum#5500866265439975474
I recently installed the Isokinetic cardas rewire kit (excellent upgrade) and had to mess with them. I ended up closing them in a way that allows me to adjust counter weight but use a bit of force in order to do it. I mean...is there a torque figure for that ?

Loosen your arm's lock nut and slide some playing cards beneath the arm base, one at a time, until you get the height you want. Then measure the thickness of the cards. (If you have a feeler gauge, use that instead of cards of course.)

As for what height to choose, we can't tell you even after learning the model of your cartridge because there are too many variables (record thickness, mat thickness, cartridge suspension wear, etc.). What matters is how the music sounds at various arm heights, and no one can tell that but you.

The VTAF mentioned by Sounds_real_audio would give you flexibility to adjust for different LP's, or different cartridges for that matter.

OTOH, if you just want a set-and-forget height, choose a typical thickness LP and make the armtube level. That's close enough for those not inclined to tweak for optimum sonics.

Doug

P.S. Whatever height you end up at, don't forget to recheck your tracking force. Changing arm height on a Rega alters the VTF slightly.

I found it !
I have the "Nottingham Analogue Tracer 1".
The first one on this list:
http://www.vinylengine.com/cartridge_database.php?m=Nottingham+Analogue&t=any&mod=&sort=1&Search=Search&sty=&ovlo=&ovhi=&can=&dclo=&dchi=&stid=&masslo=&masshi=¬=&prlo=&prhi=
Now can anyone tell me the spacer I need ?

Rega recently introduced an adjustable spacer, but it's only for their 3 point mount tonearms. The current P3 has such an arm, but some older models use a single large nut to secure the arm and this spacer will not work with them. The adjustable spacer sells for $29 in the US.

The photo of my cartridge again:
http://picasaweb.google.com/100352153551466589742/UntitledAlbum#5500335753236383426

I'm not sure what type of cartridge I have but it is not the original Rega. It seems taller.
Can anyone identify it (Nottingham ?)and figure out the height of spacer needed ?
http://picasaweb.google.com/100352153551466589742/UntitledAlbum#5500335753236383426

Pete Riggles makes a really nice VTA adjustment for your arm/table. Might be a good choice. Check him out at vtaf.com

With my Rega P3-24/Exact 2 combination (Rega cartridge with Rega arm) .....NO SPACERS REQUIRED ! My dealer advises that spacers will be needed if I switch to a "taller" cartridge (Benz, Dynavector, etc.)

Are you using a Rega cartridge? If so, then you should not need a spacer. Any other brand of cartridge would likely require 2mm or more.

2mm usually works