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The best phono cartridge alignment tool

The best phono cartridge alignment tool.  Can anyone recommend a phono cartridge alignment tool that:

- Has both horizontal and vertical (azimuth) alignment

-  isn't that complex to use

-  is under $300?

Some of the phone cartridges I'm interested aren't available in my area so professional set-up is not an option.  If I'm going to spend $2K to $4K on a cartidge I really need to make sure I nail the installation.  thanks.

 

russellrcncom

Showing 2 responses by cleeds

cleeds
6,227 posts
 
wlutke

 

Here’s a tip for finding the pivot on a Rega and some other arms when using the Feickert. With the arm on the lift I place a 3/8” square of sticky note with a dot in the center over the pivot. With the Feickert pointer over the dot, I’ll swing the arm towards the spindle. If the dot moves from under the pointer, I missed.

That's a great trick! With some arms, it is difficult to locate the exact pivot point - this solves it!

cleeds
6,227 posts
 

I have plenty of alignment tools, going all the way back to the original Dennesen, which was excellent. Of them all, my favorite is the original Wallytractor. These were made specific to each arm, unlike their current universal model. What's great about the Wallytractor and others such as the Mint is the mirrored gauge. That allows you to align the cantilever itself and once you've done that, it's difficult to accept any other approach to alignment.

But - that little cardboard gauge that SME ships with its arms such as the SME V? Genius! It can get alignment very, very close. But like all unmirrored gauges, it makes assumptions about your cartridge.

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