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Tracking error distortion audibility

I recently unpacked my turntable from a couple of years of storage. It still sounds very good. Several times during playback of the first few albums I literally jumped from my chair to see which track was playing as it sounded so great. After a while I realized the "great" sound was always at one of the "null" points. They seem to occur at the approximately the proper place (about 125mm from spindle) and near the lead out groove. Questions:
Is this common? I have improved the resolution of my system since the table's been in storage but I don't remember hearing this before.
All others geometric sources of alignment error not defined by the null points (VTA, azimuth etc.) are essentially constant through out the arc correct? If so they should cancel out. I assume the remedy is a linear tracking arm but I am surprised at how obviously better the sound is at these two points.
Table - AR ES-1, Arm - Sumiko MMT, Cart. - Benz Glider, Pre - Audible Illusions, Speakers - Innersound electrostatic hybrid
Do linear arms really sound as good across the whole record as I hear at only the nulls with my set-up?
feathed

Showing 1 response by bpwalsh

bpwalsh
1,197 posts
 
Using a good protractor is essential for proper setup. John Elison has created a superb spreadsheet to aid setup, available online in a couple of places such as Enjoy the Music (bottom of page).

Among the tools I use is a Feickert protractor for setting overhang and horizontal alignment, as a starting point. This is followed by the Feickert computer software to optimize the alignment for best performance in situ. People have used oscilloscopes for similar analysis; the Feickert program was expressly written for the purpose and gives clear visual indication of performance, enabling fine tuning of parameters such as azimuth and damping. Due to manufacturing tolerances the stylus may not be perfectly aligned in the cantilever, but this is no longer an obstacle since the software removes the guesswork.

Dealer disclaimer.
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