Uni-Protractor Set tonearm alignment

Works easier than it looks...

UNI-Protractor

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It is not enough for the discriminated Audiophile to get the tiny point for adjustment, it is - much - more perfect when the alignment is based on Cartridge cantilever position, too. You can hear the difference.

Cantilever Adjustment

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I actually spent some more time and effort in using Grahams's geometry and it does indeed sound better and more musical to my ears

Spot on. Exactly that's the reason why Graham owners can listen to the most demanding records without any distortions in the last 2 tracks. The second Nullpoint is not in the middle of a record, it is later calculated. Of course, when the main listening to records is with those after 1985 with narrow grooves and Limiters in the Mastering/cutting process it don't matter so much. But when listening to the full swing records from the Golden Age of Vinyl...
Bob Graham is a good example for doing it right.

Interesting Feature

Overhang Adjustment

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.....it is quite important to focus the attention on the last 1/3rd of the groove.
There is good evident reason for this: most climax in symphonic music is towards the last minutes of a movement and thus most likely situated towards the inner label. Very vulnerable to distortion and miss-tracking ...

That's what's all about...in the last 10 years I had so many discussions from owners who had problems with distortions, sharp "S" vocals in voices and some of them found their peace with Arms which have huge deficits in the reproduction of the full swing. I never had that, I never thought about that because I always had the right adjustments. Much later when I thought about "these" problems & listening to originals from the 50's+60's AND reading a lot of information how they were recorded, mastered, I knew, there are the differences. We also have differences in Tonearm Geometry, most Buyers think, when they pay for it, they get a perfect calculated and designed product. Some are really great and some are different in Performance from day to day. Anyway, it was necessary to think about a product which serves well for a majority of Audiophiles who are really interested in a better analog performance. Independent from price, a good alignment is also mandatory for a Rega RB250 as well as for Davinci user, when he wants to listen to old records which ARE the Golden Age of Analog. Listening to 80gr Records from 1995 won't show big differences, but when going back with the proper alignment and you will listen to LSC-Pines of Rome, you will hear what's the differences in Tonearm Design. It is a time jump into a recording session made lots of years ago. This is probably a better investment than swapping cartridges, which won't show us anything new (at the end of day).
More important is, we spend our time after working to "listen". Maybe one or the other will listen to his records and they will "tell" him something completely new...

Good sound (or analog Performance) is sometimes based on a very simple Principle: Knowledge about >>what is responsible for what<< and Precision.

Dear Geoch,

back to the roots:

Here you see a record with a last track
cut absolutely to the limit

here is a very modern LP with much more space & a lot of tracks
different cut, different cutting machines

You see, an Alignment with a Nullpoint which is at the beginning of the record and another one in the middle can't be the best one for the first record....
and here is also the reason for different Geometries in Arm Design.

Listen with ...

IMO Raul's green eyed monster and old habits returned just after you indicated your tonearm will go into production June 2011 :>)

I am waiting for Raul's breakthrough in Tonearm Design. For 3 years now...
But it should be crosschecked with a good Phonostage, a design which can handle the 0.2mV without distortions.

Well if Raul's tonearm works out as well as the phonolinepreamp, we can call it Edsel

Probably it needs some extra steps

Enjoy the music

I, for one, wouldn't mind hearing more if people had information, anecdotes, or theories.

Hm, this is a brave idea. But it is like a walk through the Darkness without a light. Comparable with saying the word Jehova , "Prophet" or- God beware - "The Earth is round".....

The Audiophile community should be lucky to have such brave minds who do not refuse to go ahead.

Like Oscar Wilde once said:

"Be yourself; everyone else is already taken"

Or like Syntax:

There are only 2 ways of sound reproduction.
Good and none.

Raul,
When I changed to the 231.5mm spindle to pivot dimension and 14.5mm overhang, I changed the off-set angle to compensate correctly at the null points.
Halcro

Well, I wrote in in the FR Thread - which was deleted - to someone who wrote about 65x about "distortions".
Based on some hyper prosecutions about distortions (you-know-from-whom) with Fr-64s+Dennesen+231,5mm P-to S I used my Graham Phantom II, which has an alignment System from B. Graham to adjust the cartridge precisely to a point (which one) and the alignment from cantilever is also possible.
The result was identical. Spot on.
For those who live in a rubber cell it is probably not easy to understand, but it is boring and a waste of time to repeat it over and o

Ready to Go for Mercury Living Presence

2) I simply did this to put a stop to the months of questioning. The exercise took me all of 10mins to do (given a pre-existing spreadsheet), far less time than has been spent on questioning whether the numbers come out this way....

Kudos T_Bone

We are confident however, that we can keep the price tag of the 2nd production run where it is now.

don't forget, this is a price without the usual Importer and Dealer mark ups. When selling it that way, most of you know what area will be reached. This is unfortunately one of the main problems in High end audio. When done right (expensive but superior parts) it is out of reach for most discriminated Audiophiles. When forced to cut costs, it can be made in cheap plastic. With black glossy finish.
In a way it was done wrong. Starting with cheap plastic for 700 and giving a nice rebate...
Btw. can I have mine with a 24k Gold frame?

I made a few comparisons with a very close to perfect Alignment and a perfect Alignment.

When we multiply a regular Tonearm by Factor 100, the Arm is about 27.34yd (25m) in Length, the Cartridge System is about 1.09 yd (1m) in Hight with a Length of the cantilever in the area of 0.55 yd (0.5m) and finally the Diamond specs:
Its contact area is only 0.020 in. (0,5mm) !
Same is for the Mass in comparison.
A simple example to show what analog reproduction really is ...

Of course, all of you know that it is important to be spot on, but what is the difference in real life?
Well, I used a RCA LSC 2313 for it, a nice record from the golden Age ( no compression, no correction in the mix...) a record from the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.
Track side 2, La Gioconda: Dance of the hours
(I am sure, some of you own it, was remastered from Classic Records, really good job)

The very close to perfect alignment

I didn't made it totally wrong (that everyone will say."Of course, this is so wrong, it has to sound awful..."
Just a few hairs next to it....

Honestly, I think, most have this Situation. Not because you can't do it better, the problem is in general the limited view below cartridge Body, or "the last move" before fixing the screws....
It is not so bad in listening, when you can't compare it with the following alignment, I bet everything I own, nobody will notice it.
It is NOT distorted, it is NOT smeared, it is NOT horrible...
It is ok, the can't count the rows in the orchestra, but you know what is going on there. You don't "see" the distances from one musician to the next when they play, but you hear different instruments.
I think, you know what I mean.

Now to the perfect alignment

I can hear from the first second a different kind of Soundstage. It is deeper, no limit and it is in a way that the Listener is more or less in a position from one of the recording microphone above the orchestra.
Next, the musical flow is different. There are much more tiny nuances. These tiny nuances (or micro detail) is an addition to the main information, but this different.
You see the rows in the orchestra (from above), you have an imagination from the musicians to each other. The tones of their instruments have a time shift. It is more like a holographic "Picture".

This is not depending on the price of a cartridge. It simply shows that everyone can get more from his Set up when he is able to do it right.
And it is possible to rare a cartridge, because these differences from identical cartridge are comparable to sell and buy something new (".. I had this, have that now and it is MUCH better": This can be pure luck, probably the new one was adjusted a bit better by accident...)

There are some differences from the Recordings of course, this Set up is made for those which have the full dynamic swing in the last 3 tracks (where other Arms will produce a lot of distortions when not done right)

Btw. these pics were made with a FR-64s, a separate distance from Point to Spindle (231,5mm) with a Dennesen Protraktor (very rare, very good)
Later I made a controlling with a Phantom II and the own Graham alignment

Graham Phantom II

Here you see the reason why it is possible to listen with the Graham Arms the most demanding records without a compression, distortion or something similar, it is a serious product. Good Geometry & proper calculated.

I hope, these few lines will help the one or the other to understand, analog reproduction is mechanical and some care will give you a better result without spending a fortune.

Happy Listening

Hi,
these pictures are only an example. I did choose the Dennesen with that "hole" to show, that being not spot on will have sonic differences. That's all.
Me a marketing manager? I am afraid, I have a different profession.
Can't hear a difference with the shown set up?
Well, when you can't or think, there are none, it's time for an upgrade.
I made these pics because I heard the differences.
And I made this thread NOT to support the UNIprotraktor, I made it to show every reader, that even close to the right point (or line or whatever) can have good sonic results, but it can be done better.
The UNIprotraktor will go its own way.