VPI Classic and ZYX 4D

Stephanoo,

There's no answer to whether it's "better" to have the c/w closer to or farther from the pivot. Each arm/cartridge combination is unique in this respect.

Fortunately any differences from this will be VERY minimal so don't fret about it. Instead, use the following procedure, which will:
a) solve your problem,
b) give you maximum VTF flexibility, and
c) be mechanically and sonically superior.

1. Start with the fine VTF screw all the way IN. It's clearly advantageous to have this screw engaged by as many threads as possible to reduce vibration. You don't want it all the way out, wobbling.

2. With the screw all the way in, set your main c/w so that VTF measures at the UPPER end of the range you think your cartridge prefers. If you think 1.95g is right, set the main c/w so that VTF is slightly higher, like 1.98 or 2.00.

3. Now you can back the screw out *slightly* to get the VTF you want.

Doug

P.S. I agree with using longer/heavier screws and maybe additional nuts, provided you can get them TIGHT. This will increase effective mass, which should benefit this cartridge on this arm.

P.P.S. I've weighed Atmos's with the SB weight. Individual samples vary but 7.95g is typical. The SB-equipped Airy models (Airy 2, Airy 3, UNIverse) weigh about 1g more.

P.P.P.S. As John said, his 4D is outperforming his UNIverse because it has the copper coils, whereas his UNIverse had silver coils. I've had all of these cartridges in my system. A copper coil UNIverse plays rings around a silver coil one, including in the areas of resolution and extension. If he compared his copper coil 4D to a copper coil UNIverse he'd hear something very different.

How is it possible that a Silver copper coil of a Universe could sound worse than a 4D?

Silver has a much higher molecular weight than copper. Higher mass coils make ANY moving coil cartridge sound undynamic, slow, sluggish, less lively. High mass coils defeat the whole purpose of the MC design.

That would lead me to think that the 4D might be a better cartridge.

A copper coil 4D is a better cartridge than a silver coil UNIverse, but so what? A VW on great tires will beat a Porsche on flat tires around Sebring. That doesn't make VW the better race car.

VTF
No one can tell you the ideal tracking force for your 4D, because each 4D will be different. This is true of all high end cartridges. You must learn to listen and adjust by what you hear.

I can tell you what to listen for. Too light and bass weakens, then you get mistracking. Too heavy and the music loses pace and snap, it sounds sleepy or slow. Find the sweet zone in between.

That zone will change as the cartridge ages, so what's right today will not be right next year. What's right on one 4D will not be right on the next 4D.

ANTI-SKATING
It won't hurt to try antiskating. A new cartridge probably needs some, I never told you or anyone that it wouldn't. All I said is that SOME cartridges need less as they age, and a few eventually need none. But again, each cartride will be a little different. You can measure this with instruments or by listening. What you can't do is take my advice or anyone's advice as gospel, choose some number or amount and forget about it. Vinyl replay is not like that, at least not with this level of gear.

VTA (actually SRA)
I get best results with ZYX's very close to level. If you've aligned with a Mint then VTA/SRA may be less critical. We adjust for every LP, but most people don't want that much bother.

Stephanoo,

If balancing your cartridge on this tonearm is easier without the screw, there's still an easy way to fine-tune VTF WITHOUT moving the counterweight (which is very touchy and affects azimuth, as you know).

Get some O-rings sized to fit snug on the end stub. Slide 1 or more on behind the counterweight. This will make very small reductions to VTF but you can leave the counterweight alone.

You're making great progress,
Doug

This thread has gone off the rails...

1. As Myles Astor pointed out, fine tuning a cartridge when it has only 20-25 hours on it is a waste of time. Mark was wrong that all ZYX's need 100's of hours to break in (the UNIverse needs only 50 or less to behave normally), but 25 is certainly not enough. Stop fussing and listen to music for 100 hours or so.

2. Stephanoo and some others on this thread are MIS-USING the four anti-bias tracks on the HFN&RR test record. These tracks are not "tests" that must be "passed". If you set a cartridge to "pass" a higher db track than it wants to, you will end up with excessive VTF, excessive anti-skate or both.

This is a common misunderstanding among newbies, because the instructions with that record are poorly written.

These tracks were DESIGNED to make your cartridge mistrack. The only reason there are four tracks of differing amplitudes is that different cartridges track differently.

The idea is to pick the ONE track that BARELY causes YOUR cartridge to mistrack under normal VTF. Then adjust anti-skating until the mistracking is equal in both channels. DO NOT try to eliminate the mistracking and especially DO NOT try to "pass" higher amplitude tracks. That is a mis-use of the record.

Frankly, I find those tracks and the whole HFN&RR record worthless. I've set up 50 cartridges in the last 5 years, on my table and others, without using or needing it. Throw it away. Learn to adjust by listening to music. That's what you bought the cartridge for, that's how you should adjust it.

/rant

You're welcome, Stephanoo, though of course the proper interpretation of those tracks is not just my opinion. This has been discussed on vinyl forums for many, many years. Search the archives if you like, it's all there.

Reflect: it doesn't make sense to use those tracks as "tests" to be "passed". Real music is not cut at those amplitudes and velocities, so why apply so much VTF and anti-skating to track unrealistic grooves? Logic tells us this will result in excessive forces being applied to your cartridge.

You already verified this. The 4D performs best at ~2g and with minimal A/S, not at ~2.5g and with more A/S. You didn't describe how the music sounded at those higher settings but I can: dull, slow, lifeless, fat, no "snap", no pace, no air. Sturdy but stodgy, like yesterday's coffee. Am I right?

So, FOR THIS CARTRIDGE, tracking the 14db band (or higher) is irrelevant. Of course if you were using a super compliant Shure cartridge, the 16 or 18db band would be relevant and the 12 db band would not. If you must use this record to set antiskating, the only band that matters is the one that causes a tiny amount of mistracking (buzzing).

Of course antiskating and VTF are best set while listening to music. I do it every day, but I admit it takes practice.

I agree the resonance frequency tracks will identify a major arm/cartridge mismatch. That's the most useful thing about this record IME. Your results will be interesting.

For me the other bands have no value (the azimuth test band is bogus) but at least they do no harm. That's not true of those four anti-bias tracks, however. Used incorrectly, as so many do, they dull the music and shorten the life of a cartridge. That's why I spoke up.

Enjoy!
Doug

Mark,

My apologies for the mis-attribution, and thanks to Stephanoo for stepping up. Clumsy me. :-(

BTW the sound at 2.3gr and more AS wasn't that horrible, I mean it was still great. I just thought that there was a little lack of air and I felt like there was less definition and soundstage less defined ...

Agreed. Pressing a vibrating object (cantilever) into an elastomer (cartridge suspension) attenuates the vibrations, and higher frequencies are attenuated the most. Excessive VTF and AS sound a bit like turning a treble tone control way downward.

From everything I've read, Mike at VPI has been providing great service for many years . Glad to here they still are. A higher mass arm should definitely suit your cartridge. Let us know!