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Measuring VTF on a Clearaudio Concept

Hello!

I'm a fairly new owner of a Clear Audio turntable, and have a easy (hopefully) question regarding measuring the VTF.

My eyes aren't as good as they once were which makes using the tiny balance scale that came with the table difficult. I purchased a cheap digital scale off ebay, but found the weight WAY off. After some research, I discovered that it's critical to measure the VTF at the same height of a record. The scale I purchased had the needle about 1/3" above where a record would be.

I've been looking at two scales.

1) Clearaudio Weight Watcher
2) Ortofon DS-1

I know the Clearaudio will measure the cartridge at the correct height. Does anyone know if the Ortofon scale will as well? The Ortofon scale is quite a bit cheaper.

Thanks
mustangjeff
stringreen's avatar
stringreen
6,371 posts
 
Moonglum has a good answer, but remember that playing a record is a dynamic adventure. As the arm goes up to the top of a warp, it weighs more than on the flat...providing you were careful about the setup to begin with. Also vtf affects vta which is constantly changing as the record is played. VTA, affects other parameters...the best we can hope for in turntable setup is that we get as close to perfection as we possibly can do...but all of life is like that. :)
moonglum
619 posts
 
Like SG says...just to complicate matters, most unipivots are intrinsically unstable when riding warps. This is perhaps one area where gimballed arms might justifiably claim to have a slight advantage.

(Except SMEs, perhaps, whose tapered armtube can collide with the warp halfway through a side with an impact like thunder.) ;^)
dougdeacon
3,338 posts
 
Don't replace your inexpensive scale. Just use it correctly to measure what you're trying to measure.

Like Moonglum, I long ago made a weighing step. My digital scale sits on top of the platter. The weighing step sits on the scale, hangs over the edge, then drops down to a flat step that's at record height. That's what the stylus rests on when I'm measuring downforce.

And yes... 0.33" will make a huge difference with many tonearms.

I made my weighing step by folding/bending a piece of 1" wide copper strip into shape, but any non-magnetic material will do. Cut up credit cards and glue the pieces together... it'll save money!

P.S. Whatever scale or doohickey you choose, don't get the idea it will tell you the optimal downforce for your cartridge. Only your ears can do that. A scale's only use is making sure you're in the ballpark (ie, within the recommended range for your cartridge).
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