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Off center stylus - Does this affect sonics ??????

Purchased a new Lyra Lydian Beta cartridge and mounted it on a new Rega P-25 table. The stylus rides off center in the needle cradle. Even when the arm is in a stationary position. The stylus sits off center and doesn't change when lowered onto vinyl. I've noticed that the needle does move from left to right freely. I'm concerned that this may affect sonics. However I don't know how it would sound if it were riding in a center position. I don't see any information in the manual on adjustments either. What do you think?
zenieth
paulwp
585 posts
 
I don't even want to think about this. If you mean that the stylus cantilever is not parallel to the sides of the cartridge body, how do you align the cartridge? Did you install at a slight angle so that the cantilever, but not the body of the cartridge, is parallel to the little lines on whatever protractor you use?

To the extent that the offcenteredness affects the alignment of the stylus relative to the record you are playing, yes it will affect sonics, and maybe damage your records.
sean
6,231 posts
 
Paulwp is right on the money. Get that thing out of your arm and talk to your dealer if it is brand new. I'm sure that they will try to tell you that you damaged the cartridge, so be prepared for an up-hill battle. Sean
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zenieth OP
381 posts
 
Paulwp thanks for the response. I mounted the cartridge using the protractor supplied by Rega. I made sure that the cantilever was parallel to the lines on the protractor. The cartridge isn't square in the headshell. The stylus/needle is off center in the cantilever housing. It just doesn't look right..............
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