Cartridge Alignment
- Thread starter DownIsTheNewUp
- Start date
Got the Dr. Feickert alignment protractor in and have realigned my cartridge to Loefgren B. I’m really happy with it.
Thoughts:
It’s made extremely well. You’ll never need another gauge. It’s built to last a lifetime. It’ll work on any turntable out there. Packaging is meant to last as well. The instructions are clear and concise and are in both German and English.
It’s easy to use. It comes with a small flashlight which comes in handy. The included flashiight is easier than using the flashlight in my phone.
From Barerwald overhang to Loefgren B is so close it’s not even funny. Less than 2mm. The cartridge is offset in the headshell a bit less than before. Does it sound better? A bit. Highs seem a bit smoother. Ambience seems improved. We aren’t talking night and day though, and I doubt I’d hear the difference on a less resolving system.
That said, I don’t regret my purchase at all. I’m a bit (ok a lot) OCD when it comes to properly setting up a turntable. Stuff like this can keep me awake at night. I’m not kidding.
So here’s where I tell you to run out and get one, right? Nope. If you’ve got a MoFi Geo Disc, you are good. Likewise the the gauges you can get from your turntable manufacturer, whether it be UTurn or VPI.
Still, recommended if you want to be 100% sure of your alignment, have multiple turntables, change cartridges often or install cartridges for others.
Thoughts:
It’s made extremely well. You’ll never need another gauge. It’s built to last a lifetime. It’ll work on any turntable out there. Packaging is meant to last as well. The instructions are clear and concise and are in both German and English.
It’s easy to use. It comes with a small flashlight which comes in handy. The included flashiight is easier than using the flashlight in my phone.
From Barerwald overhang to Loefgren B is so close it’s not even funny. Less than 2mm. The cartridge is offset in the headshell a bit less than before. Does it sound better? A bit. Highs seem a bit smoother. Ambience seems improved. We aren’t talking night and day though, and I doubt I’d hear the difference on a less resolving system.
That said, I don’t regret my purchase at all. I’m a bit (ok a lot) OCD when it comes to properly setting up a turntable. Stuff like this can keep me awake at night. I’m not kidding.
So here’s where I tell you to run out and get one, right? Nope. If you’ve got a MoFi Geo Disc, you are good. Likewise the the gauges you can get from your turntable manufacturer, whether it be UTurn or VPI.
Still, recommended if you want to be 100% sure of your alignment, have multiple turntables, change cartridges often or install cartridges for others.
Nice cartridge! The rule of thumb for cartridge loading is 10X the cartridge's internal impedance with the Delos being 8.2 ohms so optimal loading with your StudioPhono would be either the 75 or 100 ohm settings. The lower of the two would give you a little smoother but slightly less dynamic presentation. 500 ohm loading would give you slightly more dynamics with a little higher output and more pronounced highs. You can use your cartridge loading as a sort of a tone control. My phono pre has remote controlled cartridge loading and the different settings can easily be heard although they are not hugely different from one another. Your observation that 100 ohm sounded raspier than the 500 setting goes against accepted norms but we all hear what we hear. That's a big part of the fun of our hobby!
Cheers! My ears are odd hehe. I will try 75 as that is as low as my mofi studiophono can go.
I just spent an hour realigning and making sure it was good. Checked 3 times to be sure now.
Any odd sibilance that sounds spitty will be in the recording now.
How badly set up must a cart be to not be able to track correctly. And must the diamond land perfect on the overhang cross ? I was now perhaps off by as little as microns.
And do have a listen to the files i uploaded. Previous page
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I have it myself. Its a great protactor!
Will it have anything to say if im less then 0,5mm off on the overhang? I kinda have a slight ocd too.
Less than .5 mm? I say you are good.
If someone can even tell .5mm by eye I’d be massively impressed!
But that’s why we use accurate protractors, not made of paper, with lots of natural light, magnifying glasses, patience and more light when aligning cartridges. .5mm can be the difference between sounding good and sounding magnificent. Just like an ultrasonic record cleaner can uncover more detail so can a really well aligned stylus. Cleaner records reveal details on a billionth of an inch scale. Imagine what .5mm can do.
Sorry if this sounds like a rant, don’t mean for it to be. I see/hear it as more of a crusade - one that I’ve been on for over 40 years with the hope of helping others get more bang for their $$.
Audiophile Purist Code of Conduct
Rule #1 - EQ can and should be used when necessary for optimum musical enjoyment
Rule #2 - Never admit to ever using EQ
I feel exactly the same way. I've only used my Feickert protractor twice in 2 years and I still say it's money well spent. Nothing beats knowing your setup is dead-on for peace of mind.
Its an evil circle for sure. Like what happened to me, bought a 2020 release of LZ IV - where did that odd sounding sibilance come from? Back to recheck setup.. spent an hour on it. I was off slightly on the overhang, but thats it. I readjusted abit, and doublechecked to be sure.
I mean, i can do so much with setup, and keep on checking - but to what end? Just have to accept that there are instances where it's in the recording istelf.
Maybe not that accurate of 0.5 mm xD So close to the overhang-mark, but not exactly on it. Just a tini tiny bit over.
Angsty
Well-Known Member
I’m using the Geo-Disc and pretty happy with the results so far. What would be the next step up in precision without going all the way to the Feickert?
SnowmaNick
Well-Known Member
Same here. Simple setup, works well enough for me. I don’t need another rabbit hole to go down.
AnthonyI
Well-Known Member
I'd say a standard protractor, GEO Disc and Feickert are the "small-med-large" of alignment, everything else is basically an offshoot of one of them.
Angsty
Well-Known Member
Anyone ever tried the DB Systems DBP-10 alignment protractor? It’s been around for decades but is not as popular as the Geo Disc.
DB Systems Protrac Phono Cartridge Alignment Protractor-Audio Advisor
DB Systems Protrac lets an amateur do professional phono cartridge alignment. In just three easy steps, the Protrac gives precise alignment for better sound and longer stylus life with any standard phono cartridge and radial tonearm.
www.audioadvisor.com
Phaneronic
Well-Known Member
So uh. Anyone else here crazy enough to poke at that VinylEngine calculator until they have their own NEW ALIGNMENT SCHEME?? I couldn't be bothered to do the math
, but my understanding is that the main two methods don't take into account that the stylus obviously doesn't get any thinner as it moves towards the center of the record, so you want the amount of distortion to roughly decrease by like half as you move from the edge to the label. At the same time, most records, especially these days, don't cut all the way to the label, and if they do it should be a quiet song, so you can have it race off as you get REALLY close to the label. Basically just poked at the calculator until I thought it fit and I don't know if it's much of a breakthrough but I like the results I've been getting. Yellow line in the image below.
, but my understanding is that the main two methods don't take into account that the stylus obviously doesn't get any thinner as it moves towards the center of the record, so you want the amount of distortion to roughly decrease by like half as you move from the edge to the label. At the same time, most records, especially these days, don't cut all the way to the label, and if they do it should be a quiet song, so you can have it race off as you get REALLY close to the label. Basically just poked at the calculator until I thought it fit and I don't know if it's much of a breakthrough but I like the results I've been getting. Yellow line in the image below.