Cartridge Alignment

[priam]

Which cartridge alignment do you prefer?

Do I need to use the one that came with my cartridge?

 

[Deleted member 108165]

Which cartridge alignment do you prefer?

Do I need to use the one that came with my cartridge?

Alignment would depend on the turntable; Technics and the like use Stevenson. You need to use the alignment protractor that is correct for you turntable. Personally I use Lofgren A (Baerwald).

 

[Al ears]

Which cartridge alignment do you prefer?

Do I need to use the one that came with my cartridge?

Most of the alignment methods are so similar as to make little difference. You may find certain manufacturers prefer certain methods and some even include a cheap alignment tool. If you are likely to make frequent changes to your cartridge then it may be worth buying a more expensive but easier to use tool.

 

[priam]

Which cartridge alignment do you prefer?

Do I need to use the one that came with my cartridge?

Most of the alignment methods are so similar as to make little difference. You may find certain manufacturers prefer certain methods and some even include a cheap alignment tool. If you are likely to make frequent changes to your cartridge then it may be worth buying a more expensive but easier to use tool.

Thank you both for your input, I purchased a Rega Bias 2 from Amazon. Unfortunately I don't think it comes with an alighnment protactor. I do believe it uses the Baerwald though. If I made sure that it is Baerwald, can I just print a Baerwald? It doesn't have to be customised further right?

Also is the website Vinyl Engine down?

 

[Al ears]

The cartridge is not going to mind which method you use Stevenson or Baerwald.

You can print off these alignment gauges but unless you get resultant print exactly to scale they are not going to work very well and are not very durable.

For £13 you can get a basic mirrored alignment gauge (Analogue Studio) that will last a very long time and can be used on any deck.

 

[Oldphrt]

I've always used a ruler and my eyes.

 

[MajorFubar]

I use the Baerwald alignment gauge, as modified to take into consideration the TD160's specific dimensions, and available from the Vinyl Engine website. This alignment positions the cartridge differently to both the generic twin-point alignment gauges you can buy from such as eBay, and to the position recommended by the Thorens alignment tool built into the headshell cover.

However i've always been disappointed by how little difference any of the various alignment protocols make to high-end sibilance and inner-groove distortion. At most they make minor tweaks, with IMO no clear leader.