Azimuth adjustment
- Thread starter dlb2
- Start date
Credit to Jeff Whitlock:
I use a recipe card. Take the card and cut it into an approximately 2 x 2 square. Be careful to leave the BOTTOM of the card in tact as it was cut from the manufacturer. You then place this card in front of the cartridge. Then looking dead on, using the lines on the card, you can line those lines up with the cartridge head. The lines on the recipe card should be perfectly straight and act as a great guide if you don't trim the card bottom.
Does that make sense?
I use a recipe card. Take the card and cut it into an approximately 2 x 2 square. Be careful to leave the BOTTOM of the card in tact as it was cut from the manufacturer. You then place this card in front of the cartridge. Then looking dead on, using the lines on the card, you can line those lines up with the cartridge head. The lines on the recipe card should be perfectly straight and act as a great guide if you don't trim the card bottom.
Does that make sense?
A/V Solutions
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and......place a light behind the index card as this allows you to see things better as you view from the front. this works ok in a pinch!!!
This is a better way.....Take a small mirror placed on the platter with the arm lowered onto the mirror or if you don't have a mirror handy you can use the shinny side of a CD.
Both above work well to a point and the final adjustment is by ear. Using a Fozgometer will indeed get you closer but still the final adjustment is by ear.....it becomes easier once you learn what to listen for.
BTW don't always go by the cartridge body as the stylus may be skewed a smidge......the whole thing with Azimuth is to get the widest channel separation with the least amount of channel cross talk.
This is a better way.....Take a small mirror placed on the platter with the arm lowered onto the mirror or if you don't have a mirror handy you can use the shinny side of a CD.
Both above work well to a point and the final adjustment is by ear. Using a Fozgometer will indeed get you closer but still the final adjustment is by ear.....it becomes easier once you learn what to listen for.
BTW don't always go by the cartridge body as the stylus may be skewed a smidge......the whole thing with Azimuth is to get the widest channel separation with the least amount of channel cross talk.
Myles B. Astor
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Sorry but that method is crude at best with a high end cartridge. 
I don't find doing it that way is close to desirable.
Question: do you want to measure phase (that many feel is more accurate and sounds the best) like with the Feickert or xtalk like the Foz? Or one can set for xtalk and then fine adjust azimuth by ear.
Some options:
1. Old Audio-Technica cartridge analyzer like I use. Xtalk
2. Foz Xtalk
3. Feickert Xtalk and phase among other things
4. Soon to be released Cartalign from Soundsmith ??? Will also have capability for zenith, VTF, anti skate, etc.
I don't find doing it that way is close to desirable.Question: do you want to measure phase (that many feel is more accurate and sounds the best) like with the Feickert or xtalk like the Foz? Or one can set for xtalk and then fine adjust azimuth by ear.
Some options:
1. Old Audio-Technica cartridge analyzer like I use. Xtalk
2. Foz Xtalk
3. Feickert Xtalk and phase among other things
4. Soon to be released Cartalign from Soundsmith ??? Will also have capability for zenith, VTF, anti skate, etc.
A/V Solutions
Member
Sorry but that method is crude at best with a high end cartridge.
Question: do you want to measure phase (that many feel is more accurate and sounds the best) like with the Feickert or xtalk like the Foz? Or one can set for xtalk and then fine adjust azimuth by ear.
Some options:
1. Old Audio-Technica cartridge analyzer like I use. Xtalk
2. Foz Xtalk
3. Feickert Xtalk and phase among other things
4. Soon to be released Cartalign from Soundsmith ??? Will also have capability for zenith, VTF, anti skate, etc.
My way was based on not having the tools at hand......in a pinch you can get close and then the rest by ear as I mentioned.
Myles B. Astor
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How about a turkey roaster pin across the headshell then?
If you're buying a real high end cartridge, why in the world wouldn't you get it set up properly and professionally? That's why you buy from a dealer. In NY I know of someone who does an excellent job and comes to your home.
If you're buying a real high end cartridge, why in the world wouldn't you get it set up properly and professionally? That's why you buy from a dealer. In NY I know of someone who does an excellent job and comes to your home.
dlb2
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- Thread Author
- #8
Thanks guys. I used the index card method and it seems to have helped with the crosstalk. Miles I appreciate the input. Now I have more things to look into.
I'll be the first to say that I may not know what to listen for, as Jeff puts it. I've just recently dove back into vinyl after a long hiatus from it. The last time I set up a turntable I took the cartridge and screwed it on the headshell. I didn't know anything about VTA, anti-skate, or Azimuth and as far as VTF goes I just made sure the arm didn't skip along the record as it played. Just mount the damn thing and plays records! Now everyone thinks you have to be a physicist to mount a cartridge and if you don't come within .00000000000000000001% of having everything perfectly right you're not getting every last bit of information from the grooves. When did it all become so complicated?
I'll be the first to say that I may not know what to listen for, as Jeff puts it. I've just recently dove back into vinyl after a long hiatus from it. The last time I set up a turntable I took the cartridge and screwed it on the headshell. I didn't know anything about VTA, anti-skate, or Azimuth and as far as VTF goes I just made sure the arm didn't skip along the record as it played. Just mount the damn thing and plays records! Now everyone thinks you have to be a physicist to mount a cartridge and if you don't come within .00000000000000000001% of having everything perfectly right you're not getting every last bit of information from the grooves. When did it all become so complicated?
Myles B. Astor
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Listen to the solidity of the center image.
A/V Solutions
Member
at 1:20 PM today 
A/V Solutions
Member
I like the Fozgometer and the Feickert Adjust Plus myself which I use......however if one doesn't have the tools or doesn't want to spend the money there are other ways of getting you there as mentioned above. The index card, mirror or the shiny side of a cd and using your ears can be most effective also. Before we had some of the nifty tools we all did it by sight and ear and we survived.
Myles B. Astor
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Jeff one has no business then buying a really good cartridge without these tools. One can damage an LP pretty easily with these line contact profiles (that didn't exist back then) if not set up exactly. My two cents. Not to mention you're only getting 1/2 of what you paid for
A/V Solutions
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I'm giving this one a rest 
eace:
eace:
VT Skier
New member
Because many people, like me, have no audio dealers nearby. My closest "local" dealers are 150-200 miles away, in Montreal or Boston. So we buy from internet dealers, or people we have relationships with who live elsewhere. For example, having lived all over the U.S., I often buy from dealers whom I have known for years in large cities (NY, Chicago, Minneapolis, etc.).
I don't know of anyone in Vermont who does what you describe, and I have looked.
Myles B. Astor
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I sympathize with your travails. Have you checked with your arm manufacturer if they know anyone? Sometimes if the arm wand is removable, they can even do it. I've even suggested that audio clubs buy say a Foz or Cable Cooker, charge a modest fee to pay for it and then lend it out. Perhaps some of these new audio websites (or hell even these internet cartridge retailers) could offer this service to their members. Sort of like the service the Cable Co. offers.
This person in NY does travel. Can't say what he'd charge but I know he set up Ivan's tables. For those who don't have the money for the Foz, there's the KAB unit that uses a mono record and costs around $80.
If one must, I do prefer sighting with the lightweight turkey roasting pin across the headshell. You can clearly see if the headshell is perpendicular but sadly that's really meaningless. No cartridge that I've set up by eye is remotely close to the final setting by instrument.
If it sounds like I'm on a Crusade (and don't forget Fremer's DVD), it's that many tt and cartridge owners aren't retrieving but a fraction of the information in the grooves because of improper cartridge setup. And the two cheapest ways of realizing a cartridge's inherent potential (I'm assuming everyone has an alignment jig and stylus pressure gauge that preferably goes two digits) that many neglect are azimuth and burning your tonearm wires in.
And I do disagree with Jeff that we got along just perfectly with our analog equipment before all this gear. Our cartridges didn't track as well, there were higher levels of primary and secondary distortion side bands, cartridges were peaky (as well as improvements in arm arm resonance control) and most of all, the cartridges tore up the records. I remember looking to buy a cartridge back in the '80s and as about setting overhang and the salesman looked at me like I was from Mars.
This person in NY does travel. Can't say what he'd charge but I know he set up Ivan's tables. For those who don't have the money for the Foz, there's the KAB unit that uses a mono record and costs around $80.
If one must, I do prefer sighting with the lightweight turkey roasting pin across the headshell. You can clearly see if the headshell is perpendicular but sadly that's really meaningless. No cartridge that I've set up by eye is remotely close to the final setting by instrument.
If it sounds like I'm on a Crusade (and don't forget Fremer's DVD), it's that many tt and cartridge owners aren't retrieving but a fraction of the information in the grooves because of improper cartridge setup. And the two cheapest ways of realizing a cartridge's inherent potential (I'm assuming everyone has an alignment jig and stylus pressure gauge that preferably goes two digits) that many neglect are azimuth and burning your tonearm wires in.
And I do disagree with Jeff that we got along just perfectly with our analog equipment before all this gear. Our cartridges didn't track as well, there were higher levels of primary and secondary distortion side bands, cartridges were peaky (as well as improvements in arm arm resonance control) and most of all, the cartridges tore up the records. I remember looking to buy a cartridge back in the '80s and as about setting overhang and the salesman looked at me like I was from Mars.
Myles B. Astor
Active member
- Joined
- Apr 5, 2013
- Messages
- 2,884
I sympathize with your travails. Have you checked with your arm manufacturer if they know anyone? Sometimes if the arm wand is removable, they can even do it. I've even suggested that audio clubs buy say a Foz or Cable Cooker, charge a modest fee to pay for it and then lend it out. Perhaps some of these new audio websites (or hell even these internet cartridge retailers) could offer this service to their members.
This person in NY does travel. Can't say what he'd charge but I know he set up Ivan's tables. For those who don't have the money for the Foz, there's the KAB unit that uses a mono record and costs around $80.
If one must, I do prefer sighting with the lightweight turkey roasting pin across the headshell. You can clearly see if the headshell is perpendicular but sadly that's really meaningless. No cartridge that I've set up by eye is remotely close to the final setting by instrument.
If it sounds like I'm on a Crusade (and don't forget Fremer's DVD), it's that many tt and cartridge owners aren't retrieving but a fraction of the information in the grooves because of improper cartridge setup. And the two cheapest ways of realizing a cartridge's inherent potential (I'm assuming everyone has an alignment jig and stylus pressure gauge that preferably goes two digits) that many neglect are azimuth and burning your tonearm wires in.
And I do disagree with Jeff that we got along just perfectly with our analog equipment before all this gear. Our cartridges didn't track as well, there were higher levels of primary and secondary distortion side bands, cartridges were peaky (as well as improvements in arm arm resonance control) and most of all, the cartridges tore up the records. The only reason the old cartridges didn't cause more damage back then was that many of them used conical styli that didn't sit nearly as deep in the groove (have you noticed how records that look beat up often sound better than expected because the line trace profile gets areas of the groove that the conical styli couldn't reach?) Not to mention our systems are many times more revealing than yesteryear. I remember looking to buy a cartridge back in the '80s and as about setting overhang and the salesman looked at me like I was from Mars. No, if you're committed to using a line contact or similar stylus profile, one can not go half way.
This person in NY does travel. Can't say what he'd charge but I know he set up Ivan's tables. For those who don't have the money for the Foz, there's the KAB unit that uses a mono record and costs around $80.
If one must, I do prefer sighting with the lightweight turkey roasting pin across the headshell. You can clearly see if the headshell is perpendicular but sadly that's really meaningless. No cartridge that I've set up by eye is remotely close to the final setting by instrument.
If it sounds like I'm on a Crusade (and don't forget Fremer's DVD), it's that many tt and cartridge owners aren't retrieving but a fraction of the information in the grooves because of improper cartridge setup. And the two cheapest ways of realizing a cartridge's inherent potential (I'm assuming everyone has an alignment jig and stylus pressure gauge that preferably goes two digits) that many neglect are azimuth and burning your tonearm wires in.
And I do disagree with Jeff that we got along just perfectly with our analog equipment before all this gear. Our cartridges didn't track as well, there were higher levels of primary and secondary distortion side bands, cartridges were peaky (as well as improvements in arm arm resonance control) and most of all, the cartridges tore up the records. The only reason the old cartridges didn't cause more damage back then was that many of them used conical styli that didn't sit nearly as deep in the groove (have you noticed how records that look beat up often sound better than expected because the line trace profile gets areas of the groove that the conical styli couldn't reach?) Not to mention our systems are many times more revealing than yesteryear. I remember looking to buy a cartridge back in the '80s and as about setting overhang and the salesman looked at me like I was from Mars. No, if you're committed to using a line contact or similar stylus profile, one can not go half way.
Well that's the best idea I've heard. We should really get some people together and chip in on some of these items(fozzy, cable cooker, tube tester,demag, etc.) and just send it around to the next guy who needs it.
I was reading my arm info on the manufacturers website(Ortofon) and it says to use the mirror method for azimuth, which I did but I can see it would be easy to not be perfect. But with my arm I don't see a way to adjust it anyway. I have a removable headshell if when I put it in and hold it to the left as far as it goes before I screw it down it looks perfect in the mirror.
And I believe it is good enough, but I would love to know if it was perfect.
But $300 for a fozg. Is a little steep I need like several items that I would use everyday
in that pricerange before one of those. (New el34's I'm using one back up groove tube with my jj's. A better tonearm cable, a better form of surge protection. Which is why my tube blew in the first place, a power surge)
Ortofon does not really give you all the info needed to set up one of their arms perfectly. I'm still messing with arm height and have not found a baseline to work with. Should it be level? Should it have a little downward angle? Which is where
I'm at. Thank the good lord for Jeff to answer all my annoying questions.
I was reading my arm info on the manufacturers website(Ortofon) and it says to use the mirror method for azimuth, which I did but I can see it would be easy to not be perfect. But with my arm I don't see a way to adjust it anyway. I have a removable headshell if when I put it in and hold it to the left as far as it goes before I screw it down it looks perfect in the mirror.
And I believe it is good enough, but I would love to know if it was perfect.
But $300 for a fozg. Is a little steep I need like several items that I would use everyday
in that pricerange before one of those. (New el34's I'm using one back up groove tube with my jj's. A better tonearm cable, a better form of surge protection. Which is why my tube blew in the first place, a power surge)
Ortofon does not really give you all the info needed to set up one of their arms perfectly. I'm still messing with arm height and have not found a baseline to work with. Should it be level? Should it have a little downward angle? Which is where
I'm at. Thank the good lord for Jeff to answer all my annoying questions.