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Azimuth/VTA tool

Tony L

Tony L

Administrator
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A quick plug for a rather neat little tool for sighting VTA and azimuth I found on eBay here. Very simple, just a block of clear perspex about a cm thick with lines printed on the back, but so much easier to use than anything I’ve tried before (lined paper, CD cases etc). Obviously it is only as good as the flatness of the record it is standing on (hence it sitting on a lovely Japanese pressing of Dexter Gordon’s Go in the picture above), but I’d recommend it highly. I wish I’d had one decades ago!
 
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That looks extremely helpful but will be a real pain to use on my Denon DP-45F. It's a fully automatic DD turntable which means the platter starts spinning as you cue the tonearm to the disc. Switching the power off won't help as the VTF is only applied when the turntable is on (killing the power makes the tonearm 'float' so it will bounce up and down on the vinyl). I think the only way I could use this is to have the turntable running and 'jam' the spinning platter by applying enough downward pressure with my hand like a scratch DJ so that there's no risk of the ruler crashing into the tonearm at 33rpm!...
 
YNWOAN said:
Tilting the platter doesn’t alter the VTA - the arm and platter are fixed in relation to each other by the sub-chassis.
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I’m using a unipivot tho - wouldn’t it try to right itself? I mean wrt azimuth.
 
Seanm said:
I’m using a unipivot tho - wouldn’t it try to right itself? I mean wrt azimuth.
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Sorry, yes, you are right. If using a unipivot the azimuth is not tied to the chassis and platter.

On the other hand, with the majority of gimbal pivot arms, azimuth is not even adjustable :).

I also use a unipivot (Aro) and wouldn’t expect one of these blocks to significantly alter the level of the chassis (though perhaps it would on something as softly sprung and with such low suspended mass as a Pink Triangle).
 
The gauge is not very heavy. I don’t think it would knock a LP12 chassis noticeably, though I’ve no experience of a Pink Triangle.
 
Mine is setup for standard vinyl and a 180gm record can put it very close to grounding.
 
The platter not the cart, PT's have very soft suspension so just the difference between a 150gm and 200gm record can ground the platter.
 
These are very handy when setting up the SME V (or similar tonearms) with its tapered arm tube. Far quicker than SME's own gauge.
 
IME, nothing beats a flat mirror placed directly upon bare platter or flat mat. Thorens used to provide these with all of their integrated tonearm decks; although something a bit larger, such as a rectangular mirror from a womens' makeup compact, gives a better view.

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even cheaper for this with a cute name - check pic #4
 
This site contains affiliate links for which pink fish media may be compensated.
Seanm said:
I’m using a unipivot tho - wouldn’t it try to right itself? I mean wrt azimuth.
Click to expand...
YNWOAN said:
Sorry, yes, you are right. If using a unipivot the azimuth is not tied to the chassis and platter.
Click to expand...
Craig B said:
IME, nothing beats a flat mirror placed directly upon bare platter
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I've always thought that a unipivot finds its own correct azimuth. Assuming your platter and armboard are on the same plane, what can go wrong? I also use a mirror, and the 'square' shaped cart. bodies (Koetsu, e.g.) can easily show any aberration; not quite so clear-cut for Lyra type bodies though.

That/those perspex blocks are so cheap that they're worth it for the VTA alone, assuming they've been accurately made.
 
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