advertisement


Is this Cartridge Alignment good?

R

rogerrrr

New Member
Hi all,

I just got a new MP-110 and have aligned it. Im using a RB110 tonearm for rega planar 1
I used elvon alignment for 9" arms
Theres 2 points on the alignment protractor, A and B. A is the outside alignment and B is in the inner grooves.

for point A it aligns perfectly and if I were to move it, it would not align perfect but for point B it does not align perfect, can I get any suggestions for why it would align for point A but not for point B?
I have provided pictures

Any help is appreciated, thank you

https://imgur.com/gallery/9GoB03p
 
That sounds weird. Usually the two grids on an alignment protractor are for different alignments. Baerwald and Lofgren, usually. Use one or the other. Baerwald is usually the default. I think my protractor has a separate spindle hole for each.

I suspect your a and b may be those, as one has lower side end distortion (Lofgren) and one has lower distortion for most of the mid section of the playing surface (baerwald).
 
At alignment point A, it looks like your cartridge is offset, is the stylus tip on the cross point on the protractor?

I think looking lower down at the stylus itself may help?

I would guess the cart needs a very slight twist anti clockwise to correct things?
 
It is very difficult to judge from a photo', for instance, the VTA appears out, but on a gimbal arm, unless something is very wrong, that isn't really possible.

That said, assuming that the pivot/spindle distance is correct, which seems certain given your arm/TT, correct alignment would normally be achieved by moving the cartridge as allowed by virtue of the slots in the headshell. And it is normal to align to both points, A and B.

Have you checked pivot/stylus distance?
 
Looks to me as though the cartridge body is not squarely set. It is at an angle to the grid lines.... if the photo is right.
 
The Rega arm is Stevenson geometry, the protractor is Baerwald. You won’t attain correct Baerwald alignment with the cartridge straight in the headshell, it just isn’t possible. As others have said use Rega’s own protractor. It gives the right alignment for their arm.
 
Tony L said:
The Rega arm is Stevenson geometry, the protractor is Baerwald. You won’t attain correct Baerwald alignment with the cartridge straight in the headshell, it just isn’t possible. As others have said use Rega’s own protractor. It gives the right alignment for their arm.
Click to expand...

Kudos for being able to actually tell that from the images Tony!
 
Chris Marshall said:
Kudos for being able to actually tell that from the images Tony!
Click to expand...

To be honest I didn’t even need to look as it’s a mistake everyone makes with Rega (and early SME) arms!

Basically if an arm just won’t align with a two point protractor with the cart square in the headshell the issue is either a) the protractor is incorrect for the arm geometry, or b) the arm is mounted on the deck in the wrong place.
 
On Rega decks the stylus tip should end up vertically aligned with the front inside edge of the forward-most headshell hole whilst under normal downforce (i.e. the hole that Rega's own 3rd mounting bolt passes through).

When MP series cartridges are so aligned, the forward face of the cartridge ends up slightly overhanging the front end of an RB tonearm headshell. Relative to Rega's own MMs, this positional difference is down to the Nagaoka stylus tip being further back from the front face of the stylus knob/cartridge mounting plate.

With reference to the photo below, note the different stylus positions relative to the front of each cartridge body.

Nagaoka MP-11 Boron vs. Rega Elys (original):
file.php
 
Last edited:
Here is another photo that illustrates the point (pun) above.

When 3-bolt mounted, and under normal tracking force, this Elys 2 tip will be in near perfect alignment with the forward side of the blue washer that sits flush within the 3rd mounting bolt hole.

rega-elys-2-cartridge.jpg
 
One of the most annoying missed opportunities in analogue replay is they didn’t standardise the stylus to mounting bolt distance way back in the 1950s. That done and there would be no need to faff about with protractors etc at all, just bolt them in and they’d be bang in with the intended geometry of the arm.
 
Tony L said:
One of the most annoying missed opportunities in analogue replay is they didn’t standardise the stylus to mounting bolt distance way back in the 1950s. That done and there would be no need to faff about with protractors etc at all, just bolt them in and they’d be bang in with the intended geometry of the arm.
Click to expand...

That would be great, but then you'd have to assume that every manufacturer would have to make sure their cantilevers are perfectly straight in comparison to the body.

That's why I made the post that you're not supposed to use a protractor to align the cartridge body. You use it to align the cantilever/stylus.
 
I can think of very, very few times in a lifetime of analogue replay when I bought a cart that didn’t have a straight cantilever. The only one that comes to mind was a AT OC9 way back in the early 90s sometime which was just a smidge out. Really I should have hoofed it back for a replacement. Aligning to an offset cantilever would mean the generator assembly was out of true, so really not a great solution. I realise analogue replay can only ever be a compromise (especially with a pivoted tonearm), but If I’m expected to fork out £hundreds, even thousands for a cartridge I’m going to be pretty picky about what I’ll accept!

PS If a cantilever drifts to one side or another during a cartridge’s life I’d contemplate anti-skating etc, or maybe conclude it had taken a knock somehow and was due for replacement.
 
Erocka2000 said:
That would be great, but then you'd have to assume that every manufacturer would have to make sure their cantilevers are perfectly straight in comparison to the body.

That's why I made the post that you're not supposed to use a protractor to align the cartridge body. You use it to align the cantilever/stylus.
Click to expand...
It's as if no one has ever dragged their hockey stick through the snow on the way home from the ice rink.
 
Tony L said:
I can think of very, very few times in a lifetime of analogue replay when I bought a cart that didn’t have a straight cantilever. The only one that comes to mind was a AT OC9 way back in the early 90s sometime which was just a smidge out. Really I should have hoofed it back for a replacement. Aligning to an offset cantilever would mean the generator assembly was out of true, so really not a great solution. I realise analogue replay can only ever be a compromise (especially with a pivoted tonearm), but If I’m expected to fork out £hundreds, even thousands for a cartridge I’m going to be pretty picky about what I’ll accept!

PS If a cantilever drifts to one side or another during a cartridge’s life I’d contemplate anti-skating etc, or maybe conclude it had taken a knock somehow and was due for replacement.
Click to expand...

Sometimes even though the cantilever looks off in relation to the body, doesn't mean it's off in relation to the generator. Some cartridge bodies are big and bulky and not always attached straight to the innards. Either way, I'd always prefer to align via the cantilever, but I totally get where you're coming from.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.


advertisement


Back
Top