Hi There All:

I'm using a Revolver turntable fitted with a Linn Basik LV X arm. I recently had a Grado Gold installed however I found that at the appropriate tracking force (1.5 g, as verified by the dealer) that it would mistrack - mostly sibliance on "hot" percussive records.

I took a listen to some other carts. I cheapened out and bought an Ortofon OM 5E. Mind you, to me it sounds quite solid, and the sibilance has gone away.

My only concern it that on my Linn arm, the VTF is set to 2.25 g. The dealer swears against anti-skating compensation, but I found that the best setting seems to be just above the 1.25 g setting on the anti-skating setting.

I'm concerned that to rid of the sibilance, I may be tracking the Ortofon too heavy. The cantilever on the stylus does bend upwards a little more than it did on my Grado. I just don't want to prematurely wear the stylus, records, or damage the cantilever.

Mind you everything sounds good.

Should I leave the settings?

Cheers,
Jody Thornton

Hi There All:

I'm using a Revolver turntable fitted with a Linn Basik LV X arm. I recently had a Grado Gold installed however I found that at the appropriate tracking force (1.5 g, as verified by the dealer) that it would mistrack - mostly sibliance on "hot" percussive records.

I took a listen to some other carts. I cheapened out and bought an Ortofon OM 5E. Mind you, to me it sounds quite solid, and the sibilance has gone away.

My only concern it that on my Linn arm, the VTF is set to 2.25 g. The dealer swears against anti-skating compensation, but I found that the best setting seems to be just above the 1.25 g setting on the anti-skating setting.

I'm concerned that to rid of the sibilance, I may be tracking the Ortofon too heavy. The cantilever on the stylus does bend upwards a little more than it did on my Grado. I just don't want to prematurely wear the stylus, records, or damage the cantilever.

Mind you everything sounds good.

Should I leave the settings?

Cheers,
Jody Thornton

No, you are tracking WAY too high for that cartridge! You need to lower your settings. Tracking force does not by itselt help with sibilents, that is a VTA effect. You simply happen to be pressing down so hard on your poor little ortofon that you have effectively altered your vta. My gess is that you will probably need to raise your arm slighlty, and then lower your tracking force to what it should be to get the desired effect.

Tracking force specification for the OM5E is 1.5-2g with a recommended setting of 1.75g.
You're not too far above the recommended so if it sounds OK then i wouldn't worry too much as it's easier to damage records tracking at too light a force than too
heavy.

HOWEVER, having said that, your LVX should have no problem tracking the OM5E at the correct value (or indeed the Grado at 1.5g) so i suspect the bearings may be worn - this might be worth checking out.

See Goldear, initially I agreed with you (not that I still don't too be honest)

My dealer set the VTA. He had said it was already too high, so he lowered that, and it the tonearm does appear flat while playing. He was the one to originally set the VTF towards 2.5 g. I noticed at the shop, that the stylus cantilever was bending upwards, whereas, while I listened to it on the Pro-Ject debut (same Ortofon cart), it maintained its slope.

When I asked the guy, he said that was appropriate for this arm. I wasn't sure he was just trying to get me out of there, but I was still concerned.

When I arrived home, I reset the VTF to 1.75 g on the counterweight (I checked the speck range), and I found that the anti-skate was best set to 0.75 g. I then listened. Positioning of instruments was excellent, but there was that damned sibilance (I never knew Sylvester was hired for so many backup singing jobs.) :D

I tinkered with it using some hotter recorded 12" singles. And I found that the sibilance only went acceptably away at VTF - 2.25 g and 1.25 g anti-skating settings.

I should note that went I was setting the VTF, the horizonatal floating position read nearly 1 g (should that not be zero?). So maybe my counterweight is way off.

Cheers,
Jody Thornton

These are the times when I wish P-Mount carts were used on high end models. At least there'd be no guess work, and I wouldn't have to worry about adversely wearing my records.

Cheers,
Jody Thornton

I should note that went I was setting the VTF, the horizonatal floating position read nearly 1 g (should that not be zero?). So maybe my counterweight is way off.
Aha!
1. Set your tracking force to zero.
2. Set your antiskating to zero.
3. Move your counterweight to balance the arm to float it parallel to the platter.
4. Only then can you set your tracking force and antiskating force properly.
You must start at zero with a floating arm. Otherwise all bets (and measurements) are off.
Tom

So I did that, again. It floated at about 0.8 g.

Next I set the counterweight to 1.75. I used an old John Stewart record to set the anti-skate, and also used the "between exit groove" method to see which way the stylus would skate to a groove. It seems to sound "balanced" at 0.75 g setting.

Then I played some hotter, percussive stuff. I used a 12" of TLC's "No Scrubs" on all the versions. It took me turning the counterweight to 2.25 g VTF to get the sibilance to go away successfully.

Again, it sounds best this way, but you just can't help but wonder if I'm overdoing it on the VTF.

Mind you, if I figure that the recommended VTF is 1.75 g, and my arm floats on 0.8, that would mean that my counterweight should read 2.55 g. So perhaps I'm not far off at all, no?

Cheers,
Jody Thornton

I understand now.

On the counterweight itself, there is a number dial that can be turned separately. Once I balanced the arm, I set this control to "0". So now it's balanced to "0".

Then I increased the VTF to 1.75 g on the counterweight. It sounds great. Mind you, I'm actually tracking heavier than I was when I set the counterweight wrong. Go figure. The cantilever goes up into the stylus body even farther now .... hmmmm.

But at least my Linn arm is set up correctly now.

Cheers,
Jody Thornton

:nono:
Not quite.
Go here: http://www.vinylengine.com/manuals_tonearm_protractors.shtml
and download and print out an appropriate alignment protractor, follow the directions, rebalance your arm, and THEN you'll be done! :D
You'll thank me later.

Tom

Aha!
1. Set your tracking force to zero.
2. Set your antiskating to zero.
3. Move your counterweight to balance the arm to float it parallel to the platter.
4. Only then can you set your tracking force and antiskating force properly.
You must start at zero with a floating arm. Otherwise all bets (and measurements) are off.
Tom
Yes, I believe that OvenMaster has nailed it! :thmbsp:

So once it is all done, I am still OK if the cantilever bends upward into the cart? I'm just used to styli cantilevers maintaining their slope downwards.

Like I said, I think I'm already pretty close, and it does sound WAAAAY better.

Cheers,
Jody Thornton

(Thanx for all of your help!)

Ortofons are high-compliance carts, Jody. Mine does the same thing. An inexpensive stylus force gauge may be a good investment here, in order to verify actual downforce. I rely on my ears and the springs in my Dual, but a gauge is highly recommended for anyone seriously into vinyl.
Tom
PS I just looked at the vinylengine protractor page, and I spy one made just for your arm, Jody. Can't get any better than that!

"So once it is all done, I am still OK if the cantilever bends upward into the cart?"
hm...not really...
the om5e is better suited to low mass arms like those found on dual turntables...i'd opt for a cartridge designed to work with a medium mass arm instead...

the revolver/linn lvx arm combination would work well with an at95e...