New Cartridge Setup: Buy the gauges or hire a professional?

[Adventitious]

Hey AK,

I've used p-type cartridges my whole TT life, until now. My new receiver (McIntosh 6100) doesn't like the high voltage from my existing cartridge. So I've gotten a Technics SL-D2 and a Denon DL-110. But I've never aligned a cartridge before, and may never again. Should I invest in the tools to do it myself, and possibly do it wrong, or take my table to a professional for this theoretically one-time adjustment? I'm definitely a DIY guy, but I want this to be perfect!

 

[Oerets]

Go ahead and give it a try. Download a copy of a protractor, set the proper weight. You will be surprised how easy it was.

BTW welcome to AK!


Barney

 

[Adventitious]

Thanks for the welcome! (I've been lurking almost 10 years haha.)
Don't I need a scale to set the weight? I'm worried I won't be able to coax the peak performance from this table, especially with this expensive cartridge...

 

[savatage1973]

Buy the tools and DIY. If you don't get it right the first time, try and try again. You'll need a level, an inexpensive scale, and a protractor (which you can download and print). It's not all that complicated, and there are lots of guides/tutorials here and elsewhere (even videos) to walk you through the steps. Maybe ask a friend to help.

There is no 100% "perfect" alignment just by the "numbers"--carts/styli have tracking weight ranges--not absolutes. Same for vertical tracking angles.

Also, it doesn't take much to knock a TT/cart out of alignment, so if you take it to a "pro" and have it set-up, it may not be "right" by the time you get it home.

Bonus--if you have the tools on-hand and learn the process, you can now try a variety of different carts without a trip to the tech.

 

[Grbluen]

And, you'd be surprised how many professionals don't get it right! I spent two grand on a turntable w/ cartridge, and spent the next year wondering why my rig didn't sound better. Learn with the cheaper cartridges, then work your way up.

 

[ConradH]

It's not a bad idea to practice on something cheap, if you've never done it before. Alignment is a bit risky, and cartridges/styli have been damaged in the process. It just takes one clumsy move. OTOH, that's also true playing records, owning a cat or having other less OCD humans around. Children are magnetically attracted to expensive cartridges and tweeter domes.

I highly recommend the third item down here- http://www.conradhoffman.com/chsw.htm but I'm probably a bit biased. Be sure to read the read-me file that comes with it.

 

[Adventitious]

Well if no one is gonna tell me I'm too dumb to do it myself I guess I'll go get the stuff. Plenty of resources on how to do it I see, but I welcome any specific tool/tutorial suggestions!

 

[OutlawSun]

It's better to learn how to do it on your own. It's certainly more satisfying to successfully set everything up.

 

[WaynerN]

It's not a bad idea to practice on something cheap, if you've never done it before. Alignment is a bit risky, and cartridges/styli have been damaged in the process. It just takes one clumsy move. OTOH, that's also true playing records, owning a cat or having other less OCD humans around. Children are magnetically attracted to expensive cartridges and tweeter domes.

I highly recommend the third item down here- http://www.conradhoffman.com/chsw.htm but I'm probably a bit biased. Be sure to read the read-me file that comes with it.

Conrad's protractor is excellent, especially when its a freeware. You can find a digital scale for pretty cheap these days, some come with a calibration weight so there is no doubt that the scale is accurate.

 

[savatage1973]

And, you'd be surprised how many professionals don't get it right!

This is exactly the reason I put the word "pro" in quotes in my original post!!!

some come with a calibration weight so there is no doubt that the scale is accurate.

In a pinch, a US nickel is 5g.

 

[savatage1973]

...deciding which alignment to use. I preferred loefgren or baerwald before I went all digital.

Baerwald is probably the most "forgiving" or "generic" alignment, but most Technics tables were designed with the Stevenson alignment protocol in mind.

 

[majick47]

You can also use the Technics overhang gauge to align the cartridge, available from KAB or Ebay, pretty much spot on agreeing with protractors. Not many professionals left to work on turntables, align cartridges etc, better learn to DIY and have all the small cheap tools for your table, level (not cheap inaccurate bubble type), digital scale, jewelers screwdrivers, stylus brush. And most important the SL-D2 owners manual from Vinyl Engine, free to download print out. You can also do an AK Google search for countless threads/post re the table with all kinds of owners experiences.

 

[ranch 22b]

I second what majick says about using the Technics overhang gauge. I'm not going to claim that it provides perfect alignment but it's super easy to use and gives a performance that's plenty good for my ears. Also, I've found that generally, the markings on the Technics counterweight to be fairly accurate as far as tracking weight. Good luck with your "new" SL-D2.

 

[Trekkie4]

What everyone already said, especially @Oerets ... just go ahead & download PDF protractor, and then print it out. But be careful to maintain the original size, proportions - DO NOT scale!

I've done the same for my LP120, and never had any tracking issues whatsoever.

 

[Grenadeslio]

Hey AK,

I've used p-type cartridges my whole TT life, until now. My new receiver (McIntosh 6100) doesn't like the high voltage from my existing cartridge. So I've gotten a Technics SL-D2 and a Denon DL-110. But I've never aligned a cartridge before, and may never again. Should I invest in the tools to do it myself, and possibly do it wrong, or take my table to a professional for this theoretically one-time adjustment? I'm definitely a DIY guy, but I want this to be perfect!

Unless you're connecting a MM cartridge into a MC input this really doesn't make any sense. Sounds more to me like your table has a built in phono stage and no matter the cartridge there will be an issue. You could try connecting it through the AUX or similar input and things should be fine. This way once the new table is sorted you'll have two decks, or at least can be spinning your records while waiting for the other table to be ready.

Setting up a cartridge is pretty straight forward, the tools to do so are very inexpensive so no reason not to do it yourself. Even the digital scales are less than $10, but until then the scale on most counterweights are pretty accurate.

Not sure if your arm has adjustable VTA (height), but once the cartridge is installed adjust counterweight so the arm floats level. Set counterweight scale to zero, now dial in the appropriate weight (VTF). Next adjust VTA so the arm is just slightly tail down with the stylus sitting on a record.

Once here use your protractor to set cartridge alignment. At this point, having moved the cart around on the headshell it's possible the VTF (vertical tracking force) has changed. This is where having a scale comes in handy, just check and adjust if needed. Without the scale you need to go through the procedure for setting VTF from the beginning again. Not that big of a deal, but the digital scale makes it a whole lot simpler from beginning to end.

 

[SA-708]

You can also use the Technics overhang gauge to align the cartridge, available from KAB or Ebay, pretty much spot on agreeing with protractors.

I've always used the Technics gauge with my SL-1700Mk2 and have had no misalignment issues. My other tables are p-mount.

One thing to note is that the Technics gauge uses non-US standard measurements for the inner and outer groove of an LP for their Stevenson alignment, so don't expect to be able to confirm the alignment of a cartridge done with the gauge to match up with every Stevenson protractor. Many who have tried to use both the gauge and a protractor (one to confirm the other) have ended up quite frustrated.

 

[WaynerN]

Baerwald is probably the most "forgiving" or "generic" alignment, but most Technics tables were designed with the Stevenson alignment protocol in mind.

I have my SL1200MK2 (2007 model) and SL1210MK5 (2010 model) in a Lofgren B. Some cartridges my not reach out that far (depending on the headshell being used, also) so they may have to use the Lofgren A (Baerwald), if they do not want to use the Stevenson.

 

[dcmfan]

For me the most helpful things in cartridge alignment are:

1. Patience
2. Time
3. Good light (I use an LED headlamp and some bright desk lamps so I can really see the alignment)
4. Low power magnification - a 5x or 10x magnifying glass is plenty.

A protractor and scale are a given - neither has to be expensive.

For me the most frustrating part is getting the headshell wires connected to the cartridge. None of the cartridge pin sizes are standardized and there's always a period of squeezing or expanding the headshell clips to get them to fit snugly on the new cartridge. Needle nose pliers, round toothpicks and frequent breaks to restore my patience eventually get the job done. Gently does it.

You can do this! Once you've done one you'll have a skill you can re-use forever.

 

[heavyrock]

DIY for sure. Until I started to do it on my own I was intimidated. Now I try to pass what I have learned on to friends that ask for advise. I learn more in the process too as a result.

 

[Balifly]

Hey AK,

I've used p-type cartridges my whole TT life, until now. My new receiver (McIntosh 6100) doesn't like the high voltage from my existing cartridge. So I've gotten a Technics SL-D2 and a Denon DL-110. But I've never aligned a cartridge before, and may never again. Should I invest in the tools to do it myself, and possibly do it wrong, or take my table to a professional for this theoretically one-time adjustment? I'm definitely a DIY guy, but I want this to be perfect!

Best of luck in your search for the perfect alignment.

In the mean time try the following method and you enjoy the music during the journey to perfection.

Caution: Baerwald alignment may not be possible if your Technics headshell is an old one with the shorter screw slots.
52mm from the tip of the stylus to the rear washer.