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Well I got it done at last. VTA adjuster fitted on the RB 250, rubber o rings under the arm plate and under the allen bolts of the Gyro.
For the first time I can have the arm slightly uphill from bearings to headshell.
Initial impressions after Muddy Waters - 'Hard Again', Love and Money - 'Strange Kind of Love' and Everything but the Girl - 'Idlewind' are that another step towards 'perfect' replay has been made. Sparation of instruments seems better, soundstage deeper & wider but most impressive is that sibilance and general groove distortion (which was pretty low anyway) now seems virtually non existant. Fantastic detail & lifelike sound with mellifluous presentation ! Lower that arm tube a smidgeon below horizontal lads!
Follow Ups:
Idlewild's my fave--especially Oxford St.Tho isn't there a veil over Tracey's voice on this LP compared to her other recordings? Sounds like the reverb imparts hash or something.
I know what you mean about the veil over her voice but the worst offense from this record used to be sibilance - This has been thouroughly tamed with my current set up I'm glad to say. All the records from this era of EBTG are like this but not nearly as bad as Walking Wounded. I think it was this record (and Eden) that got me into moving coil cartridges and protractors in the first place as I absolutlely cannot stand excessive sibilance.If you want a serious example of veil over female singer then the best example I know is 'First of a Million Kisses' by Fairground Attraction - a great record and, by most criteria, a good sounding one except for the plummy 'hand over mouth' effect which has to be a studio artifact.
Best regards,
I have found that a lot of cartridges, for which the manufacturer suggests a "level" cartridge (body parallel to the record surface), actually sound better when adjusted as you have done(tail down).I know there are lots of theoretical material that shows that small changes can't possibly make much of a difference, but my own experience says otherwise. I can make quite small changes and the difference is quite significant. With a 9" Vector arm, a .3 millimeter change is very obvious. That is why I hate thick audiophile records. They never sound their best unless VTA is changed to account for the change in VTA.
Every record pressing has a different weight of vinyl which imparts a different thickness. I purchased a Pete Riggle VTAF or vertical tracking angle on the fly device from AGone. You can read my full review of the product under Asylum Reviews, tonearms, Pete Riggle VTAF.The device was easy to mount, and the results are SPECTACULAR. Like you I find that a very minimal VTA change moves a sound from ho hum to HOT DAMN!
I can perform the change on the fly which is so seductive. I can nail VTA in a matter of mere seconds, and record the settings for future reference.
I was told this by Colin of university audio when I bought the Systemdek in 89. He supplied me with the appropriate shims to achieve slight tail down attitude with the OC3 that I had. Since I changed cartridges and turntables I needed to address the issue and the Gyro allows for this (with different sized spacers between the chassis & arm plate) not to mention the VTA collar for regas.
Of course the rest of the system has developed since those humble beginnings (Rotel RA 820, celestion DL4's & a Dual !) and the differences are more easily heard.
Since the arm pillar bolt is done up finger tight (against a rubber o ring I found) it's actually quite easy to change the vta in situ, thanks to the Mitchell open architecture. I've yet to try a 180 gramme pressing - we shall see!Best regards,
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