Vinyl Asylum

You've only given us half the relevant data, unless...

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This Post Has Been Edited by the Author

In Reply to: RE: Believe the measurements or my own lying eyes? posted by ColoKurt on April 18, 2017 at 15:35:24

you're seeing an exactly equal amount of crosstalk (-30db) in both channels. Is that the case?

Other guys mentioned, and you already know, that the azimuth adjusted for best crosstalk numbers electronically may result in the azimuth angle off 90 degrees, as in your photo. Someone else noted that this can be due to an imperfect mounting of the stylus or a bent cantilever; it can also be due to misalignment of the generator within the cartridge body. If it is not plane parallel to the top and sides of the cartridge body, electronic azimuth adjustment will require you to adjust the cartridge body off the 90 degree angle with the LP, so that the generator itself ends up 90 degrees to the plane of the LP surface. I think this is most often the case. My only issue with your angle of adjustment is to wonder whether prolonged use might ultimately result in either aberrant wear on the stylus tip or wear on the suspension, due to the angles of the force vectors thus created. John Ellison used to say, and may still say, that if the angle is more than 2 degrees off 90 degrees, you've got a problem that is best rectified by replacing the cartridge.

In my personal experience, I have a Koetsu Urushi that ended up noticeably off center when I adjusted azimuth using my Signet Cartridge Analyzer (a vintage piece). Moreover, it did not sound very good. Then I ignore theory, and I set up the Urushi so it was at 90 degrees azimuth, disregarding the meter entirely. It sounds MUCH better that way. And I don't worry about the nature of the wear on the stylus/cantilever.

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