thewolf Posted February 12, 2009 Share Posted February 12, 2009 New to vinyl and have some dumb questions. I just got a Dynavector 10x5 cartridge and want to make sure I am mounting it to the arm (stock rb300) properly. How do you align the cartridge in the head. I'm not sure how far forward or back it should be mounted. Also...what tracking force works the best for you? Thanks much. Gary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryC Posted February 13, 2009 Share Posted February 13, 2009 It is very important to align the cartridge, or more precisely the "cantilever" (the very thin tube the stylus is mounted on) to be parallel to the record groove at the point that the stylus sits in the groove. The alignment is done by sliding the cart forward or back in the head, and then fine-tuning it by slightly twisting it in the headshell. This must be very precise. Some do it by ear. However, you must have a "protractor" that lets you do the alignment visually. Here is a document on cart alignment: http://www.audiophilia.com/features/cartridge_setup.htm Craig (NOSValves) has bookmarked a fine downloadable protractor, but I can't find it. This document has several, and it looks like the Heybrook (over half-way down the page) is the simplest, and the best because prints out correctly: http://www.vinylengine.com/cartridge-alignment-protractors.shtml. Click the Heybrook image and print out the PDF. Carefully carve out a precise hole at the black circle, which is to be put down over the TT center spindle, and use a pin or ice pick to put little indents at the two points where the stylus is supposed to sit, where vertical lines B and C meet the radius from the TT spindle. The easy way is to align the cart body with the parallel longitudinal lines, but the most accurate way, after lowering the stylus tip to one of the indentations, is to stoop down in front of the cart and squint along the cantilever -- line it up EXACTLY with line B or C. I recommend using a magnifying glass, illuminated if possible. Hope this helps -- Larry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewolf Posted February 14, 2009 Author Share Posted February 14, 2009 Thanks for the help Larry. The heybrook card worked perfectly and was very simple. Gary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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