Clipped and Shorn Posted November 12, 2002 Share Posted November 12, 2002 Good photo, kh. Did you take that at a junk yard? kaboom. So the VTA is not adjusted by messing with the way the cartridge is mounted in the head, but with some mysterious hidden screw thingie? -c7s Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobile homeless Posted November 12, 2002 Author Share Posted November 12, 2002 Ummm..... The VTA is simply adjusted via the arm raising and lowering at the back where it inserts into the table. Many times, the arm post slides up and down in the sleeve of the base that hold the arm to the arm board or plinth. The simplest method is the "setscrew" that you loosen which enables you to move the arm up and down. This is an easy method to make but not very easy to use. You get the arm at the proper height and tighten the screw. As I said, your Technics 1200 MkII has that big collar at the base of the arm going around the whole area. It is a large collar...and you can turn it and watch the arm raise up and down in the rear. Have you tried this? kh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxg Posted November 12, 2002 Share Posted November 12, 2002 Wow - the Pro-ject 9 - that's my arm!!! Adjusting the VTA is very easy on this arm. You call the man that sold it to you and he comes over and does it. Then he checks the weight on the cartridge on a tiny scale thing - turns a screw here, a widget there - pronounces it spot on takes some money and leaves. Then you get some friends over who know a thing or 2 about such things and they verify what he did - old rubber mat from Sony TT notwithstanding. On the original subject of this thread I have discovered that this non-felt gizmo sticks to records far better than it sticks to platters. Every time Tony changes a record he has to stop the TT - realign the mat (which aint that easy with the big hole) - place a record on the TT - restart the motor and finally play the album - all told a 1 to 2 minute interuption in the music. Say what you will about my Sony Rubber mat - but I can lift records off and replace them without ever stopping the TT - and they never slip during play! At the weekend I am going to try out Tony's non-felt. I have the feeling this in not something I can live with and the additional wear and tear on the motor worries me. And we still havent got to the static issue. The felt mat used to charge up like a capacitor. Change 2 records and I looked like sparky the clown, plus the static also stuck the thing to my records requiring similar antics to the above that Tony goes through every time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobile homeless Posted November 12, 2002 Author Share Posted November 12, 2002 Those rubber mats sound really bad, comparatively... seriously. Some of the aftermarket models are presentable but I am telling you, it is worth the improvment to find a good mat. At the least, give the Ringmat a try. It does not have some of the problems you outline and would sound MUCH better than that plastic mat. Mats makea big difference depending on the table. But as for now, you sould like a solid state man talking of the pain of tubes!!! heh... Learn how to set your cartridges up and you will feel that much closer to the whole process. It really is not that hard and rewarding to be able to do it on your own. kh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fini Posted November 12, 2002 Share Posted November 12, 2002 So, adjusting your VTA would be akin to raising or lowering your piano stool (or office chair), to get your hands in the proper position, eh? Do I have to readjust my VTA everytime a new LP drops down the spindle onto the stack of records? Could the Ringmat (or homemade version) be used between the platter and the stock rubber mat (or a sacrificial vinyl disc)? Someone with a revealing system and good ears might want to give this a try. If the Ringmat serves as an insulator, rather than some sort of "connector", then this might work. The damn mat would stay put, anyway. fini Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobile homeless Posted November 12, 2002 Author Share Posted November 12, 2002 Why would you want to put the Ringmat on top of the older mat? This makes no sense as it is making the coupling with the platter even further removed. The sound should get worse AS WELL AS make for dramatic VTA adjustment. You dont want multiple layers of mats on your platter at all. It's simple to me. If you have a STOCK rubbber mat with your turntable, you should opt for SOME kind of replacement. Even the older AudioQuest and DISC MAT works better than the stock mats, especially if you have a DIRECT DRIVE TABLE where you need more resonance control since the motor is attached to the PLATTER AND SPINDLE (a definite no no sonically - the super high end direct drives dont do this - the reason for many direct drives today is the DJ aspect for bring up to speed). I would opt for any solution besides those stock mats. The new Donut and Standard mat from Extremephono is the cheapest mat I have seen offered that has gotten VERY good reviews for the most part. That is why I recommended it. I am going to try one myself. If you can find the exact same material, go for it. Since C&S and Fini can MATCH the real with the shelf material, I think it a smart thing. It should NOT lift with the record. I think when you have an ACYLIC PLATTER, it might not stick quite as well. You do need to watch taking a record off the platter as it will STOP the platter if not careful. You have to be faster removing the record. This is what MAXG's friend is running into. There is a section at the site on this very aspect. But these aftermarket mats do make a difference. But not when piled one on top of the other thus taking away the coupling advantage. kh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fini Posted November 12, 2002 Share Posted November 12, 2002 Actually, I was suggesting putting the Ringmat BETWEEN the platter and a non-static/sticky mat...or a sacrificial lp. Agreed, puting it ON TOP would not help. Sandwiching it MIGHT work. Makes sense to me! fini Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clipped and Shorn Posted November 12, 2002 Share Posted November 12, 2002 When I first got my Technics, Kevin at KAB actually coached me through the set up over the phone and the VTA was set at that time. I have never messed with it since. I am usually a distracted absent minded professor and like Max sometimes I just like to let the professionals do stuff for me, like the piano tuner. My mind is usually off in the clouds somewhere and I do not always trust myself to not screw things up when I start messing with screwly adjustments and wrenching with alan or screwing with phillip. Usually I am at the piano trying to figure out the next montuno bar......my three cents worth.....(who got that?)....... -c7s Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobile homeless Posted November 12, 2002 Author Share Posted November 12, 2002 See the Pro-Ject 9 Manual I made in other thread. By the way, I dont mind you leaving the VTA-azimuth-alignment at whatever you desire or wherever it came stock. The PROBLEM comes when reviews and soncic judgements are passed and made public. And if the setup and break-in and attention to detail are not met, the assessment of the product or gear is pretty much invalid to me and misleading; yet the people dont know this. This is sonically speaking. Opinions on construction etc are VERY valid, even if not setup. I cant count how many times people had dissed products in this forum for lack of the above, whether it be tube amps or turntables or cables. It's something we ALL must watch out for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan Songer Posted November 12, 2002 Share Posted November 12, 2002 Azimuth! Arrrrrgh! I know some folks who think this is THE most important setting (Victor at BAT among others)!! I'm lucky because azimuth adjustment on an SME 3012 is a piece of cake and you can dial it in with a test record in about an hour. But with some tonearms it's freaking IMPOSSIBLE!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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