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In Reply to: RE: Phono cartridge adjustment posted by M3Man on December 20, 2024 at 16:26:03
"Soundsmith says the Fozgometer doesn't work with their cartridges because the separation is so high, the readings on the meter can lead you to misalign the cart." Do you understand that statement? Because I don't.
The question that comes up in setting azimuth is do you set it for equal levels of crosstalk, L to R and R to L? Or do you set it for minimum crosstalk, regardless of the fact that you see different values (in db) for L to R compared to R to L? I've never used a Foz, but I get the impression that it is designed to end up with equal values of crosstalk (option #1). If that is the goal, then in my experience that often results in setting the stylus tip at an angle that is well off 90 degrees with respect to the groove. In that same experience, this results in aberrant stylus wear and distortion, but you can feel good that you have equal crosstalk in each channel. I most recently stopped worrying and set the stylus tip at 90 degrees with respect to the groove without measuring anything electrically. The Korf website outlines the justification for that approach. Can be a problem with a classic unipivot tonearm.
Follow Ups:
I could try to explain what Soundsmith says, but I would not do a good job. Here is the link to their explanation. Just go down to the segment on azimuth.Here's part of it.
Again, it is important to note that cartridge azimuth alignment devices that rely on equal channel balance and identical channel separation to make this adjustment will work reasonably well with some cartridges, but absolutely not with others. They are great tools, but can have limits, and often with a Soundsmith cartridge will not work in the attempt to adjust AZIMUTH to achieve best azimuth adjustment. In fact, some will actually provide a far worse azimuth recommendation than using a mirror, or an equal reflection in the surface of the record while playing as viewed from the front. As a result, there is a caveat with these devices that rely on identical cartridge channel characteristics. While it is true that a truly defective cartridge may have channel asymmetry from the standpoint of one channel having far worse separation than the other, it is also quite common with Soundsmith cartridges - which often have unusually high levels of separation - to have one channel that has better separation than the other.
And here's what Mikey Fremer wrote about my current cartridge , the Zephyr MIMC. " I measured 35.5dB of separation in both directions (L-R and R-L) with the head shell parallel to the record surface, no azimuth adjustment necessary." "As the measurements predicted, the Zephyr Star produced as wide a soundstage as I've experienced in my room: wide, deep, stable and three-dimensional. Images on the stage were three-dimensional and satisfyingly solid."
https://sound-smith.com/soundsmith-cartridge-alignment
Edits: 12/26/24
That pretty much jibes with what Korf says, and what I do after reading the Korf rationale. Years ago, I adjusted a new Koetsu Urushi for equal crosstalk using a now antiquated but still working Signet Cartridge Analyzer and the Shure test LP that goes with it. The azimuth angle required to obtain the desired electrical measurement was visibly far off of 90 degrees, but I slavishly left it that way for a year or more, falsely secure in the knowledge that I had achieved equal crosstalk. After that period of time, I examined the stylus under a microscope and discovered that it was badly worn on one side but not the other. I then sent it off for a new stylus but retained the OEM boron cantilever. Once I got it back, I set azimuth for 90 degrees to the groove and never even measured the consequent crosstalk. Aural memory is not to be trusted, but I could swear the Urushi sounds far better than it ever did when I had electrically set azimuth. Obviously the extreme azimuth angle causes audio signal distortion, as well as aberrant stylus wear. And yes, I wanted to slap myself in the forehead like Homer Simpson.
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