Analog Magik

I picked up the Analog Magik set a few weeks ago and have been playing around with it, getting a feel for how it works and what it can and can't do. For those of you unfamiliar with the product, it is a pair of test records (one 33.3 rpm the other 45 rpm) and a Windows software program that uses a USB dongle to prevent unauthorized distribution. You also need an analog to digital converter and while I started using my PS Audio Nuwave converter I switched to the recommended ART unit. I probably would have been fine with the PS Audio but I was having some issues I thought might be due to the converter...they weren't. The test tracks can be best described as a mixture of test tones and computer gibberish.

I just wasn't sure i could trust my ears to make the right moves so was most interested in using it to set VTA and azimuth...but you can use it to set VTF, speed, gain, cartridge loading, anti skate, vibration, wow and resonance. I am a data driven guy so it sounded like the way to go for me. More info here:

https://www.analogmagik.com/

First the good news, it works and it works very well indeed. Once dialed in, the sound from my TT really opened up and most noticeably, the focus it brought to music reproduction. I attribute that mostly to finally getting azimuth set right (in conjunction with VTA, VTF etc...none are independent variables). Huge improvement. However, I learned the hard way that the cartridge alignment has to be relatively close to perfect to begin with, otherwise AM spits out gibberish (garbage in garbage out is a good analogy) and you will get frustrated and think the program is worthless. I was using the jig supplied by Graham for my Phantom III and given how slick the concept is figured I was in like Flynn. It turned out to not be the case. When I started to get readings that showed promise for improvement, I was way out of whack on the Graham alignment. I had spent hours trying to minimize readings adjusting yaw, VTA, VTF and azimuth and wasn't getting anywhere.

An email Richard Mak was answered within a few minutes, on a Saturday no less. Turns out the Graham jig and in Richard's opinion, 90% of the others are not close to being in the ballpark. He said that the Graham jig will leave me about 2mm off of where it really needs to be. I now understand why he recommends using the SMARTractor for initial setup. Well I don't have any kind of tractor let alone a smart one so I resorted to printing out, gasp, a paper Stevenson protractor found on VinylEngine. Guess what, after using the Stevenson, I put the cartridge and wand into the Graham jig...it was off 1.7mm.

After that I was off to the races and after a few hours had everything acceptably dialed in. Lots of minuscule tweaks to cartridge yaw to get VTA down to reasonable levels (for VTA to an effective adjustment, the cantilever on my ZYX had to be lined up *perfectly* with the Stevenson protractor.) Basically I was refining alignment of the cantilever. It takes virtually fractions of a degree of rotation to cause VTA numbers to jump off of the AM charts...plus you have to jump back and forth to the azimuth tracks to help fine tune things. When I finished up this morning, I was 1.8mm off of the setting recommended by the jig and that does not count in the fact that the cantilever is now off kilter from where the jig wanted it to be.

All in all, one has to be prepared for a number of hours work. It is painstaking and not a quick fix, you have to circle back around because VTA, VTF and azimuth are all interrelated. Change one and the others are effected, so you have to develop a routine to get good results. It probably is not a system for someone expecting instant gratification or someone looking to simply set one variable, azimuth for instance. Stick with it and you will be rewarded with very fine aural pleasures. It isn't cheap either...nothing in the world of audio seems to be these days but will say that this is some of the best money I have put forth that wasn't a pure piece of equipment...it will allow your equipment deliver to it's full potential however. And that is the beauty of it.

Brock

tima said:

Very nice report.

Does the Graham jig use Stevenson?

Click to expand...

Thanks,

But apparently not... I picked Stevenson, just because. However, I had another another one from Shure that I had printed out but there was no indication as to the heritage so I went for Stevenson. Perhaps the Shure was Baerwald because it is more common? It was off by about 2.1mm to begin with!!

rockitman said:

Very interesting read Brock. Perhaps I will play with the Graham jig and use my dB systems protractor to verify alignment. It is easy to adjust fore and aft in mm increments. I admire your dedication. I’m not sure I have the time and patience for that. Thanks for sharing your experience.

Click to expand...

Christian, there is an old saying that says in effect; you don't know what you don't know. Granted I have some ok equipment but with me there is this lingering question about whether or not I have the analog set up properly. Unlike many others here, I am just jumping back into vinyl after a long hiatus so I don't know what *good* is supposed or can to sound like. I don't have the expertise. And I won't claim to have magic ears that can detect a turntable spinning 0.2% slow.

However, data I can rely on and to be able to make use of and that is what I found in Analog Magik. I found that making barely perceptible adjustments effected the readings substantially. Before I made any adjustments to the cartridge setup, I measured the existing setup using AM...you know what they told me? Basically that I had low quality pieces and parts! That is how far off the Graham jig was. Especially frustrating was not being able to dial in azimuth.

Now, I did not do any intermediate listening tests prior to this final set up. Would it have sounded as good as does now with that last nano tweak? I can't say. All I know is that the numbers tell me all is good and they ain't lying, at least as far as I can tell. I am sure some doubt will creep back in at some point! But hey, the never ending quest for perfection is basically what analog is all about, right?

I will be very interested to hear what you find out with your Graham jig....

Brock

tima said:

It's great that we have innovators continuing to create or refine tools to improve our ability to locate precisely a tiny object in 3 dimensions

Click to expand...

Exactly...I have see the evidence that the location of that tiny object is an order of magnitude more important than I imagined. Unfortunately, too much of what we read about concerning virtues of this TT or that cartridge are purely subjective opinions and observations. Sure there are some professional reviews that we can put some faith into but still, what may be my cup of tea may not be yours. There is no good way to quantify results of any setup other than by listening and even that is subject to the whims of any given room into which it is placed. I can't imagine how many people have spent big bucks on the latest/greatest only to be sorely dissapointed. I am now willing to bet that many items were needlessly discarded because details of proper setup were not known or engaged.

There have been a couple recent threads here debating 9" and 12" tonearms. Ask the question of why one over the other and no one can say beyond the fact that they have their personal preferences. Not that I denounce what people like, it is just that I would like to see some concrete evidence of *why*. Interestingly, Analog Magik has two tracks that measure and report the resonant frequencies of your tonearm/cart combination. How cool is that?

BTW, for my tt with the Phantom III and ZYX UII the measured resonance is 11.6Hz.

Brock

ddk said:

When I was setting Steve's tonearm up I asked Bob which protractor I can use and he said none because the geometry of his arms are proprietary sound to use the jig that came with the arm.

david

Click to expand...

David, interesting information. So Bob has taken an approach similar to VPI where the alignment parameters are a mystery. I will say that I was a bit mystified by Bob's jig. It is very clever design using the locating pins to take guess work out of much of the setup but the slop in the whole system, from said pins to the flip up alignment window to the slide up height adjuster had me guessing ....should it be here..or over here...

It is a beautiful piece regardless.

XV-1 said:

for the OP to say that his Phantom is 1.7mm off is plain incorrect. Comparing Stevenson with Graham alignment is totally apples and oranges.

Click to expand...

What I am saying is that after using AM to optimize the alignment, the stylus is in a location 1.7mm from the location specified by Bob's jig. For my rig, the jig simply did not provide results that were nearly as satisfying as what I have now. The measured results would seem to back that up. In fact, I was in a bit of panic in terms of what the tests were indicating prior to starting with Stevenson that I had the thought that the cart was bad..to the point of calling Mehran and preping to send it back for evaluation. No need to at this point...all is well with the cart.

So yes, I get the point that the two alignment protocols are not one in the same. In this case I have numbers as well as the listening experience to show me how one behaves better than the other. I doubtless will get the itch to go back and try to set with the jig again but given the numerous iterations I have been already been through I probably will wait for a cold snowy day with nothing else to do....