From this post I gather he prefers to set VTA at the headshell by measurement, not by listening. This post seems to support what I gather about his process.
Can digital get to vinyl sound and at what price?
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From this post I gather he prefers to set VTA at the headshell by measurement, not by listening. This post seems to support what I gather about his process.
i made no comment about any of those other things. you made a general comment, Peter got specific, you waved your hand and dismissed that too, now you go general again.....sure the cartridge was set up but everything else is wrong.
ok. you made your point.
yes I have mentioned many times recently that analog set up has to do with the signal path and the records. It is not just about tweaking the cartridge. I am sure that is spot on from JR. I clearly referred to analog, and not the cartridge set up
There is always Al !
And his buddy Wil who thinks he has to like Al's comments because both are digital.
And a little overemphasizing the amount of cartridges with bad zenith errors don't hurt sales of his services, tools and scopes.
i made no comment about any of those other things. you made a general comment, Peter got specific, you waved your hand and dismissed that too, now you go general again.....sure the cartridge was set up but everything else is wrong.
ok. you made your point.
We can not really get into the reasons. Rex simply prefers his digital in one room to his vinyl in another room, and from that he makes a general conclusion about vinyl versus digital. It is only his opinion. Others can question the value of the conclusion based on comparing two formats in different rooms I suppose, but it's Rex's system and he is happy, so all is good.
i'm not here to defend J.R. i know you have your deck of cards. and it works for you.
i've been mostly a 'by-ear' set up person forever; protractor + azimuth grid + VTA mostly by ear. i'm going to dip my toe into a more rigorous approach and see where it gets me.
I like some of your comments even though we do not both have systems.
Mike, I think we were simply discussing his process.
So you understand: the deck of cards is simply a very clever tool so that one can make very small, very precise, and perhaps most importantly repeatable, adjustments while listening to decide what setting sounds most natural during the set up process. Other arms have other methods for making and setting positions.
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There is a difference between liking people's comments, and liking them tribally. Even I like Al's comments sometimes. For example, Brad and I are far from best friends despite we both like SETs horns, but Wil and Al back each other on random digital comments.
The "like" button is controversial but has become an essential device to support activity on social media platforms, and there are consequences.
i respect your process, it's probably better than what i do. it works for you. sorry if it came off in any other way.
Hello Milan!And a little overemphasizing the amount of cartridges with bad zenith errors don't hurt sales of his services, tools and scopes.
How do you know J.R. is over-emphasizing this?
From my personal experiences in this hobby, and from the reports of other audiophiles, I have come to the conclusion that sample-to-sample cartridge variation of the physical characteristics of the same model of cartridge is an unfortunate and inadequately recognized reality.
I'm not saying it's easy to work with tiny cartridge components and achieve consistent build quality and low sample-to-sample variation. I'm saying only that we should recognize the reality that no matter how expensive the cartridge is it is not easy to build these things in a physically consistent way.
I don't expect such a small, difficult-to-build component to be manufactured perfectly. But I don't think it's unreasonable to expect that a US$15,000 cartridge is manufactured to within some range of industry or expert acknowledged acceptability.
Yes, J.R. is in business, and providing services. But he has also given us insight into the sample-to-sample variation of cartridges by a variety of manufacturers. This may make manufacturers uncomfortable, but it is material information for consumers.
Hopefully J.R.'s work will spur cartridge manufacturers to devise production techniques and quality control protocols to reduce sample-to-sample variation of the same model of cartridge.
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I love it when someone makes manufacturers uncomfortable and maybe up their game. Personally i have never encountered a cartridge that could not be adjusted into excellent performance through traditional means, primarily my eyes and ears.
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I don't "like" a good number of Wil's posts because of tribalism, but because I find them well reasoned. But hey, some people like you can't see the difference -- because of a tribalistic attitude (oh, the irony).
That tribalistic attitude also causes you to be willfully blind to the fact that I also like vinyl, as I have unequivocally stated many times. Over the years, I even have consistently defended vinyl against unreasonable, dogmatic digiphiles. I continue to do so as needed.
But hey, pro-digital = anti-vinyl in tribal speak.
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I have no idea about your process Mike. I would encourage all vinyl guys to learn how to properly set up their own arms and cartridges. It is educational, it improves listening skills, and it is cheaper and often more convenient than having to rely on others. And sometimes, results can be superior. It can be very satisfying to know you did it, same with other aspects of system set up.
a relevant read. not agreeing or disagreeing with you. i don't have enough personal experience to say, only owned about 3 dozen high end cartridges. a small sample size. and not investigated them technically. other than observed that every one of my 10 vdH cartridges (all the same general model) were absolutely different alignment wise. for all i know they are had perfect stylus alignments. just not the rest.I love it when someone makes manufacturers uncomfortable and maybe up their game. Personally i have never encountered a cartridge that could not be adjusted into excellent performance through traditional means, primarily my eyes and ears.
agree that so far not had a cartridge i could not get to sound 'pretty darn good', one way or another.
Databased Results of Cartridge Assembly Accuracy
I know a number of you will be interested to read our summary of how well - or not so well - stylus/cantilever assemblies and their alignment in the cartridge body are positioned for optimal playback performance. High End Cartridge Industry - The Current State of Affairs Just wait until you...
www.whatsbestforum.com
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(Emphasis added.)
This is clearly an incorrect statement, Peter. You need to consider the actual arguments made more carefully.
Here is Kingrex' original post:
Here is my interpretation following Rexp's post:
Kingrex agreed, and again makes a statement that proves yours false:
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And yet you have been pushing the mythical skills of your turntable dealer as having setup your vinyl system ever since the vintage Japanese deck that he originally sold you …
“ It can be very satisfying to know you did it “
Perhaps I am missing something.
Curious!
I am not saying all cartridges are easy to adjust or even compatible with any given arm. Van Den Hul are hard to get right, they sound best right on the cusp of distortion/sibilance and a lot of arms can't go low enough in anti skating to get it right. And maybe sample variations have increased with the masters age. I would maybe have the cartridge checked by Wally Services if i could not get it right myself.a relevant read. not agreeing or disagreeing with you. i don't have enough personal experience to say, only owned a 2-3 dozen high end cartridges. a small sample size. and not investigated them technically. other than observed that every one of my 10 vdH cartridges (all the same general model) were absolutely different alignment wise. for all i know they are had perfect stylus alignments. just not the rest.
Databased Results of Cartridge Assembly Accuracy
I know a number of you will be interested to read our summary of how well - or not so well - stylus/cantilever assemblies and their alignment in the cartridge body are positioned for optimal playback performance. High End Cartridge Industry - The Current State of Affairs Just wait until you...
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