Azimuth adjustment the easy way...

I actually don't have a suggestion im looking for yours. I've always done it by sight and ear but there are better methods and devices like the fozgometer. What's your favorite method for adjusting azimuth of a phono cartridge?

keep it simple, i do have a fluke multimeter but dont own an O-scope/fully outfitted tech's bench.
 
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Myles I can borrow an oscilloscope from work if I want to, Do you think it would be that much better than the Fozgo?

Jay
 
Myles I can borrow an oscilloscope from work if I want to, Do you think it would be that much better than the Fozgo?

Jay

See what Brian said earlier in the thread. You can get to the same place by ear, just with more effort. Experiment hand let us know; I'd be curious. Of course you would need a test record say like the AP release.
 
See what Brian said earlier in the thread. You can get to the same place by ear, just with more effort. Experiment hand let us know; I'd be curious. Of course you would need a test record say like the AP release.
I have the test record I use with the Fozgometer, that should work...
 
I would agree but I wish the meter was more finely marked. I discover that very carefully adjustments are quite audible. But for VTA I am happy with my ears, but I would be receptive to a meter.
 
Brian, of course, I have long known of the Feickert software, but have never heard a demonstration or tried it. I think I will do so now. I assume that you would recommend going to the Pro level.
 
I'm curious how easy it is to use the Feickert Adjust + and how stable the readings are with the test record. It looks like the software gives you good plots of the results to arrive at the best azimuth. I have some problem using an oscilloscope (old with no storage) and looking at the channel phase X/Y Lissajous patterns on the screen. It's hard making adjustments when the pattern is bouncing around. There doesn't seem to be very good resolution.

I was also curious if anyone tried the Soundsmith Cartright. Was it ever formally released?
 
I'm curious how easy it is to use the Feickert Adjust + and how stable the readings are with the test record. It looks like the software gives you good plots of the results to arrive at the best azimuth. I have some problem using an oscilloscope (old with no storage) and looking at the channel phase X/Y Lissajous patterns on the screen. It's hard making adjustments when the pattern is bouncing around. There doesn't seem to be very good resolution.

I was also curious if anyone tried the Soundsmith Cartright. Was it ever formally released?

Barry, I have been told the Cartright will never come about.

Opps, I thought the Feickert Adjust came with a computer oscilloscope.

I think that all tonearm manufacturers need a devices such as that coming with the Thales tonearm that sets up everything perfectly.
 
I tried to set it by ear, but really couldn't tell much. So I opted for using a voltmeter and a pseudo-Fozgo method (measure the electrical output from one channel vs the other channel using a mono pressing or a test record that only plays white/pink noise on one channel at a time). My cartridge is only .2mv output, so I really couldn't get a reading. I then measured off the outputs of my step-up and that was better, but still fairly coarse. The voltmeter needs to be uber sensitive to mimic what the Fozgometer can do. I guess you could probably do the same using the outputs from the phono stage too and get a higher signal strength.

So I adjusted it as best I could. Then a freind brought over his Fozgo device and the required test record, and my Voltmeter adjustment was proved to be spot on. So it can be done using what you have around the house.
 
I think that all tonearm manufacturers need a devices such as that coming with the Thales tonearm that sets up everything perfectly.
I would agree to that, but what the Feickert Adjust+ is doing is quite unique.
Most other turntable calibration tools are nothing but templates. With Adjust+ the actual output from your specific cartridge sample is analysed. That can in many cases be very different from a template. Especially since there are tolerances in cartridge and tonearm manufacturing.
 
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I would agree to that, but what the Feickert Adjust+ is doing is quite unique.
Most other turntable calibration tools are nothing but templates. With Adjust+ the actual output from your specific cartridge sample is analysed. That can in many cases be very different from a template. Especially since there are tolerances in cartridge and tonearm manufacturing.

I got a Fozometer and found tiny adjustments of the azimuth made great differences. I agree that templates are just not precise enough.
 
I would agree to that, but what the Feickert Adjust+ is doing is quite unique.
Most other turntable calibration tools are nothing but templates. With Adjust+ the actual output from your specific cartridge sample is analysed. That can in many cases be very different from a template. Especially since there are tolerances in cartridge and tonearm manufacturing.

+1
 
I bought the Adjust+ around 10 months ago and have to say I was a little surprised with the comparatively significant change to sonics that very small (.2 deg) azimuth adjustments gave. I found the software very easy to use (I would recommend buying the 'advanced' spirit level over the standard one that comes with the basic Adjust+) and set my azimuth according to where the L & R 'phase response' intersected (+.4deg for my Atlas). Aside from the very noticeable sonic improvements, the low level 'whoosh' surface noise on some of my LPs disappeared whilst on others some very faint ticks (from barely visible hairlines) also disappeared!!
I've also found using the Adjust+ to adjust platter speed much easier than the KAB Speedstrobe I used to use. Money well spent IMO.
 
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Azimuth adjustment is mandatory with many cartridges - SME V or other fixed azimuth tonearm users must select their cartridges for exact 0 degree compensation. It is why I gave up on the fixed shell SME V.

The Feickert Adjust+ helps you adjusting for equal residuals of crosstalk - an old technique that has been typically carried since long using an oscilloscope. I used to do it with a nice looking and impressive Tektronix. Now I use the excellent Spectraplus demo version and the same USB sound card I use for REW to set my cartridge using the old Hifi News test record, that includes the needed L and R tracks needed for this measurement .

Technically minded people can find Spectraplus here https://spectraplus.com/Downloads.htm
 
Azimuth adjustment is mandatory with many cartridges - SME V or other fixed azimuth tonearm users must select their cartridges for exact 0 degree compensation. It is why I gave up on the fixed shell SME V.

The Feickert Adjust+ helps you adjusting for equal residuals of crosstalk - an old technique that has been typically carried since long using an oscilloscope. I used to do it with a nice looking and impressive Tektronix. Now I use the excellent Spectraplus demo version and the same USB sound card I use for REW to set my cartridge using the old Hifi News test record, that includes the needed L and R tracks needed for this measurement .

Technically minded people can find Spectraplus here https://spectraplus.com/Downloads.htm

What you are using is different from Adjust+, which as described well by david.m measures phase response as well as crosstalk, the former tending to correlate better with what we hear. Minimizing phase error between channels can range from relatively easy to time consuming, depending upon how steep the phase response curves are in the region where they intersect. If they are steep and the adjustment mechanism is not fine, you will find yourself hunting for the correct setting which can involve only a few hundredths of a degree adjustment in order to get it relatively close. But as david.m says, the effort is worth it.
 
I would hope Chris Feickert didn't focus so much on the degrees in the manual. It is not important. What is important is the number of steps or pins or whatever. It is a procedure of finding intersections and you only have to keep track of where you are and where you have been in order to narrow it down and finally find the correct spot.
Arms with possibility to rotate the headshell/tube in steps is ideal, e.g. 4Point.

What I never understood in the Adjust+ software is the calculation of distorsion. Anyone?
 
Just come onto this thread, so please excuse me if someone has already answered this. Has anyone used the Feickert + software on a Mac? If so, did you emulate Windows XP in something like VM Fusion or dod you use Bootcamp? It sounds like the Analog + software is more accurate than the Fozgometer. Am I correct?
 
Just come onto this thread, so please excuse me if someone has already answered this. Has anyone used the Feickert + software on a Mac? If so, did you emulate Windows XP in something like VM Fusion or dod you use Bootcamp? It sounds like the Analog + software is more accurate than the Fozgometer. Am I correct?

Yep No problems with Adjust + on my MacBook Pro-- No need for Bootcamp/ Parallels /etc

You load Virtual Box --free for MAC --ORACLE SOFTWARE

I use Windows 8.1

SBX Soundblaster Soundcard

BruceD
 
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It sounds like the Analog + software is more accurate than the Fozgometer. Am I correct?
Is a submarine better than a snorkel?

Please observe that Adjust+ should be used with soundcard capable of recording 24/96. I haven't figured out just how important that is, but at least it seems much more stable to measure with a high quality soundcard. I get very weird results when measuring with a laptop with combined line/mic input and 16/44.
 

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