My experience with AtlasSL on SAEC 506 was pretty much similar to Gian's. He has one similar to mine and like it very much on SAEC. Airbearing also has his on the SAEC too if I am not mistaken. But personally I think the AtlasSL sounds at its best on SAT.
Zero Distortion: Tango Time
- Thread starter bonzo75
- Start date
I have heard the Atlas SL on the 3012R in a friend's system. Neutral, open, fast, dynamic.
I was trying to put card thickness into a perspective I understood.
If we take Francisco's measurement of 309mm for pivot to stylus tip for his vdH Black Bird(?) then, changing the SRA of Francisco's cartridge from, say, 92° to 93° means moving the 3012-R arm roughly 5.4mm or, again roughly, 22 cards in Peter's deck (4 cards = 1mm). If Francisco can hear the difference a single card makes, that means he can hear roughly 45/1000° (0.045° ) of difference in SRA. (If I did the math right ... I"m not a math guy.)
I don't know if there are any tonearms with mechanically adjustable height arm towers that can accurately adjust in 0.25mm increments. The human ear is very sensitive.
With Master Sig. two cards could mean a worm hole, the tiny cues of movement in sound that unconsciously make your eyes squeezed staring at the front wall with curiosity.
It's not only for repeatability, with the cards you know exactly where you're going and where you've been while figuring out the VTA.
david
My casino friend just gave me this special gold plated deck of cards. Adjusting vta correctly is just not enough for the Asians. You have to adjust it with bling. 
We agree - according to my mental calculus - no calculator available this time! - one card is roughly 0.05 degree. And it is Peter who hears the difference, currently I am focusing in hearing USB cables! However if the system has such sensitivity, Peter had a point when he told us that he had to optimize VTA for each particular LP.
BTW the Graham Phantom III scale has an accuracy of 0.1 mm and includes a level to check horizontality. The Forsell linear tonearm had similar accuracy.
My casino friend just gave me this special gold plated deck of cards. Adjusting vta correctly is just not enough for the Asians. You have to adjust it with bling.
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Tang, this is part of mastering the art of turntabling?
My casino friend just gave me this special gold plated deck of cards. Adjusting vta correctly is just not enough for the Asians. You have to adjust it with bling.
View attachment 60284
I was surprised that you didn't order the AS-2000 in gold......
This is about the 3012-R Francisco otherwise there are several tonearms that come with screw type VTA adjustment if you like them sonically. The problem with the gauges are that your reading will change depending on your eye level and the scale markings. You also should have heard the differences from a single card adjustment if not then check your system, this isn't voodoo.
david
It is why I posted about the Graham - it has a level and an absolute scale, no dependence at all on eye level and operator. Fiddling with a deck of cards is not my cup of tea - sorry! Perhaps some day Tang will post a movie showing him adjusting VTA with his gold cards and I will change my opinion.
Surely VTA is not voodoo - vinyl tracking is mainly physics. However we have several classes of users here - those who optimize it for every single LP and take notes on the LP jackets and those who consider that there is a single best setting for all LPs. Or even those who do it with computer instruments and a purpose test LP. A lot to talk about, IMHO.
I rate the new Saec 4700 its a fantastic tonearm highly musical great nuance tremendous natural midrange.
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