wjm@lcuxc.UUCP (B. Mitchell) (05/22/85)
As Ben Broder's article mentions, cartridge setup is not difficult and is
CRITICAL if one wants to obtain the performance that one paid for. The
more expensive the cartridge, generally the more critical proper setup
becomes - line trace stylii are especially demanding in this area.
Fortunately, the procedure is not difficult, I use the Telarc Omnidisk,
both for setup and for checking out the final results, but the Mobile
Fidelity Geo-Disk also works well.
Despite what many people think, it is better to set the tracking force
near the high end of the manufacturer's recommendation (but do not exceed the
highest recommended force), since a little extra tracking force will do far
less damage to your records than a badly mistracking cartridge that has the
tracking force set too light!
In the budget to mid-priced range, there is a way to bypass the entire
cartridge setup procedure - that is get a P-Mount turntable. P-Mount turntables
and cartridges are standardized, so that all one must do is plug the
cartridge into the arm, with good results. No alignments are possible, nor
are they required. (You can, and perhaps should, check the alignment of
a P-mount system with the Omnidisk, but if you find a problem, the turntable
will have to go to the shop to be re-adjusted.)
Another way to bypass the problem is to go the CD route, but that's the
subject of another article.
Regards,
Bill Mitchell ({ihnp4!}lcuxc!wjm)