As discussed in other posts, changing things around TT wise, and first up was installing my new Denon DL-103R.

it is replacing a Shure M75B on my Yamaha YP-D9 TT

i bought a new headshell to go with it and that arrived today - a Jelco HS-25.

Feeling pleased with myself - only took an hour to install, adjust tonearm balance and set tracking force.  Especially since I have a genetic condition that gets worse as I age - benign essential tremor.  My hands are perfectly steady at rest, but as soon as I pick up a  scewdriver  (for example) the tremors start!

Annoyed I didn't look at manual first!  As I got the earth wires around the wrong way and had to do them again.  Can't find my setting up protractor so put the new headshell alongside the old one (still with old stylus installed) and matched the overhang.

Got arm balanced and set tracking weight at 2.5 as recommended.  

Must have got it right, straight off Linda Ronstadt's voice (on "What's  New" with Nelson Riddle and his orchestra) was fluid and unstrained - last time I played it her voice seemed strained when reaching for the high notes.  

My Dynavector P75/3 from cooksferry arrived today as well, but haven't set it up yet, so playing my LPs through the MC input on the Linn Pretek - very impressed. 

Will continue looking for my protractor just to ensure got things right - but if I can't find it will buy a replacement.  I know I can download them, but not really satisfied I could print one off to the right scale.  

The print jobs usually have a ruler scale so you can make sure its printed correctly.

I track my 103Rs at a little less than 2.5, around 2.25 seems best to me.

Ditto on 2.25g,  for my 103R, sounds sweetest.

Never play Leapfrog with a Unicorn.

i used 2.5 for my dl-a100 in the well tempered and oracle/sme.

where did you get your 103 r from, sub ?

May 4, 2017 20:11:18 GMT 12 michaelw said:

where did you get your 103 r from, sub ?

Bought off TM from a guy who said he bought it off Amazon USA and then found it did not fit the headshell of his Grace tone arm. 

ah, right i remember that one

Finally got a protractor sorted and checked things out. The protractor has a point A close to the edge of the record and point B closer to the run out, and the instructions say the sides of the cart should line up parallel at either point and preferably at both. Well, it lines up perfectly at point A, but is about 2.5 degrees out at point B. Trouble is if I correct it at point B it is then out at point A! Should I worry about that?

Hi sub - if the protractor is the usual 2-point one, you will only get the 2 pts lining up if you also set the optimal 'overhang'

What is your tonearm & TT?

DarkLantern blog - darklanternforowen.wordpress.com

Ah, my memory is slow... the Yamaha YP-D9 TT.

If your Effective Length (arm pivot to stylus tip) is 230 - 235mm, then Overhang (stylus overhanging the platter spindle centre) should be 18 - 17.5mm.

DarkLantern blog - darklanternforowen.wordpress.com

Thank you Owen.

Can't  find a user manual for the D9, Google only produces docs in Japanese, as it is said to be a  fully manual Japan only version of the D8.

Vinyl Engine gives arm length of 232mm and overhang of 16mm for the D8, so have used those measurements.  Used a plastic ruler centred on the spindle and set it as close to 16mm as I could get it.  Seems to have worked as the cart now lines up spot on at both points A and B.

sound seems to have improved in subtle ways!

Yes i saw those specs, you can't always rely on published specs esp from the earlier days as some manufs have their own take on optimal alignment.
(Dynavector tonearms come to mind.)

Conventional 'Baerwald' alignment for a 232mm Eff Length, should be with Overhang set at 17.9mm!

Eff Length is something that varies too, it is the distance of the stylus point from the arm pivot - ie can vary with (i) cartridge design (ii) cartridge fore-and-aft position in the headshell slots. If you are getting perfect alignment at 16mm overhang, my calculator says that your Eff Length is more like 229mm (not 232).

However, the important thing is that you managed to get perfect alignment at the 2 points!

DarkLantern blog - darklanternforowen.wordpress.com

Ah I see also that you bought a different headshell - which may differ slightly in dimensions (and/or slot hole positioning) from the Yamaha one - another possible variable.

DarkLantern blog - darklanternforowen.wordpress.com