Origin Live Aurora MKI - Manual (Page 15)

15
Hi-Fi cartridges - set-up procedures
I N T R O D U C T I O N
General comments
As we supply most makes of hi-fi cartridge we get asked questions from time to time about various issues
regarding set up and care. To help newcomers to this area we have published the following notes. These
guidelines are of a general nature - we publish them only to be of help and although widely accepted they are
not formally authoritative - we cannot accept liability if you choose to use them and neither do we encourage
the time consuming occupation of answering queries surrounding the procedures outlined - these are best
referred to the manufacturer of your specific hi-fi cartridge.
For those new or inexperienced to fitting hi-fi cartridges we would state that this is NOT difficult and much of
the detail and perfectionism outlined below is for those who like to experiment. We ourselves do not normally
check azimuth, or vary tracking forces from the manufacturers recommendations - neither would we worry if
the arm was up to 3mm away from the recommended distance from the spindle - although all these details are
audible they are generally of a fairly low order, although tracking force and VTA are worth trying should you
feel anything is lacking. If things seem complicated we would encourage you not to be put off as it all becomes
clear once you get started.
Before fine-tuning the set up as described below you should allow the cartridge to "run in" properly - at least 40
hours for some cartridges.
Importance of cartridge set up
Hi-Fi cartridges travel like a bobsleigh through the grooves of a record only a few thousandths of an inch wide.
You hear groove displacements of the order of a few millionths. (That’s like splitting a hair into one thousand
pieces.) Every bit of motion or vibration allowed at this level can be heard enormously amplified through your
speakers. For this reason it is good to set up the turntable and arm correctly so that the audio cartridge can do
it's job properly. For instance a turntable out of level can produce side forces on the pickup cartridge tip that
will wear it more on one side than the other as well as have a slightly degrading effect on the wear of your
records.
Levelness
When a turntable goes out of level, the platter bearing performance and the arm’s dynamics, specifically anti-
skate, are negatively affected. So be sure your turntable platter and tonearm mounting board are level - use a
spirit level. If the platter is out of level, first adjust the surface that the deck stands on. The suspension (in the
case of a suspended sub-chassis design) may also need levelling if it has subsided over time.
Hi-fi cartridges alignement
Alignment for hi-fi cartridges needs to be optimised in three different planes. However, it cannot be perfect in
all three planes, so it must be optimised for an overall best balance or compromise. The final authority should
always be your ears and preferably over an extended period of listening time. Bear in mind that each record is
cut slightly differently. Here again, optimise for an overall balance of good sound over a wide range of records.
The three alignment planes are as follows. (Please note that it is the stylus, not the cartridge that is being
aligned.)
Lateral tracking angle
Viewed from above, the hi-fi cartridges arcing movement across the record must maintain the stylus in the
same relation to the groove as that of the cutting stylus’s straight-line tracking; this is Lateral Tracking
Angle, or Tangency. Apart from linear tracking arms this is always a matter of the best compromise.
Azimuth