Hi shaizada,
the deatils of my cartirdge is
VPI/DYNAVECTOR 20X-H SPECIAL VERSION MC CARTRIDGE 1.0mV - elusivedisc
Well the picture is not very clear since it doesn't have enough resolution. I can only use the step up ratio 10 and the possible loadings are 570 ohms, 1kohm, 1.8 kohms, 3.3Kohms, 4.7Kohms and 10Kohms. Can you also suggest me a resonably price pressure guege I mean electronic. Shure is bit clumsy I find.
Thanks.
Ok Chief,
here is what you need to do to begin with.
First I need you to set the arm parallel to the record surface by using a lined notecard. Measure with the notecard at the beginning and at the end of the tonearm....it should be MOSTLY parallel and keep in mind that the JMW arm tapers towards the end.
Next, I need you to have the cartridge tracking at 2.1g. This is towards the higher part of the allowed tracking range of 1.8g ~ 2.2g and VPI tables like that in general. Get a digital gauge to do that. VERY CAREFULLY loosen the torx screw on the counter weight JUST ENOUGH that you are able to move it forward (closer to the arm pivot) without it moving left and right (as it will change the azimuth settings). You need a digital force gauge to get an accurate reading of the VTF. Remember, changing one setting always has an effect on other settings as well.
Once you have the correct tracking force, put a VERY THING mirror, or use a silver Compact Disc to put on the platter. Slowly lower the cartridge and look at the actual cantilever from head on in front of the cartridge. You want to make sure the cantilever and the reflected image of the cantilever on the CD are making a perfect line. Basically you are using the concept of a parallax error to make sure cartridge azimuth is straight. Hopefully that makes sense, if not post here and I will go in further detail.
Once you got these settings again, measure the VTF again and make sure you are still tracking at 2.1g
Set your phono to the 10x gain and set the loading to 1k Ohms. Ideally, I would have liked to see a load setting of 1300 Ohms (or even 1500 Ohms), but 1k Ohms will keep you towards the warmer side rather than the hotter sounding 1.8k Ohms setting for your particular cartridge.
Get the digital gauge I made malvai get. Get in touch with him and he can tell you where, what and how much. You need that as I feel it is an essential tool. Also, while you are at it, get the KAB Strobe Disc to make sure the table is spinning at the correct speed. Good tool to have around, or if you can get a little fancier, get the Digistrobo. That is what I use personally. Both are very good products.
Finally, once you have the system somewhat dialed in, VTA has to be tuned and set by ear. For that, I use a recording that I am EXTREMELY familiar with and make sure that the standing bass has a perfect sound reproduction. Too low VTA gives me a boomier sound and looses the transient attack. To high of a VTA has too much plucking energy and loses out on body of the instrument. Basically, I tweak it by ear to get the basic sound of an acoustic instrument I know intimately well. Once you nail that, you are good for all other recordings
These are some basic steps I hope are able to help you. Maybe when I come to india, I might make a trip down to your parts to check out your table setup, provided you buy me a plane ticket!
After everything I've learned so far, I can confidently setup a VPI table almost perfectly within 45 minutes of tweaking and listening.
I'd love to help you out if my trip to Delhi materializes.