Rega RP1 cartridge alignment issue

[acemachine26]

So recently I've started noticing a bit of distortion on certain records that didn't have distortion before. Also noticed that my right speaker plays at a lower volume than my left. I think this is because my cartridge alignment is off. I tried to print the Rega Stevenson Protractor but the dimensions aren't right. My printer can't seem to print the actual size and it's a millimeter or two off. Any suggestions? Anyone in Bangalore have a good protractor I could borrow or know anywhere online?

Turntable: Rega RP1
Cart: Nagaoka MP-110

 

[Bloom@83]

So recently I've started noticing a bit of distortion on certain records that didn't have distortion before. Also noticed that my right speaker plays at a lower volume than my left. I think this is because my cartridge alignment is off. I tried to print the Rega Stevenson Protractor but the dimensions aren't right. My printer can't seem to print the actual size and it's a millimeter or two off. Any suggestions? Anyone in Bangalore have a good protractor I could borrow or know anywhere online?

Turntable: Rega RP1
Cart: Nagaoka MP-110

You can reach out to @HiFiAudioFan

 

[Kapeel]

You can buy a cartridge alignment protractor for very less money from chinese sellers on ebay.

Pick this one, its a mirrored protractor. Supposed to help in correctly aligning the cartridge.

 

[sandeepmohan]

Your RP1 should have come with a printed card protractor in the box. Its not that high quality but good enough to tell you if your cartridge alignment is off. I used it to check the alignment of the stock OM5E that was installed.

Since you say this is a recent development, it clearly does not sound like an alignment issue, unless the cartridge screws were set so loose that it lost alignment. If it sounded right the first time you installed the MP110, then its something else along the chain. Perhaps the cables, cartridge pins or the internal phono stage of your integrated. Reseat the cables and check.

 

[acemachine26]

Your RP1 should have come with a printed card protractor in the box. Its not that high quality but good enough to tell you if your cartridge alignment is off. I used it to check the alignment of the stock OM5E that was installed.

Since you say this is a recent development, it clearly does not sound like an alignment issue, unless the cartridge screws were set so loose that it lost alignment. If it sounded right the first time you installed the MP110, then its something else along the chain. Perhaps the cables, cartridge pins or the internal phono stage of your integrated. Reseat the cables and check.

Thanks, will do! Sadly I lost the printed protractor that came with the Rega. I think it's definitely the alignment though. I printed another protractor yesterday that seemed more accurate and both the right speaker issue and the distortion seemed to have decreased. I think I'll take the advice of @Kapeel and get that mirrored protractor.

 

[raj12345]

Rega Tonearm Specifications:
Effective length : 240 mm
Effective Length= (distance from stylus to armboard mounting hole centre).
overhang : 17.24 mm=distance from record center to stylus tip
offset angle : 22.92 deg
mounting center distance : 222.76 mm

Rega is a Baerwald alignment so use Rega Barewald Protractor.
The tip of the stylus should be 240mm from the tonearm pivot. In approximate terms, the armboard mounting hole should be such that the cartridge stylus will “overhang” the record centre (spindle) by a distance of around 17mm for an arm that is of 240mm. Roughly check this by swinging the stylus over the record spindle.

Now after mounting nagaoka mp110 u needs to change/alter tonearm height by 1mm to 2mm. This can be achieved by adding rubber spacer above cartridge body. Add 1mm rubber spacer on an incremental basis so that the tonearm tube becomes as parallel to record surface as possible while playing with stylus.
Keep biasing weight/antiskating 50% of tracking force. The turntable should be levelled via micro spirit levels easily available on Amazon. 200-300₹ digital micro weight scale also proves quite useful in setting tracking weight.

 

[bappa]

Rega Tonearm Specifications:
Effective length : 240 mm
Effective Length= (distance from stylus to armboard mounting hole centre).
overhang : 17.24 mm=distance from record center to stylus tip
offset angle : 22.92 deg
mounting center distance : 222.76 mm

Rega is a Baerwald alignment so use Rega Barewald Protractor.
The tip of the stylus should be 240mm from the tonearm pivot. In approximate terms, the armboard mounting hole should be such that the cartridge stylus will “overhang” the record centre (spindle) by a distance of around 17mm for an arm that is of 240mm. Roughly check this by swinging the stylus over the record spindle.

Now after mounting nagaoka mp110 u needs to change/alter tonearm height by 1mm to 2mm. This can be achieved by adding rubber spacer above cartridge body. Add 1mm rubber spacer on an incremental basis so that the tonearm tube becomes as parallel to record surface as possible while playing with stylus.
Keep biasing weight/antiskating 50% of tracking force. The turntable should be levelled via micro spirit levels easily available on Amazon. 200-300₹ digital micro weight scale also proves quite useful in setting tracking weight.

I am a Rega user from 2010.
The specs are as follows:-
Pivot to spindle distance: 222mm
Effective Length: 239.29mm
Overhang: 17.29mm
Offset Angle: 22.98
Rega card board protractor is a Rega specific Stevenson Protractor but you can use a Baerwald or Loefgren protractor.

Free Cartridge Alignment Protractors | Vinyl Engine

www.vinylengine.com

 

[peace_sells]

So recently I've started noticing a bit of distortion on certain records that didn't have distortion before. Also noticed that my right speaker plays at a lower volume than my left. I think this is because my cartridge alignment is off. I tried to print the Rega Stevenson Protractor but the dimensions aren't right. My printer can't seem to print the actual size and it's a millimeter or two off. Any suggestions? Anyone in Bangalore have a good protractor I could borrow or know anywhere online?

Turntable: Rega RP1
Cart: Nagaoka MP-110

I'm not too sure you're having issues because of cartridge alignment. I have an MP110 as well and even my alignment was not exactly spot on. But i never had IGD or any sort of distortion (used it on Technics SL 1500). MP110 has elliptical stylus which doesn't require alignment to be spot on (meaning there's margin for error as far as alignment is considered). Cartridges like MP500 which have fine line cut stylus, are very sensitive to alignement. I definitely noticed a difference with MP500 (slight off alignement vs correct alignement).

I guess you've already checked if the issue could lie anywhere else in the chain (different input channels, amp/speaker wiring, different sources)?