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20

The

 AQUILAR

 features (2) laser engraved 

height scales in its inner stainless steel pillar.

One height scale is visible from the front and 

the other is visible from the inward side.

If  you muse to mount the 

AQUILAR

 as a  

“secondary” tonearm on a turntable featuring 2 

or more armbases, know that we have specially 

catered for this by providing this additional 

feature of the 2nd scale on the inward pointing 

side.

Summary of Contents for AQUILAR 10

Page 1: ...1 10 and 12 reference tonearm the AOUILAR picture by Harry Ralston owner s manual ...

Page 2: ...to effective moving mass Resulting in a level of performance only obtainable when each and every aspect of the analog audio tracking process is attended to with utmost attention to every minute detail A level of performance which transcends prior frontiers and opens new levels of musical realism in the playback of recorded music We do share the real passion for music and I am confident that the AQ...

Page 3: ...g the pivot plane 19 Removing the fingerlift 21 Exchanging the cartridge mounting plate 22 Setting antiskating 22 Specifications 23 AQUILAR alignment template 24 General note Technical data minor design and specifications are subject to change without prior notice copyright design acoustical systems Manufactured and assembled in Germany For further infomations www acoustical systems com info acous...

Page 4: ...is again is of paramount importance in a static balanced design to avoid unwanted changes in static settings namely tracking force when changing tonearm height to accommodate VTA or SRA Offset and Overhang adjustment Offset is adjusted in the prolonged and slightly widened slots for the cartridge mounting screws Overhang can be adjusted at 2 spots both located at the head First of course in the pr...

Page 5: ...et a new tool working as fast as possible May I please encourage you to follow me through this mounting and set up procedure as precisely as possible and to the very end it will be to your advantage This will ensure that you get the best possible performance from your AQUILAR and take advantage of all its features and capabilities Single point mounting vs SME slide base In this manual we will cove...

Page 6: ...taining the following AQUILAR alignment template detailed description on page 24 2 black knob fingerscrews 2 stainless steel countersunk screws 1 white knob fingerscrew with sharp tip in 8 mm sleeve 1 white 20 mm POM adapter 2 small white 7 mm spindle hood 1 additional 40 mm length stainless steel lateral rod for heavy cartridge counterbalancing 1 100 mm long 3 mm stainless steel pin plastic bag w...

Page 7: ...f the mounting plate Select 1 of the M5 screws in the accessory box suitable for your armboard The M5 screw should be at least 8 mm 1 3 greater in length than your armboard s thickness Now take the stainless steel lower mounting plate and look at it The 3 indents have to point upward Please take this 50 mm lower mounting plate and place it onto your armboard with the 3 indents pointing upwards The...

Page 8: ...nting plate PLEASE NOTE The 3 spikes MUST sit in the matching indentions in the lower mounting plate Now tighten the mounting screw JUST A BIT not anywhere near maximum strength Do not use maximum force just make sure it is loosely tightened so that the mounting plate can still be rotated in the horizontal plane The mounting screw will be fixed during levelling the pivot plane The AQUILAR is now s...

Page 9: ...of the AQUILAR s headshell should be approximately 2 or 5 cm away from the outer rim of the turntable s platter Now take one of the 2 small 7 mm spindle adapter hood and SLOWLY and CAREFULLY place it on top of the spindle and ever so slightly press down 4 Check which one fits better IMPORTANT be careful DO NOT press down the spindle adapter any more than 1 2 mm If you press too hard you will have ...

Page 10: ... The AQUILAR should be positioned so that the underside of the armwand is approximately 2 5 cm 1 above the turntable s platter surface First you have to unlock the knob screw at the inward side of the VTA tower by turning it ONLY 1 4 revolutions anti clockwise A If you need to adjust for the above desired height by lifting the AQUILAR in height above the arm board adjust the height using the top V...

Page 11: ...mbly as well as the airplane nose shaped HD18 counterweight from the AQUILAR s box Next take the metric 1 5 Allen key and slightly turn the screw in the counterbar s end anti clockwise only about 1 2 revolutions 1 Now please take the HD18 counterweight and slide it narrow head to the front onto the stainless steel counterbar 2 laretal weights main conterweight 2ndary for 12 2ndary for 10 1 2 ...

Page 12: ...or and light weight For a cartridge body weight of 15 to 25 grams please select the stainless steel lateral weight higher weight For a cartridge weight of 26 to 31 grams please select the extra long rod from the accessory box and use both lateral weights Such a weight is unlikely nevertheless it can be accomodated as described in detail later in this manual Fix the aluminum or stainless steel cyli...

Page 13: ... Please fix the rod with the end just meeting the opening of the through hole by attending again to the M3 grub screw at the end 1 Settings in pictures 2 3 and 4 5 are both possible and correct 1 2 3 4 5 ...

Page 14: ... however we never know what the future brings and your AQUILAR is able to counterbalance a wider range of cartridge weights than most other tonearms Now position the aluminum lateral weight left outward A of the counterbar and the stainless steel lateral weight right inward B onto the 4 mm rod The aluminum lateral weight has to be positioned as pictured otherwise there is no perfect lateral balanc...

Page 15: ...ings For M2 5 cartridge screws please use torque settings according to 80 90 of maximum as recommended by German engineering norm for DIN 912 This ensures perfect energy transfer and thus gives you the most dynamic and detailed uncolored sound from your cartridge Detailed recommendations regarding mounting screws settings and special tools are available from acoustical systems upon your request Re...

Page 16: ...hind the sweet spot The template features the same precision and construction as our SMARTractor universal alignment tool Should you need to adjust azimuth please look at the rear collar of the AQUILAR s headshell The markings will allow easy return to former settings and give you a good indication of direction and position You need to completely loosen the inward pointing lockscrew on the left ha...

Page 17: ...ell Clockwise rotation will turn down the tail of the cartridge and thus will decrease the SRA The total mounting plate angle allows for freely changing SRA for most all cartridges from 97 down to 84 To accomplish this for other 10 tonearms you would need to move them up and down their towers by more than 2 5 up and 2 5 down practically impossible Likewise this change in SRA will of course also in...

Page 18: ...te Adjust the position of the spikes so that the spirit level bubble is centered The 3 spikes in 120 on a circle to each other allow for precise levelling Adjusting the top of the spike clockwise makes it go down thus lifting up that part of the upper mounting plate and results in the bubble moving towards that spike After a few moments you will get used to this procedure and will have no problems...

Page 19: ...ng the top screw After you have reached the desired height please gently fasten the side lock screw again Excessive force is never needed anywhere on the AQUILAR And it has absolutely no benefit whatsoever IMPORTANT PLEASE NOTE We always recommend doing all adjustments requiring hand action only while the stylus is lifted off the groove Important Always loose locking screw A first 1 4 turn only be...

Page 20: ...scale is visible from the front and the other is visible from the inward side If you muse to mount the AQUILAR as a secondary tonearm on a turntable featuring 2 or more armbases know that we have specially catered for this by providing this additional feature of the 2nd scale on the inward pointing side ...

Page 21: ...routine This feature was incorporated for 2 reasons first to offer the purist the option to eliminate another not necessary feature But also to allow for perfect close use of the SMARTstylus thus paving the way for easy and fast fine tuning of SRA and VTA to a level hardly possible otherwise Don t underestimate the fundamental positive effect of this additional alignment option of the SMARTstylus ...

Page 22: ...ating last after lateral balance cartridge alignment and precise levelling of the pivot plane have been achieved Otherwise the antiskating would further have to battle with uncertain and parasitic side forces due to the pivot plane not being dead level and or the inevitable breakdown torque force in all pivot tonearms not being compensated by lateral balance and thus applying additional force on t...

Page 23: ...of the most detailed colorful dynamic and distortion free sound from your favourite records We did our best to provide as complete a manual as possible Should you have any comment or constructive criticism to share we would very much appreciate to hear from you and your experiences Feedback for us is very important and helps us to further improve our designs by tuning them to your needs and demand...

Page 24: ...apter 1 small white 7 mm spindle hood 2 UNI DIN mirrored template 1 This is the special AQUILAR template as it looks when fully assembled example mounted for 12 Version MD AQUILAR 12 only distance stands on position 12 2 unscrew white knob finger screw and replace with 100 mm long 3 mm steel pin for marking mounting hole insert 100 mm long 3 mm steel pin for marking mounting hole white knob finger...

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