17. Using a high quality alignment protractor, such as the Denneson Soundtractor, adjust the cartridge overhang (17.3
mm) and horizontal tracking angle. Tighten the cartridge mounting screws.
18. Before checking the azimuth alignment of the cartridge, be sure that there is still 1 gram of tracking force and zero
anti-skate force applied to the tone arm. Place an unwarped record on the non-rotating platter of your turntable.
Cue the cartridge down onto the record surface. Azimuth is correct when the center axis of the stylus (as viewed
head-on) is perpendicular to the record surface. If the cartridge was manufactured correctly, the center of the axis
of the stylus is perpendicular to the top mounting surface of the cartridge body. If this is true, you can compare the
front edge of the headshell to the plane of the record to check for proper azimuth adjustment. When they are
parallel, the azimuth is correct. If the center axis of the stylus is not perpendicular to the top mounting surface of the
cartridge, then the front edge of the headshell cannot be used as a guide. Only the axis of the stylus relative to the
record surface can be used for determining correct azimuth. If azimuth adjustment is necessary, return the arm to
the arm rest and lock in place. With one hand, insert the small (1.5 mm) hex key into the headshell lock set screw
located on the underside of the tone arm close to the headshell. Hold the rear part of the headshell with the other
hand. Loosen the headshell lock set screw by turning it clockwise (as viewed from above). It should need at most a
quarter turn. Rotate the headshell to correct for the observed azimuth error. Be sure the back surface of the
headshell is contacting the end of the arm tube; then tighten the headshell lock set screw by turning it
counterclockwise (as viewed from above).
Caution:
Do not over tighten the headshell lock set screw. Over tightening this screw can damage the headshell and is
unnecessary because of the large surface area inside the arm tube for rigid mechanical coupling. Tighten only until the
headshell does not rotate in the arm tube. This can be checked by holding the arm tube with one hand and the headshell
with the other hand and then twisting. Do not twist the headshell without holding the arm tube as this will stress the
bearings. Recheck the azimuth and readjust if necessary. Recheck cartridge overhang and horizontal tracking angle with
an alignment protractor and adjust as necessary.
19. Plug the five-pin female connector of the tonearm cable or PIB-1 interface box into the bottom of the tone arm. It is
preferable to mount (with the supplied screws) the PIB-1 box onto the back of the turntable. The connectors on the
box should point to the left rear corner of the turntable as viewed from the front. Alternatively, the box can be
mounted to the surface that the turntable sits upon. After the PIB-1 has been secured in place, plug a set of your
favorite RCA-RCA interconnect cables (with ground wire) into the PIB-1. Plug the other end into your preamp phono
or step-up device input. Connect one end of the ground wire to the ground post on the PIB-1 and the other to the
chassis or ground post of your preamp or step-up device.
20. Carefully rebalance the tone arm as described in step 16 and set the tracking force per cartridge manufacturer's
recommendation. Rotate the anti-skate knob clockwise until the indicated anti-skate force equals the cartridge's
tracking force. Fine adjustments of the antiskate force can be made later by listening for fine detail and proper
sound stage width and depth.
21. The VTA-16 mounting base was designed specifically for ease of adjustment of the tone arm height, which is
sometimes erroneously called VTA (vertical tracking angle) adjustment. When adjusting the tone arm height one is
actually trying to optimize the SRA (stylus rake angle). The SRA of the reproduction stylus on your cartridge should
match the SRA of the cutting stylus on the record lathe on which your record was cut. This is analogous to having
the correct azimuth adjustment on a tape playback head. To avoid confusion we will refer to tone arm height
adjustment as VTA adjustment. The best way to find the correct VTA is by listening. Listen for a focused image and
proper placement of instruments in space. Unfortunately, record manufacturers do not adhere to a standard for the
angle of the cutting stylus on record lathes. Therefore, the proper angle of the reproduction stylus will vary from
record to record. The type of stylus on your cartridge will determine its sensitivity to proper VTA adjustment. A
cartridge with a conical stylus will work well over a wide range of vertical tracking angles and is therefore relatively
insensitive to adjustment. Elliptical styli are more sensitive to adjustment. Cartridges using line contact, micro ridge,
or van den Hul styli are extremely sensitive to proper adjustment of the VTA and will often perform poorly if not
adjusted correctly. However, these line contact styli are capable of extracting the best reproduction of music from
your records. If you use a line contact stylus, it is worth the effort to spend a little extra time to adjust the VTA
correctly.
Summary of Contents for Premier FT-3
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