3
Look down at the cartridge and align it between the lines of the grid. Be careful to align
the cartridge and not the tonearm headshell. You should have the diamond stylus on the
white dot and the cantilever lined up with the lines on the grid.
Adjust the cartridge mounting screws and the counterweight as needed until the cartridge
is centered between the grid lines and the stylus is resting on the dot of the grid. The
picture below shows the setup, the jig is in white for clarity, yours is black.
When the cartridge is properly positioned, tighten the cartridge mounting screws and
remove the alignment jig.
Setting the Anti-Skating – Two Solutions
Anti-skating is one of the least understood forces acting on a tonearm. Skating force is created by
friction between the stylus and the record, causing a force vector in a direction towards the center
of the record when the headshell of the tonearm has an offset angle. Putting a stylus down on a
flat, groove less record will cause the arm to move toward the center of the record. Arm
manufacturers have tried to compensate for this force, but that is impossible because the force is
constantly changing as the music and velocity change.
VPI has conducted careful listening tests and determined that every tonearm we tried sounded
better with its mechanical anti-skating disabled and the tracking force very slightly increased..
VPI has a unique solution to anti-skating: the coiled wire of the JMW Memorial Tonearm acts as a
spring and pushes the arm back without affecting the sound quality. You now have the option of
installing a mechanical anti-skate for those that want it.
Adjust the counterweight so there is no down force on the cartridge.
Swing the tonearm toward the spindle and release it. The arm should swing out toward the
outer edge of the turntable.
If you try adjusting the anti-skate with a groove less
record, you will ruin the twist in the tonearm wire
and void your warranty. Do this with the mechanical
anti-skate if you want that much anti-skate.
If you need additional anti-skate go to the mechanical anti-skate we supply.
