Why Run More Than One Tonearm?

[Dogberry]

Ron, you seem to be butting up against the old duality: Apollonian or Dionysian? Only the best, or sample lots of variety?

Even when I'm feeling Apollonian, I can make the argument that I can extend stylus life with other cartridges I have enjoyed, or at the least, play a new LP with a cartridge with a replaceable stylus rather than have to have an MC stylus torn off by a rotten disk.
Having a bunch of mono recordings, I wouldn't want to forego a mono cartridge (and the Ruby 3 conversion sounds so good I wonder sometimes if I, with one ear, ought not to use it for everything!) The rest is safety (as above) and variety. Even then, I sometimes wonder whether the London Reference of the Kontrapunkt C should go on the final spot: the Reference is so close to the LP-S, while the Ortofon is quite different. More of the 'best' or more variety? (This is not a problem, or if it is, it is a pleasurable one!)

 

[mtemur]

Mtemur, Could you please explain why cartridge alignment changes between 33.3 and 45 rpm? I figure there are more dynamic forces in play, so more pulling on the stylus changes SRA angle and horizontal alignment, possibly even skating force, but I would think only slightly. Are these the reasons and is it audible? Thank you.

Hi @PeterA ,
Skating force at 45rpm is higher than 33.3rpm and ruins zenith angle if not balanced by anti-skating. Obviously anti-skating set at 33.3rpm won't be optimum for 45rpm. Additionally cartridge's suspension may respond differently to this increased skating force. Checking zenith for 45rpm might be necessary. Another important factor is inner groove radius. Almost all double 45rpm records are cut far away from the label which requisite a new, non-standard inner groove radius. This will lead to new null points and lower tracking error/distortion. I'm sure there will be a change in optimum VTF too but I don't experiment with VTF. So, I have no idea if optimum VTF for 45rpm will be higher or lower than 33.3rpm.

 

[PeterA]

Hi @PeterA ,
Skating force at 45rpm is higher than 33.3rpm and ruins zenith angle if not balanced by anti-skating. Obviously anti-skating set at 33.3rpm won't be optimum for 45rpm. Additionally cartridge's suspension may respond differently to this increased skating force. Checking zenith for 45rpm might be necessary. Another important factor is inner groove radius. Almost all double 45rpm records are cut far away from the label which requisite a new, non-standard inner groove radius. This will lead to new null points and lower tracking error/distortion. I'm sure there will be a change in optimum VTF too but I don't experiment with VTF. So, I have no idea if optimum VTF for 45rpm will be higher or lower than 33.3rpm.

Thank you Mtemur. I had not thought of tracking for us. I do understand how skating forces would increase at the higher speed but they also increase as the stylus approaches the label, or actually moves further away from an old point. Most of my 45s did not get close to the label, So perhaps that counteracts the skating force from increased speed.

I did observe the angle of my stylus once under a microscope under static conditions and then under dynamic conditions and the rake angle changed. My alignment jig compensates for this by adding half a millimeter to effective length. The angle changed as the speed of the record increased from 0 to 33. So I imagine it’s even more at 45. One could compensate by simply raising the arm slightly.

I do look at Zenith through a loop to see how the stylus is mounted in the cantilever and try to compensate very slightly by listening.

These are all reasons why I prefer setting up my cartridges by listening rather than by microscope.

 

[Argonaut]

No.

Well thats a shame , you don’t know what you are missing given the vast repository of artists work only available on that format !

 

[mtemur]

Well thats a shame , you don’t know what you are missing given the vast repository of artists work only available on that format !

I’m confident that there are great work only released on 78 but it’s not always easy to reach them. At least for me.

 

[joey_v]

Until recently, I thought the idea of 2 stereo carts in the same system was ludicrous. Then I tried it, best thing I ever did for my analog vinyl front end. So much fun to switch between the two. It definitely gives you a good taste of the intricacies of vinyl. Now I don't aim for what's best sounding, I just look for what's good and the differing technologies between carts. I am looking forward to adding a third arm/table.

 

[Solypsa]

Until recently, I thought the idea of 2 stereo carts in the same system was ludicrous. Then I tried it, best thing I ever did for my analog vinyl front end. So much fun to switch between the two. It definitely gives you a good taste of the intricacies of vinyl. Now I don't aim for what's best sounding, I just look for what's good and the differing technologies between carts. I am looking forward to adding a third arm/table.

Another stereo or doing a mono rig?

 

[joey_v]

Third arm will be stereo
But a detacheable headshell so I might have room for mono

 

[elrod]

I'm monogamous - I can't afford to have one or more mistresses. Let the playboys have their fun!

 

[Kjetil]

One arm, soon four cartriges. A pity that setting the downforce on the Bokrand is so cumbersome.

 

[metei]

First of all compliance; You can have low, mid and high mass tonearms at the same time. And characteristics; You can have softer, more dynamic etc. arms.
I love low compliance cartridges, which need a heavier -and naturally can handle a longer- arm. I have an Ikeda 12" (20+ gr. depending on the head-shell) and 4 cartridges rotate on it. Jazz trios to sextets, softer rock (Dire Straits etc.) and some classical music is better with these. Also depending on female vocals, male vocals, acoustic recording, classical music etc. I can chose a cartridge and install in seconds. I also love the high compliance cartridges, I have a Triplanar 12" (15 gram) / Sumile and a Brinkmann 10.5" (12 gram) / Hana Umami Red. Although these two have similar compliance characteristics and "in calculation" they would accept both cartridges, Sumile on a less energetic, more silent Brinkmann sounds dull and I didn't try Hana but former cartridge VDH Colibri on the energetic, dynamic Triplanar sounded out of control. I can listen to anything with Brinkmann / Hana duo and almost all rock and pop with the Triplanar / Sumile duo.