Acoustical Systems UNI Protractor, Owner'S Manual

Page 1: ...precision phono alignment instrument owner s manual UNI Protractor ...

Page 2: ...General note Technical data minor design and specifications are subject to change without prior notice version 16 02 ...

Page 3: ...ridge set up 5 Choosing the right geometry for a given tonearm preparations 6 Using the UNI Protractor a step by step pictured instruction 8 Adjusting the cantilever and stylus on the template 16 P2S Azimuth and Overhang 18 Dismounting the UNI Protractor 21 Summary 22 ...

Page 4: ...ight LED lamp A brief introducton Please check your UNI Protractor set All the above parts must be included to ensure perfect function Each UNI Protractor was carefully checked and tested prior to shipment Please do get yourself familiar to the handling and use of the UNI Protractor While it is a mechanical positioning instrument it needs a minimum of attention to detail by the user to obtain the ...

Page 5: ... up and alignment is the very first step What is lost here to imperfect alignment can t be recovered anywhere else in the audio chain I want to illustrate the point by adapting the dimensions to our every day world A modern stylus does feature a polished area and it is actually that area alone which should Gulliver s journey the microcosmos in cartridge set up have contact to the groove s wall of ...

Page 6: ...right geometry for a given tonearm groove This can result especially in records cut close to the inner label in high distortion figures towards the end of the records This alignment is best suited for modern records which are not cut close to the inner label The longer the lead out groove the better i e longest area with lowest tracking error Löfgren B works on that particular record Stevenson tri...

Page 7: ...ren B IEC will give optimal results with very long lead out grooved records These two standard calculations do mark the two opposite extremes of the options how to align a tonearm for a 12 record The inidvidualized UNI templates do in most cases follow the manufacturer s recommenda tions With most tonearms of japanese origin this means in most cases that they follow DIN and the inner null will be ...

Page 8: ...indention around the spindle to accommodate the slightly thicker inner label section of a record If you do not detect such an indention proceed direct to Step 3 Step 2 If your tt does have an indention like pictured please use 1 or 2 thin stainless stell washers and put them around the spindle Do check whether the indention is now equalized compared to the rest of the platter s surface Please use ...

Page 9: ...7 15 mm spindle diameter 3 rings 7 20 mm spindle diameter One only one of them will fit fairly easy but without any play around your turntable s spindle It will give a nice semi tight fit Choose that one spindle adapter Please do put the other 2 tt spindle adapters back into the UNI Protractor s package you will not need them with this specific turntable Step 4 Now choose the template you wish to ...

Page 10: ...early visible Do not try to insert the tt spindle adapter the other way round or from underneath into the template s cut out hole It won t work and it will require considerable force to do so and it might damage your template and adapter Now take the template tt spindle adapter combo and Step 6 put the template with the spindle adapter already attached on a flat surface a desk table NOT on your TU...

Page 11: ...of the UNI template Do ONLY insert the UNI Protractor s main frame in the way shown in the pictures Please note Due to the concave cut of the rims it will only work that way But this ensures tight fit without any play This tight fit is absolutly essential for the precision desired Now take the UNI Protractor main frame with the UNI template and tt spindle which are now firmly attached to the main ...

Page 12: ...ake the long clear acrylic position ing arm Insert either the straight pin or the pin with the round reticle into the far narrow end of the clear acrylic positioning arm Tight the pin in place lightly If your tonearm does feature a round bearing house and or if you are not sure where the actual pivot point of your tonearm is please use the pin w round reticle to adjust to the outer dimensions of t...

Page 13: ...wn gently so to make contact with the bottom of the notch Step 11 Do locate the pivot center of your tonearm Do position the center of the reticle or the tip of the pin there Now do tighten the 2 screws to fix the positioning arm in place You have now completed positioning of your UNI Protractor for the template in action Please make sure the platter of your turntable does NOT move during the foll...

Page 14: ...he magnifier s parts like pictured Step 13 Place the magnifier as pictured into the almost square cut out in the UNI Protractor s main frame south of the template Do move the magnifier parallel to the template till the center locks in on the templates zero point ...

Page 15: ... STEPS Step 15 Have a first look through the magnifier to prelimi nary judge the actual position of your stylus sorry this couldn t really be cap tured with camera here the human eye adapts much better to the variable focus then the digital cam You will see it very clearly and will see the tan gential lines in full parallax Now we move to the real fine adjustment Setting up the UNI Protractor is c...

Page 16: ...te that your eye s view through the magnifier glass will provide much better view on the sweet spot and the aiding lines for adjusting the cantilever Each UNI template has an individual sweet spot which is in fact the point where your stylus must rest to meet the alignment calculation curve The stylus must rest here and the cantilever should be parallel to the 5 lines north of the null point Make ...

Page 17: ...e force as possible and you will get closer and closer to the sweet spot If you really want to get the best possible performance from your cartridge tonearm and whole analog set up it is essential that you align the stylus on the null point and cantilever parallel to the center line north of the null point You need to adjust the tonearm cartridge in this single one spot only If your stylus and can...

Page 18: ...nce Put the zero at the center of your spindle and try to locate the pivot center of your tonearm Do measure the distance from the center of your spindle to the pivot center Please note that the mounting distance of your given tonearm is a basic cornerstone of your tonearm s geometry and you should meet the requested mounting distance or P2S as perfect as possible ...

Page 19: ...ridge s body In that case this optical adjustment will ease the fine tuning of your azimuth alignment However it is intended to serve only as an opti cal helper and does in no way replace critical adjustment of your stylus azimuth by means of a test record with cross talk signals or similar test options which do deliver the results based on the position of the stylus towards the groove walls With ...

Page 20: ...turntable s spindle has a different length and the one pictured here is very long Most likely the overhang template will fit on your spindle with very little of the spindle if any will point out of the template You can swing the tonearm direct over the spindle now Don t lower your turntable s cueing device By viewing from the side you may already spot the point on the scale direct under the stylus...

Page 21: ...w grap your UNI Protractor main frame on the left rim and lift it up while still pressing down the UNI template You will need to apply some force as the UNI template will display quite a tight fit This is intentional and correct Don t be afraid you will not damage anything when you dismount the UNI Protractor as shown and described Now put the UNI Protractor s main frame the spindle adapter and th...

Page 22: ...e sound your cartridge is capable to deliver VTA VTF azimuth SRA antiskating if any is needed depending on your tonearm all these aspects come AFTER setting your tonearm s geometry straight When you have performed the steps displayed in this manual you have laid the foundation of a perfect tonearm set up What comes next is the fine tuning of your specific cartridge s performance by carefully adjus...

Page 23: ...23 Now enjoy your records ...

Page 24: ...24 copyright design acoustical systems Manufactured and assembled in Germany for further infomations www acoustical systems com info acoustical systems com Distributed by ...