5
•
Line up the red dot on the Lemo connector with the red dot on the receptacle on the
junction box. The Lemo connector can plug in only one way and should not be forced.
•
Swing the tonearm over the jig so the stylus is as close as possible to the dot in the center of
the grid. Set the counterweight for enough downward force to keep the stylus from moving
when resting on the jig.
•
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.
•
Adjust the cartridge mounting screws 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. Do not go crazy over this adjustment it is only mildly critical.
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.
