ARO/XX2 Setup

My experience - I found that the azymuth weight should be pushed as far in as possible. VTF was 1.85g. For the ideal VTF, the bias (anti-skate) wants to be set so that the nylon loop was halfway between the first and second grooves! So it's in the first (innermost) groove.

Thanks for the info I will give it a try tonight.

John

Well I tried this setup and it didn't seem to work for me. I was having problems with the bias setting using the HFNR test LP.

The best setup so far is the VTF at 2grams, the bias at 2gram and the weight of the azimuth is sitting about 3mm out or 3mm of the post is showing between the cup and the weight.

It is my understand the azimuth weight should be all the way in against the cup with the XX2 and most cartridges. Assuming this is true what could be wrong with my setup?

John

I have the same setup and found that 2 grams of vtf and the same for the bias seemed to be optimal. However after a few experiments I found the best sound (to my ears) was when I completely removed the small weight on the side of the arm. Is this officially called the azimuth counterweight??

I also tried moving the arm pillar up a few millimetres but found best sound with it level.

Tim

P.S. I think everyones ideal setup will be slightly different depending on environmental conditions, etc.

John,

Just a quick word of caution: it's been my experience (and I think if you search the forum, you'll find this echoed elsewhere) that using the HFNRR Test Record does not generally result in the best sound. I've found this with several arm/cartridge combinations, including ARO/XX2.

My setup has the azimuth weight hard against the "arm cup", VTF is about 1.9g, anti-skate is set in the second groove, and VTA is set so that the arm tube is pretty much parallel to the record surface.

Personally, I found the XX2 extremely sensitive to VTA, more so than other cartridges I've used.

Chris L

John,

2g and the same bias is indeed the optimum setting to track the HFNRR test record, and the XX-2 does it better than every other cartridge I've tried.

However, the adjustment for best sound is a different matter. I have posted the setup guide I use, originally posted by Tony L (to save you looking for it!)

I think I have an equilalent seup to Chris, because with 1.85g the nylon loop is not quite ready for the second ring - with 1.9g it should be. Also the arm slopes down very slightly towards the bearing. I've never bothered much with adjusting Azimuth - it should only affect cross talk right? - since most of this setup method is done with a mono record and IMHO seems completely correct for VTF, VTA and bias. No doubt combinations of settings may work for different tracking weights. My reasoning in choosing the lighter tracking weight is that after adjusting for the best sound, the HFNRR tracking is as bad at 2g as it is at 1.8g, and it seems to sound better with less than 2g.

From original post by Tony L:

Quoted from Bernhard on the Vinyl Asylum:

quote:
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This summer at the Triode Audition Festival in Aarhus, I demonstrated in my cartridge aligning workshop for what you ask here:

Let's presume overhang and offset angle are already correctly aligned, tracking force and skating compensation already adjusted to expected value:

1. Adjust correct azimuth by slightly turning your headshell and listen to a stereo recording how soundstage changes its size, perspective and balance or:
measure the crosstalk between left and right channel: adjust so that
crosstalk L=>R is *EQUAL* to R=>L crosstalk. If you find the Ortofon Test Record 0002, you can do this by ear.

2. select a mono recording with female voice (dynamic!!) and a lot happening around. Relax and concentrate.

3. Wrong VTA lets her voice go wider and wider as she sings louder. Real wrong VTA lets her voice go cinemascope from left to right speaker.

Adjust vertical tracking angle so that the voice has the maximum focus
(minimum size and maximum shape of virtual sound sources). The louder she sings/screams the smaller her mouth has to appear; this is clearly audible at the right VTA position. This optimum is very narrow: within 2/100 of a millimetre of vertical tonearm position.

4.Find the tracking force with best dynamics and micro dynamics and most believable sound colours. This optimum also is very narrow.

5. Have a rest. You may have to repeat steps 3 and 4 :you need the maximum resolution for the following.

6. After this, have a rest. Select a premium stereo recording. Relax and concentrate again.

7. Adjust the skating force to zero and prepare yourself for a mean
experience.

The right channel will not show dynamics at all; it will sit in the corner totally bored and ignoring you. The left channel will sit in its corner like an evil ghost, considering to attack you in the next moment. It will sound very dynamic in a way that numbs the left half of your body. However, the dynamics will be nightmare-like artificial.

Now you increase the skating force to a quarter and then to a half of the expected value.
You will sense that the right channel comes more-and-more alive and the left channel sounds less dynamic, intimidating and artificial. This reduction is less than the increase of dynamics in the right channel; the while system becomes more dynamic.

You increase now the skating compensation by *very* small steps until you reach a point where left and right channel sound equally dynamic. Then you increase further in very small steps; both channels will grow more dynamic. One step too far and both channels loose their dynamics completely and sound dead. So you go back to the position where dymics and microdynamics were maximum.

8. Note down *all* positions, scale readings, input impedances/capacitances and so on (you may want to mount another cartridge later and find you loathe it) .

Done.

I never had the skating compensation's scale read above the tracking force scale, always below!

Please consider that following to this procedure step-by-step ensures that you finally have the resolution needed for the antiskating adjustment by ear.

Greets,
Bernhard
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Tony.

Thanks Jeremy, I will give it another go.

John

John - bear in mind that VTF is temperature dependant and the recommended weight is for a room temperature of 70F. Colder needs a higher VTF, warmer = lower.

Also suggest you play for half an hour before adjusting, there is a noticable improvement in performance over this period as everything warms up.

Finally, is it run in yet? Not worth trying to get a good setup until it is.

Regards
Steve