AudioCircle
Industry Circles => Well Tempered Lab => Topic started by: hansdejong on 15 Jan 2016, 01:26 pm
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My WT Classic is almost ready to play vinyl again...remaining issue is the mounting of the cartridge...
The tonearm I have doesn't have the fixed headshell. It has a screw on fingerlift plate, which has three holes. The holes on the side are for the cartridge bolts, and the middle hole is for a small bolt that connects to the tonearm. The tonearm has a rectangular hole which allows the cartridge to be moved back and forth a couple of mm's before securing the bolt tightly.
The problem is the center bolt - it runs through both the tonearm and the fingerlift plate, and protrudes too much to allow the cartridges to be mounted. Is there, or am I doing, something wrong with the bolt?
Also, I have seen some pictures of the WT tonearm with cartridges installed off-centre: the cartridge is attached to the tonearm with one bolt only, running through one of the holes on the cartridge and the hole in the tonearm. Can this be done without comprimising the function of both cartridge and tonearm, or are there perhaps benefits in mounting it this way?
Any opinions and tips are very welcome!
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Do you have a photo? That would help us see what you are talking about.
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Here's a picture of the tonearm and fingerlift. You can clearly see the bolt and nut used to hold the fingerlift in place. The bolt is too long, leaving no room for the cartridge to be mounted flush under the tonearm.
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=135195)
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read manual:
http://www.vinylengine.com/library/well-tempered/arm.shtml
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Thanks. I checked the manual on Vinyl Engine, and although it has a drawing in it with both ways of attaching the cartridge underneath the tonearm, it isn't described in the text itself. There is no explanation for, or mentioning of benefits of, mounting the cartridge off-centre with one bolt only.
The described way of mounting the cartridge says that the fingerlift should be positioned between the toneam and the cartridge, but this doesn't seem to be possible in my case since the bolt is in the way! Pretty frustrating, this. Are there any members with the same tonearm who can help?
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Pardon the dust, somebody has neglected their wifely duties.
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=135281)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=135282)
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The photos above show exactly how I've always seen it, including photos on arm box and in arm documentation.
Wonder why the middle hole? Are there carts with narrower screw spacing than the traditional half inch mount? If so, maybe to accommodate them? :dunno:
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Thanks! I will try mounting the cartridge like on the photographs!
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You're welcome, enjoy your turntable.
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I wouldn't mount that cartridge to the side like that. It should be centered on the tonearm. Perhaps you need a different bolt for the center of the headshell.
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I wouldn't mount that cartridge to the side like that. It should be centered on the tonearm. Perhaps you need a different bolt for the center of the headshell.
Why would you say this when that is exactly how the designer instructs you to do it? :o
This photo from the actual WT Tonearm Manual clearly shows it mounted to the side:
http://www.audioasylum.com/audio/vinyl/messages/82/822397.html
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Most of the pictures I've seen on the Google machine have it centered on the arm. It just seems like it wouldn't stay aligned only being screwed into one side of the cartridge.
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Take this all with a grain of salt, but my first Classic I bought back in the mid-80's had pretty crappy cartridges on it, Sumiko Blue Point, Audio Technica, maybe a shitey Grado. None of them were mounted off screw as your photo shows. All were mounted normally with the arm perpendicular to the cartridge body center. And later on the Dynavectors were.
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Following this thread..............
I understand from the manual that the front edge of the arm should line-up with the front edge of the center circle.
Where should the stylus align? Should the actual stylus align with that front edge of the circle also, or should the stylus align with the center of the spindle? I should think that it should matter.
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WT Classic (round motor set in plinth) cartridge mounting:
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=135693)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=135694)
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Thanks, Steve!
That's exactly how I remember mine looking, albeit it with an equally crap cartridge.
Does the OP not have his headshell? Looks like the end of a big knitting needle...
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I knew that buying two turntables would come in handy!
I think that we're looking at early and late versions of the arm design.
Then I believe it went to a carbon fiber tube on the Reference.
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WT Classic (round motor set in plinth) cartridge mounting:
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=135693)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=135694)
This is how my WTT Reference tonearm and cartridge mount looks like.
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^ WT Classic (round motor set in plinth) cartridge mounting !! Mine too.
I'm new here.......I'm not sure of the etiquette here, so apologies OP for jumping in here.......I figger it's better to jump-in on a topic that is exactly what I'm interested in rather than start a parallel thread on the same topic.
Help us (me) understand.......In the first case, (non-headshell version), the alignment starts with the arm platform's mounting on the plinth-backpost, and rotating the platform to get the edge of the arm mount aligned with the front edge of the circle on the protractor.
Does this strategy also apply to the "headshell" version above also? I don't see this covered in the instructions.
......is the goal for the stylus to be maintained on an arc aligned to the center of the spindle, or to the edge of the circle around the spindle, or does it not matter? How do you determine the correct distance that the stylus should sit along the axis of the arm relative to the end of the arm's mount.
[Backstory: I've been an owner of a WTL Classic since the ' mid-90s. I recently moved and there was damage and a big mess, (despite my fervent instructions that I would transport the unit myself), that required me to take everything off of the plinth, clean, and reassemble. Of course I have lost all of the documentation over the years.....but I found this site and you guys. So I'm starting fresh with this alignment stuff, it is all back together now and beautiful, just gotta get the cart mounted correctly.....just like the OP.]
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Interesting discussion here:
http://www.vinylengine.com/turntable_forum/viewtopic.php?t=31660
Leads me to believe that arm length (adjusted by rotation of the platform) and position of the cartridge (adjusted fore or aft relative to the end of the arm), is of less importance than the cartridge alignment at the two grid positions on the protractor.
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I found this picture while looking at used gear. It may be of assistance to someone. :scratch:
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=136559)
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Interesting discussion here:
http://www.vinylengine.com/turntable_forum/viewtopic.php?t=31660
Leads me to believe that arm length (adjusted by rotation of the platform) and position of the cartridge (adjusted fore or aft relative to the end of the arm), is of less importance than the cartridge alignment at the two grid positions on the protractor.
I just went through the hassle of aligning my WTT Reference, including adjusting the spindle-to-pivot distance using the VinylEngine overhang protractor and a Feickert protractor. Based on the results I heard with my Kleos after going through the alignment, it is definitely worth the hassle to dial things in as precisely as humanly possible, which is impossible if the spindle-to-pivot distance is off.
Here are the manual and protractor from VE:
http://www.vinylengine.com/library/well-tempered/arm.shtml
The image in the manual of the WT Classic tonearm matches Steve Ford's picture. The picture that GB posted does not look correct per the manual.
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Hopefully the OP has figured out his confusion.
Just another data point, I came across these pics that show the somewhat awkward mounting of the cartridge off to the side.
https://www.audiogon.com/listings/turntables-well-tempered-classic-very-nice-with-new-cart-2016-03-15-analog-96161-truckee-ca
Strange how some are mounted this way, and others are centered on the headshell in the more traditional way. I can only guess that the arm changed over time. :dunno:
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I found this picture while looking at used gear. It may be of assistance to someone. :scratch:
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=136559)
That is how cartridges were mounted on the square motor WTT I used to own. Never used a BPS, only a BP with aluminum adapter. And a couple other HOMC cartridges. Ran a Purpleheart on it for a while.
The arm looked flimsy. Worked great.
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It would be a fortunate coincidence if the mounting slot in the tone arm is long enough & of the correct geometry to mount the center hole on the cartridge while the back two holes on the cartridge are connected to the finger lift. In which case I suggest placing the finger above the tonearm (as per his images) clamping the cart to the tonearm. Just a thought. Hope it works.
Hansdejong image appears to be of an early well tempered tonearm. I imagine his well tempered turntable has a square motor, maybe even a plastic shroud on part of the power chord.
http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=135195
I believe the image posted by SteveFord is a later model WT.
http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=135694