[Dan_ed]

Does this answer your question?!?!    http://www.mintlp.com/userdan.htm   

I have done about 3 or 4 sessions of iterations with the MintLP tractor and I have yet to be amazed at how move that teeny stylus ever so slightly in the right direction can take LP playback to places I have never heard until I used this product. Yip is a first-rate businessman and fellow vinyl nut case. He has a special version of the tractor that he uses himself. It has even finer lines than the one he sells. But he won't sell that because it would probably drive 1/2 of the people who tried to use completely 'round the bend. Highly recommended. There are a couple of threads on this product on A'gon. A quick search on MintLP should bring them right up.

As you say, tiny movements of the tiny stylus can have major implications, in terms of the sound.  Have you ever tried a Wallytractor?  The mintlp one has many similarities (the Wallytractor is at least 10 years old) but what I like about the Wally is that it enables you to get the cantilever aligned right, as well as the stylus located correctly on the 2 null-points.

Regards,

Andy

Yip will get a protractor to you within 10 days of your order. You can order from Wally and never hear from him for months. That alone makes the MintLP Best Protractor better. But wait! There is more.

The MintLP has its protractor printed on a sheet of plastic that is then applied to mirrored surface. This "suspends" the lines above the surface so that when you look down you will see the line you are looking at and a mirrored image of the line when you are not looking straight on. This feature is taking advantage of parallax.  Also, the printed lines are finer than on the Wally so it is possible to get much more precise alignment. With the MintLP protractor it is very possible to align the STYLUS and forget about aligning the cantilever.  That is what it is all about.

The downside of the MintLP is that you need very good light, very good visual aides, and a lot of patience. However, the results you can obtain are amazing!

[woodsyi]

I am of the opinion that a cart/arm synergy with your phono preamp gives more bang for the buck (or makes a bigger difference) than the TT as long as your TT is up to a certain standard.

I can understand cart/arm synergy being crucial - and making a bigger difference than the TT itself - but why should "synergy" with one's phono stage be important?  Shirley a phono stage should produce a flat output from an RIAA-corrected input ... it shouldn't contain an RIAA stage which "corrects for a cartridge's rising top end or its lack of bass - or booming bass from an arm/cart mismatch?

Regards,

Andy

Andy,

I am sure every phono-stage tries to put out the original music.  Some just do it better than others and this function I found out is reactive with the arm/cart set up.  I don't know the exact reason but I have heard it.  It's not just the resistive loading either.

[Dan_ed]

Well, for instance.

Let's say you have a new, fast cartridge. By that I mean one that can reproduce the lowest note and, almost immediately, reproduce the highest note with no perceptible distortion. Now let's say the the phono stage you have been using for years with those other cartridges has a relatively slow slew rate. From this new combination you could easily hear distortion that could be mistaken for a tracking issue. But in reality, it is that slew rate that is causing the distortion.

Just an example and there are many other ways a cartridge and phono stage may not match well.

[TONEPUB]

The better the analog front end, the more patience it takes to dial it in all the way...

[Dan_ed]

The better the analog front end, the more patience it takes to dial it in all the way...

Absolutely! I would also add, ". . . but the rewards are faster in coming"

[2bigears]

  direct from Hong Kong,the Mint is in the house.that thing is really got some fine indicator points on it.the bare eyes could not line this up.will work on a new alignment and see how she sounds

[stevenkelby]

Just got mine too. Compared to my old one this is far finer and obviously going to be very accurate.

[2bigears]

  not sure on setting effective length.it says to line up outer null point by moving the tractor first.then go in to the second point and set your Effective Length. now with the tractor and platter fixed,if i go back to the first null point,it will be short.soooo,that saying,if i am to stay on the line of the outer null,i will be slightly long on the inner null point.do i simply split the difference here ???? 

[stevenkelby]

do i simply split the difference here ???? 

Yep that's right

Lock the platter with tape or something so it can't turn, sit the tractor on the platter and move it so the needle sits right on the start of the long curved line, hanging out past the edge of the platter.

Move the needle to near the spindle and see where it sits. If it's behind it, too short, move the cart out halfway to where it needs to be, and rotate the tractor the rest of the way.

Keep doing it in smaller steps till you are spot on, then lock the tractor with more tape or something.

Both my overhang and alignment were well off by the way, using a good quality card tractor on which the lines are relatively enormous compared to Yip's tractor. Can't wait to here some records but rebuilding LP12 now. Just wanted to check current alignment first.

[2bigears]

  well so far i moved the cart in almost a 1/4 inch.the paper Rega template must be way off. hummmm will play with the tractor in the light of day.....i like how it aligns the cantilever.can't get more accurate than this little gizzmo

[andyr]

Yip will get a protractor to you within 10 days of your order. You can order from Wally and never hear from him for months. That alone makes the MintLP Best Protractor better. But wait! There is more.

The MintLP has its protractor printed on a sheet of plastic that is then applied to mirrored surface. This "suspends" the lines above the surface so that when you look down you will see the line you are looking at and a mirrored image of the line when you are not looking straight on. This feature is taking advantage of parallax.  Also, the printed lines are finer than on the Wally so it is possible to get much more precise alignment. With the MintLP protractor it is very possible to align the STYLUS and forget about aligning the cantilever.  That is what it is all about.

The downside of the MintLP is that you need very good light, very good visual aides, and a lot of patience. However, the results you can obtain are amazing!

The Wallytractor is also a "mirrored" affair (except it's engraved on the glass, not a plastic sheet stuck on).  But I admit that I'm lucky, having got mine about 5 years ago (when Wally was younger ... and much more reliable  ).

Wally's tractor is about aligning the cantilever ... sorry, IMO you are kidding yourself if you think you can align the stylus itself.

You always need "very good light, very good visual aides and a lot of patience" when you are setting up a cart optimally.

Then of course there's the cap loading if it's an MM or the res loading if it's an MC!    To say nothing of VTF, VTA and azimuth! 

Regards,

Andy

[Wayner]

Here is some technical data on the Rega arm and table:

Distance from arm pivot to cartridge end of arm: 245 mm
(Stylus is typically 5 mm (approx. .2 inches, approx. 3/16" inch) inboard of the end of the arm)
The effective arm length of 240.2 mm (9.456"), the mounting distance of 223 mm (8.779) (this is the distance from the centerline pivot of the arm to the center line of the turntable spindle), the overhang of 17.2 mm (.667"), and the offset angle of 23 degrees, correspond closely to the values calculated using the Baerwald Peak Distortion Equivalence method, with IEC standard inner groove and outer groove radii of 60.325 mm and 146.05 mm, respectively.
Values calculated using the Baerwald (peak distortion equivalence) method are 240.2 mm effective arm length, 222.97 mm mounting distance, 17.23 mm overhang, and 22.894 degrees offset angle.
For the Baerwald method, The null radii, the radii at which the cartridge cantilever should parallel the record groove, are 66 mm and 120.89 mm

When aligning a Rega, you must use their aligment tool. The Rega arm is not a standard 9" arm and an aligmnet tool for a 9" arm will not work.

Wayner

[2bigears]

  Wayner,where the heck did all those #'s come from.man,how would you measure all those points.i bought a Rega for plug and play.their paper alignment tool does work,but the Mint is of course for crazy people.your saying the Mint won't work with the Rega arm ????

[Wayner]

2big,

The Rega alignment jig plops the stylus right where all those numbers come from. It must be there to achieve the required null points, otherwise, the mechanical distortion will go way-way up. If you have the Rega alignment jig, I would use it rather then the Wally tractor or any other alignment jig.

Personally, I don't know why Rega chose those values for their arm design, but they know something I haven't figured out yet. Anyway, that's my 2 cents worth.

Wayner

[Wayner]

2 big

you have a PM

[2bigears]

  thanks much Wayner,well i guess i have a nice part mirror for sale.man,i gotta quite jumpin' on wagons and just let the music play.the table was sounding great the way it was.the Rega template is way simple,line up one cross and the set the cart square.i just burnt another 200 dollar bill.could have paid for the cats de-claw.

[Wayner]

Classroom lessons aren't always in the classroom. Don't think you own the street corner when it comes to audiofoolery. I've stood there many times.

An old fart (even older than me) once told me that wisdom is not knowedge, it's knowing what to do with knowedge. I guess we're slowly getting wise.

Wayner

[2bigears]

thks Wayner and good to know i am not alone.ready to jump off a bridge.sooo the next question is if Regas plate only has one crosshair,how do you get the length right.?? do you mount the cart flush to the head....

[TheChairGuy]

An old fart (even older than me) once told me that wisdom is not knowedge, it's knowing what to do with knowedge. I guess we're slowly getting wise.

Wayner

THAT was/is one smart, old dude 

You should use it as your sign-off it's so good

John

[2bigears]

  lot smarter than me !!!!