software for cartridge setup

Bill O'Connell · « **on:** 24 Mar 2009, 03:45 am »

Has anybody used this software yet?

http://www.adjustplus.de/index.php?lang=english

Brian Walsh of Essential Audio gave a demonstration on this at the Chicago Audio Society meeting on Sunday and although I was unable to attend I picked up a Denon 103D with VH retip that I was going to mount on a Well Tempered Reference turntable & arm. He is going to come over on Wednesday and set up this cart for me using this. It would seem like this would be a very accurate way to set up a cart with the guess work taken out of the equation.
I really like this table but the arm can be a bit tricky so I hope all goes well.I'll let you know how it all turns out.

bacobits1 · « **Reply #1 on:** 24 Mar 2009, 02:09 pm »

Hey Bill,
I'd be interested in what you think of that software.

I have had 2 Denon 103 (not D) and sold them both. I did not like the way they sounded with
the Mini Max Phono. Not that involving? I also did not care for the way my AT OC9LM sounded either.Too digital sounding? Maybe because they are low output? I recently put on a Dyna 10X5 and it's killer with the Mini Max. An Ortofon X5MC is great too. Both med output cartridges. I had a Med .90 output Benz Glider too that I sold. The Dyna kills it here.

Den

Bill O'Connell · « **Reply #2 on:** 24 Mar 2009, 03:52 pm »

Hi Den,

I'm hoping the MiniMax has enough gain as it will be borderline at 58 with the 103D but according to specs from VH, this cart is putting out .29mv which should be ok. The 103D is suppose to be a very special one compared to103,and 103R, I'm hoping so and the VH retip hopefully will do the trick.If not I will have Brian optimize my Shelter 901 with this software.
Tom Tutay of Transition Audio is biting at the bit for me to let him build me his all tube phono stage, if it is anything thing like his linestage which I had him build using a seperate power supply with 6X5 tube rectification using 12SN7 in a cathode follower design with dual 31 stepped Noble pots using a couple of 4.7uf Mundorf Silver/Gold/Oil caps, I may bite the bullet and give him the ok.The linestage is fantastic.

ricmon · « **Reply #3 on:** 24 Mar 2009, 07:00 pm »

Bill are you planning to become a Adjust+ dealer? If not do you know who is and how much it cost? And please let us know your impressions of its effect.

Ric

Bill O'Connell · « **Reply #4 on:** 24 Mar 2009, 10:21 pm »

Hi Ric,
Love your avatar by the way

No adjust+dealership for myself but Brian Walsh of Essential Audio is and he is in a neighboring suburb. Here is a link to his website.
http://www.essentialaudio.com/

Are you local in the Chicagoland area? As Brian is in Barrington.

It seems like a great software product, hopefully all will go well tomorrow with the setup as Brian really is the analog guru.

Bill O'Connell · « **Reply #5 on:** 26 Mar 2009, 03:35 am »

OK guys,

This software is a must to use. My vinyl has never sounded better.Your going to have to trust me on this one.
Brian Walsh from Essential Audio came out today and because the screws were not long enough that were sent with the Denon 103D we couldn't mount the Denon on the Well Tempered Reference arm. A blessing in disguise to say the least.We ended up putting back on the Shelter 901 cart. Now Brian was at my place running the tests that the software allows and being the gentleman that he is ran the tests a few times(Thank you Brian). You talk about a man with the patience of a saint

He was at my place for just about 4 hours tweaking the heck out of my cartridge setup. I thought that the Shelter might be getting a little long in the tooth even though I am meticulous about always cleaning and never(and I do mean never) letting the needle run till the end of the record.Well after Brian left my place I had a chance to sit down and listen.
The results are analog delight to the 10th degree.Bass is low,tight,taut and deep.Mid range is stunning,vocals have presence and breath, everything is not just better it is captivating,I didn't want to get out of my chair.I've never heard my system sound this good,ever!The highs are sparkling, tinkling, God that sounds wonderful,treble.

If you are in the Chicago land area you owe it to yourself to have these procedures done to your table/cart combo.I believe Brian charges a flat fee of $100 within a 20 mile radius of Barrington,$10 more if within a 30 mile radius.This only pays for his gas and extra time behind the wheel.Believe me when I tell you that this will be the best $100 you ever spent in audio

:thumb:Plus you will meet one of the nicest people who knows his analog,music, heck I think he started the Chicago Audio Society or was one of the founding members.
I forgot to mention the soundstage. HUGE, with seperation and placement of musicians like I've never had in my room before.
Guys, this is a no brainer if your spinning vinyl. You think you have it set up correctly, not as correctly as what Brian and his software can do,call him and make an appointment for him to come out.
http://www.essentialaudio.com/

If your not in the Chicagoland area you need to find somebody who provides this service. I really can't put into words what this has done and how overjoyed and elated with the results I am and you will be also. I want to shout it from the rooftops.

Bill O'Connell · « **Reply #6 on:** 26 Mar 2009, 04:29 pm »

Bump,
sorry but it's that important.

TheChairGuy · « **Reply #7 on:** 26 Mar 2009, 06:44 pm »

Heck Bill - I'll bump it forward for you so folks won't think that you alone are gratuitous

John

Brian Walsh · « **Reply #8 on:** 26 Mar 2009, 07:07 pm »

Thanks for the kind words, Bill. Glad you're enjoying your music more than ever.

Bill O'Connell · « **Reply #9 on:** 26 Mar 2009, 07:29 pm »

Thank you John,

No gratuity here, it just was the exemplar service that Brian provided but not just that,the music that is now flowing from my table/cart is beyond words of what the Adjust+Pro software has done.I just want everybody to know about it as the improvement is monumental.

I just can't stress it enough. Have this done gentleman!

Musky_Don · « **Reply #10 on:** 26 Mar 2009, 07:56 pm »

I'm scheduled for next Thursday. I'll post some thoughts after meeting with Brian. I have to admit, I'm pretty excited about this.

ricmon · « **Reply #11 on:** 26 Mar 2009, 08:36 pm »

Some time ago another AC'er posted that he too was using software to set up his table. Does anybody remember that thread.

I'm curious if it's the same software or are there others.

Ric

Brian Walsh · « **Reply #12 on:** 27 Mar 2009, 05:25 am »

Quote from: ricmon on 26 Mar 2009, 08:36 pm

Some time ago another AC'er posted that he too was using software to set up his table. Does anybody remember that thread. I'm curious if it's the same software or are there others.

Ric

Adjust+ is unique. Perhaps the person was using something like John Elison's spreadsheet which calculates overhang and such.

Bill O'Connell · « **Reply #13 on:** 27 Mar 2009, 01:50 pm »

Hi Don,
You've chosen wisely.

I'll be very interested to hear your impressions of before and after.
I'm willing to bet your VH Frog will never have sounded better.

lofreek · « **Reply #14 on:** 27 Mar 2009, 02:39 pm »

For quite some time now I have used software as an aid in adjusting my various turntables. I just use a simple waveform editor. My preference is Sound Forge. I use it to capture the test tones from my various test LP's for analysis and comparison. The Feickert Adjust+ looks cool - very comprehensive.

The level of precision required to get a phonograph to really sing is far beyond what can be eyeballed, which is why this approach is so effective. Those recorded waveforms do not lie!

analognut · « **Reply #15 on:** 31 Mar 2009, 03:39 am »

Hi everyone-

I went to the adjust+ website and looked at that software. http://www.adjustplus.de/index.php?lang=english
They are charging 399 Euros for the "Pro" version, which converts to $528 US dollars!

Anyone who wants to use software to assist with TT adjustment can go here http://www.virtins.com/page2.html#Instrument and get Multi-Instrument Lite for $49.95. You need to use your own test record, which you likely have anyway. If you look at the Lite version you can quickly see that it does about 20 times as much for a whole lot less (conservative estimate). If you check out the various features of the different versions you will also see that you need to buy Multi-Instrument Standard for $99 in order to get an RPM counter. However, the Lite version does have a frequency counter.

The Lite & Standard version both contain 4 modules:
1- Oscilloscope 2- Spectrum Analyzer 3- Signal Generator 4- Multimeter
The Standard version has more functions in the 'Scope and Multimeter than the Lite version.

I have used the frequency counter to double-check my (home-made)strobe disc, and decided the strobe disc works fine without any help.

It is a very simple matter to use the 'scope to check your azimuth by simple playing a sine wave off of your test record.
I originally purchased the program to use the scope to check azimuth on my R2R decks.

The software is very full-featured and I don't even understand most of it, even though it comes with an excellent help section. Also, all inputs and outputs can be fully calibrated to your sound card.

This software is available as a fully functional trial for 3 weeks!

Happy tweaking!

Musky_Don · « **Reply #16 on:** 2 Apr 2009, 09:10 pm »

Update: Unfortunately, some problems came up that put off the 'fine tuning' of my table and cartridge until next Tuesday.

Thought it appropriate to provide an update in case there are any here interested in my take once Brian runs my set-up through the Adjust software. I'll post thoughts on the result next week.

Musky_Don · « **Reply #17 on:** 8 Apr 2009, 05:22 pm »

Update:

Brian came out and used the Adjust+ software to tweak my Van den hul Frog / Rega Planar 25 TT set-up. Rather than just tell you it sounds better, I’ll share a bit of the process and what I’ve noticed.

Brian’s work appeared to be very painstakingly slow and methodical. I did not want to hover over his shoulder, but when I checked in on him, much of his efforts seemed to need more patience than I would ever have. It was 3+ hours before he was ready for feedback via a listening session.

I could tell right away that my system sounded better. I imagine most of us have several favorite recordings that we listen to and appreciate for different reasons. As I quickly ripped through bits and pieces of mine, I noticed throughout the mid range that I had improved background detail, and better decay (pretty sure this is the right term - just some of the details of the music hanging on a bit more nicely than previously). Bass seemed very tight and natural. An improvement? On the mids and highs, yes, on the bass? Harder for me to say with conviction.

So those were my impressions in the first 20 minutes or so. Was I happy? Yes. Ecstatic? No. Worth the $100? Definitely more lasting fun than a couple of steaks and an overpriced bottle of wine.

After Brian left I had planned on plunking down in the sweet spot with my laptop and enjoying some listening/work time. I got a call that needed to be handled in a quiet place. By the time I finished, had dinner and was able to sit back down it was a couple of hours later. I sat down for a listen. I can't say that I was shocked, but I was surprised at the improvement letting the amps and rest of the system become fully charged. I seldom power down the amps and have noticed a difference when cold but not to this extent. The subtle but nice changes in the mids and highs were still there, but I also noted improvements in the soundstage. Wider, better extension of everything (that decay piece again, but better), more defined placement and just overall - more musical. Feels dialed in. All together, the small changes I noticed add up to a really nice improvement in my listening experience.

I still can’t say for certain I hear improvement in the lower end, but overall, everything is nicer. I guess that is what I expected, but a part of me wasn’t sure I was that far off to begin with. How far off was I? Far enough to notice. Am I happy with the results? For $100 heck yes. A no brainer for me.

If I owned the software, it would be fun to play with no doubt. But cost plus education time plus the fact that I will probably need this level of exactness only a few more times makes for me a pretty good bargain having Brian do it in house for $100. I hope that price lasts. Brian is an overall nice guy who delivers a great service.

Don

Rest of the Equipment:

Minimax Phono
Odyssey Extreme Tempest
Odyssey Extreme Mono blocks
Dynaudio Confidence C2s

Brian Walsh · « **Reply #18 on:** 9 Apr 2009, 02:38 am »

Thanks, Don. Glad you're happy with the sound. It took a little longer than expected, but being a perfectionist I don't watch the clock. And as I mentioned, the fee paid can be applied toward future analog equipment purchases, which again include the alignment service.

Musky_Don · « **Reply #19 on:** 9 Apr 2009, 05:03 pm »

Well Brian, this has been a slow year so I probably won't be taking the fee paid credit against "future analog equipment purchases" anytime soon, but I will make time to visit your shop and tempt myself

. Spent MANY hours last evening just rolling through my album collection. I know that everything in this hobby is subjective, but my impressions still stand. The set-up is better than I was able to do on my own and it sounds that way. Thanks again.