Denon DP 62L cartridge alignment question

[henryporter]

Hey Everyone,
I am using the above Denon and was wondering if anyone had an idea about the best way to align a cartridge with this tt.
I am using a Nagaoka mp 110 and i used the Baerwald protractor from vinyl engine to dial it in. And it sounded pretty good then i checked the owners manual and they say to align the cart parallel to the headshell and not have it askew (like the baerwald).
When i did this it sounded great (better than w/baerwald) for the first 4/5 of a record than i got bad IGD issues.
Anyone out there have experience for the best set up with this table (or similar Denons)
Thanks,
Phil

 

[jdurbin1]

looking forward to the responses on this myself.

John

 

[henryporter]

We may never find out

 

[Mark 1234]

On a 60L I used the factory over hang guage. Always worked well.

 

[jobrewer1983]

Hey Everyone,
I am using the above Denon and was wondering if anyone had an idea about the best way to align a cartridge with this tt.
I am using a Nagaoka mp 110 and i used the Baerwald protractor from vinyl engine to dial it in. And it sounded pretty good then i checked the owners manual and they say to align the cart parallel to the headshell and not have it askew (like the baerwald).
When i did this it sounded great (better than w/baerwald) for the first 4/5 of a record than i got bad IGD issues.
Anyone out there have experience for the best set up with this table (or similar Denons)
Thanks,
Phil

Hi Phil,

I don’t know this table, but that said as long as you know the overhang specs you should have no issues.

Do you know what the manual lists the overhang to be?

I use an old thin clear plastic ruler to double check my overhang on my tables.



I also use this black and gold protractor, the picture of the LP on the protractor is exactly 9/16ths on center. Really well made protractor and low buck. Made in the USA as well. Just search on eBay for “turntable protractor” $10...

It’s real gold on PCB fiberglass. This really makes the cantilever stand out while making the adjustments. I say that to ensure your aligning the cantilever and not the body of the cart.

Do you have a digital scale?

1. Set overhang
2. Adjust cart alignment w/ protractor
3. Set tracking force with digital scale (you want to be exact)
4. Set anti skate

If your overhang is not correct you may not be able to get the cantilever in the exact position that needs to be.

Good luck with it man! Let us know how it works out

 

[elcoholic]

@henryporter - Well like many manufacturers they only publish 2 of the 3 specs needed to know which alignment. We have overhang* of 14mm, effective length of 244mm, but the head shell offset angle is omitted as if they had a secret to protect. If I had to guess I’d go with Stevenson or something proprietary between the 2 standards like most Japanese tables.
I’m surprised a conical stylus is having IGD at 4/5 of the playing surface as they are a generally more forgiving shape and IGD is more of a problem much closer to the center of the record. The Japanese standard allows a minimum radius 4mm smaller than the RIAA standard. This is where Stevenson makes sense. I recommend checking the accuracy of the printed protractor and trying Baerwald again. Never mind the manual, having the cartridge askew in the head shell to make Baerwald is a matter of aesthetics, not performance. The manual also says a mm error in alignment won’t effect playback accuracy which is ridiculous given the difference between Baerwald and Stevenson is only a mm or two and a degree of offset. If Baerwald is causing IGD with 20% of the playing surface remaining the problem is something else.

* Don’t be confused by the misuse of the “overhang gauge” term. Overhang is the distance the stylus overhangs the center of the spindle. The gauge places the stylus 50mm from a reference point, usually the mating surface of the head shell at the arm coupling. The result of which places the arc of the stylus the specified 14mm beyond the spindle’s centerpoint.

 

[henryporter]

Hey thanks for the response. I believe the overhang in the manual is 50 mm. I removed the s arm w/ mp110 and have replaced with the straight arm w m97xe. This is set to the manual instructions and is working well (little to no IGD). I will have to give it another go with the mp110
Thanks to all who have replied.
Phil

 

[elcoholic]

Hey thanks for the response. I believe the overhang in the manual is 50 mm. I removed the s arm w/ mp110 and have replaced with the straight arm w m97xe. This is set to the manual instructions and is working well (little to no IGD). I will have to give it another go with the mp110
Thanks to all who have replied.
Phil

Yes 50mm is the distance from the back of the head shell per the manual which sets the specific 14mm overhang. I reviewed the manual some more and I think your problem is not alignment. The minimum cartridge weight for the S arm wand is 11g. The 6.5g MP-100 is way too light. I’m thinking your IGD is really just mistracking and might be related to the dynamic damping not being able to compensate at the higher tracking angle towards the end of the side. This is consistent with the Shure working better on the straight wand. I suspect you’ll be able to use either Baerwald or Stevenson on either arm wand providing the cartridge weight is within range. In the 5-6 years I’ve been making my mirror protractors I’ve yet to have a complaint that either alignment can’t be set or doesn’t track properly.

For a great heavier cartridge for the S arm wand I recommend a nuded Denon DL-103 or DL-103r potted in a Paradox Pulse body. At 15.7g it’s nicely in the middle of that arm tube’s range and will reveal much more of the quality of your table with the caveat that it’s a LOMC.

 

[henryporter]

Good to know! I do have a DL 103 that i have been using for the past few years but i thought i would rotate in the mp110. Maybe try it on the straight arm then. Thanks for the info!

 

[ETI_5000]

The minimum cartridge weight for the S arm wand is 11g. The 6.5g MP-100 is way too light. ...
For a great heavier cartridge for the S arm wand I recommend a nuded Denon DL-103 or DL-103r potted in a Paradox Pulse body. At 15.7g it’s nicely in the middle of that arm tube’s range and will reveal much more of the quality of your table with the caveat that it’s a LOMC.

Actually, the 11-20g they quote for the cartridge weight range with the s-shaped arm tube also includes the weight of the headshell. So if the headshell weighs perhaps 8g, then cartridges from 4 to 12 (including screws etc) will be OK, and the 6.5g MP-100 (or MP-110) will be perfectly OK (as will the DL-103).

 

[totem]

Seems more likely the case that the weight should be workable but still leaves other possible issues,
what is the Nag 110's condition or if the arm has an issue with auto compensation.

 

[elcoholic]

Actually, the 11-20g they quote for the cartridge weight range with the s-shaped arm tube also includes the weight of the headshell. So if the headshell weighs perhaps 8g, then cartridges from 4 to 12 (including screws etc) will be OK, and the 6.5g MP-100 (or MP-110) will be perfectly OK (as will the DL-103).

You’re right I didn’t catch that the S-arm uses removable head shells. It’s a bit counterintuitive that the straight arm can take a heavier cartridge than the S-arm since we usually associate straight arms with low and ultra low mass.