Question about proprietary headshells and microline stylii

I have a Yamaha turntable (a P-700 direct drive) that uses a proprietary headshell. As you can see in the picture, the headshell doesn't allow the user to tweak cartridge alignment. There is only one setting and you have to use whatever the manufacturer pre-set as the alignment. I like the turntable and the way it sounds. It came with a Signet TK3ea cart and I put an Audio Technica 100E stylus on it. I have been curious about trying microline styli at some point and was wondering if it would be okay to mount a microline/line contact stylus on the cart considering the lack of headshell adjustability. IIRC, the TK3ea is compatible with the AT440mla stylus and the AT150mlx stylus, as well as ATN7V. I don't think the latter is a microline, but there are other NOS microlines like the 140lc that are also supposed to fit this cart.

 

You should be fine. It's really the same as using the Technics overhang gauge on an SL1200 for example (and even easier) - lots of people do that too. Horizontal alignment is only 100% tangential in two points on the record, the rest is about minimizing tracking error. Yamaha would have known what they were doing, they used to make some very nice (MC) cartridges when this turntable was new. You'll want to pay special attention to Azimuth and VTA with the microline instead for optimal results.

I may be wrong, but I don't see a model number on the stylus guard in your picture. That would indicate a generic replacement stylus, a genuine AT should perform even better.

 

Antares, the stylus is a genuine AT 100E, marked on the stylus guard, it's just hard to see. It's a bonded .3 x .7 elliptical. Matter of fact I just put a new one on there, because I had been running the old one for 8 months.

Please elaborate on Azimuth and VTA. I believe my TT doesn't allow for VTA adjustment. There is a small screw to the right of the tonearm joint but I do not know what that's for, maybe removing the tonearm? I haven't been able to find a manual for this TT, vinyl engine has other Yahamas but not this particular one.

 

My bad on the genuine stylus! Azimuth angle indicates that the stylus tip points straight down into the V-shaped groove as seen from the front (or back), VTA or Vertical Tracking Angle ensures that the tracing edges of the stylus point straight down as well (actually slightly leaned back, like the cutting stylus), as seen from the side of the cartridge (also indicated with SRA or Stylus Rake Angle).

Either can be adjusted with shims on a non-adjustable arm. A different thickness platter mat or a shim between headshell and cartridge for VTA and (very thin - a little goes a long way here) shim on one side of the cartridge for Azimuth. In theory Azimuth should be correct without the need for any adjustments, you're merely correcting for manufacturing tolerances in arm/headshell and cartridge/stylus, but it's so sensitive with the sharper stylus shapes that a little tweaking (like just one degree) can make a nice difference.

The screw next to the arm base may be for adjusting the end of side auto-return switch point.

 

Got any recs for platter mats? The platter is aluminum, and the current platter mat is rubber, maybe 2mm thick? Not sure.

What kind of shim would I use under the cart mounting screw? How do I know if it needs a shim or when it is shimmed enough?

 

Not really, everyone has their preferences. I'm not really a fan of cork on aluminum myself.

 

I have 2 Yamaha TT's that use that headshell. Alignment is not an issue. There is plenty of forward and aft movement, especially if you use arc protractor.

 

Please explain, with pictures, if possible. Either I'm missing something or we have slightly different headshells. I've removed the screws and there is no oval hole with all the wiggle room like you see on a standard headshell. There are just two non-adjustable screw holes. The screws go through the little cue tab thing and then through the headshell.

 

It looks like if you loosen the screws you can move the cartridge fore and aft with the lift block attached.

 

Most headshells like that (one set of holes, no slots) allow you to slide the entire finger lift bar, along with the cartridge, forward and backward to achieve proper overhang before you completely tighten down the screws. You just can't change the offset angle, like you can with a headshell with slots. Does yours move when you loosen the screws?

Herbie's Audio Lab makes some nice mats, available in many different thicknesses and diameters.

 

Okay, assuming I did it correctly, the Stevenson protractor from vinyl engine shows everything aligned correctly as is. If I do add a more expensive cart or microline stylus, I would probably want to go with a more sophisticated alignment technique, right?

 

So you were able to move the cartridge after all?

 

It seemed to line up with the protractor about dead on, so I didn't bother unscrewing it again. I think I now understand how it is supposed to move back and forth though.

Another question: what do you use to hold the little mounting nuts in place when you put it back together? Tweezers? I didn't have anything so I just tried to hold it with my fingers and they were a real PITA to put back on. The TT was set up by the store where I bought it from, so I just tried the best I could to eyeball it the way it looked before I took the screws out...

 

Very difficult, as they are not really "nuts" - you could consider looking for replacement hardware.

 

Do you have any mounting hardware recommendations?

 

The round nuts should have small slits at one end where you can fit a fingernail or small screwdriver and hold them while tightening the bolts? The ones that come with AT cartridges do so anyway, with my Denon the nuts are knurled. In any case, don't over tighten these, finger-tight is about right.

I can see it too now, the finger-lift (or cue tab as you call it) is clamped over the flat center section of the headshell with the cartridge bolts, so you can slide it and set "overhang" for cartridges with a different stylus tip to mounting bolts distance. Adjusting crop angle for different alignments from stock looks less straightforward than with a slotted headshell though.

Even if not for the P-700, there are a number of manuals for similar models (using the same tonearm) available at vinylengine (P-200/300/500 or their immediate successors P-220/320/520). Apparently these came with a one-point protractor sheet to set overhang. If you want to go all-out with alignment, have a look at Conrad's arc protractor program also on vinylengine. Pivot-to-spindle distance equals effective length minus overhang. According to the manual, the factory alignment has and effective length of 222 mm and overhang of 16 mm (with an offset angle of 23° in the headshell), so your pivot-to-spindle distance will be 222 - 16 = 206 mm. (Using the inch measurements from the manual gives 206.4 mm.)