The last thing on my mind when i'm enjoying tunes is where the TT was made, I am sure Technics has a quality standard that must be met so I don't see the big deal? This is why the big mac down the street tastes the same as the one on the other side of planet.
I found the Technics method to be just fine using their tool with the VM95ML cart. Can't get much easier to get correct alignment.
Yeah I’m not really into ham, but I do like beef jerky a lot... hard to get decent beef jerky over here.
Yes, temporarily, when testing between moving it around from spot to spot. But you should bolt it down once you've placed it at a more permanent place. I'm not quite sure why it has bolts, since gravity keeps the platter in place, but maybe for some additional rigidity between the platter and motor?
"I'm not quite sure why it has bolts, since gravity keeps the platter in place, but maybe for some additional rigidity between the platter and motor?" exactly
No, zero difference as far as I heard, but I didn’t do any real critical listening. So even if there’s a difference, I expect it to be quite small.
So far I like it. Music is not as up front. It may sound a bit more natural. It may be worth a try for all you 1200G Gae owners. It may have better flow this way. I have to listen more.
Congratulations. I’ve got the same turntable and find it outstanding. I always use the Technics gauge for their turntables. It’s the best for inner groove performance (it’s essentially Stevenson). I personally wouldn’t mess around with anything else.
I would not run the table without securing the platter down with the bolts. When it's not screwed down there is a bit of lateral play. With stopping and starting, the platter is sure to move a bit before momentum gets it up to speed and running at the correct rpm. That will eventually put unnecessary wear and tear on the motor and bearing. If you want to play with the rotation, fiddle with the torque settings. But I don't see why anyone would ever run it without it being secured to the motor/bearing.
I had my SL1200GR set-up with oem alignment spec, sounded great. The jig is easy to use once you notice the sighting notch, lol. After doing some reading the Baerwald seems recommended often and afaik the same as the Lofgren A. My CartAlign null points and overhang match. So I did it today, will recheck tomorrow with rested eyes. It's fully forward and canted right slightly looking down. I adjusted antiskate by looking for jump. At 2 g tracking AS at 1.5. But after 3 albums imo it sounds better. Better focus, especially high range piano and cymbals. Bass is tight but a bit lower in volume, bumped the sub gain up a notch. Will listen for a week, if I don't like it, easily put back. For some reason I have an urge for 5 Guys?
Looks like you entered the numbers wrong above, the pivot to spindle should stay at 215mm since the tonearm mount position is fixed, while effective length increases with Baerwald due to increase in overhang.
Got my table set up with the fluid damper and I’ve played a few sides. I haven’t had a chance to do any critical listening but the first thing I noticed was how...solid (?) the center channel is. I guess you’d call it “imaging.” Before it used to drift but now it’s pretty solid.
Yup, same here. Every instrument and voice has a very specific location. More so than without the damper.