This is a really good question, variations of which I hear a lot. Let’s look at this in a little more detail, and bear with me as there’s a bit to unpack with this one.

Cartridge alignment is a technical process, but a relatively straightforward one, once you understand it. That said, cartridge alignment, along with tonearm-cartridge matching, are some of the most misunderstood concepts in hi-fi.

Given that alignment is based on math and physics, there’s not a lot of room for opinion, despite the nonsense you may read on this topic. It comes down to understanding geometry and the technical aspects of how to accurately measure and set things up.

I’ve written more about the key parameters involved in cartridge and tonearm set-up, so check that out.

Now, to the most important and yet most misunderstood point:

There is only one factory-correct alignment and that’s one made to factory specifications.

Note: I’m not saying there is only one possible alignment, I’m saying there is only one factory-correct alignment, just like there is only one factory-correct wheel alignment for your car. This concept must be clearly understood, yet an astonishing number of folks including many who really ought to know better, don’t. Why? It’s like anything technical – some concepts are just harder for some to grasp.

Rabbit Holes

Once you enter the world of turntables you can go down one of many rabbit holes. The Dunning-Kruger effect causes people to over-rate their level of understanding of topics they understand very little about, yielding the classic: “A little knowledge is a dangerous thing”, “You don’t know what you don’t know” and Darwin Awards.

I’m interested in the science of hi-fi because it always yields the best results. One thing you’ll thankfully never hear or read is me saying that I know better than the designers or engineers who created this equipment. You’ll understand why that’s important if you look around a little bit at our approach and results.

Someone, somewhere may think they know better than Technics design engineers, but that’s truly as silly as it sounds. Opinion is the root of many problems, so I’m interested in facts, backed up by experience. As a result, Liquid Audio is trusted by those who value factual information.

Manufacturer-Specified Alignments

Alright, so, what is a factory or manufacturer-specified alignment? It’s an alignment:

• Done exactly as the tonearm/turntable manufacturer recommends
• Made to exact, recommended specifications
• Achieved using a manufacturer-supplied alignment tool, overhang gauge, or protractor, or one that accurately replicates the original design and/or measurement capability.

Factory alignment usually involves setting the correct overhang and cartridge offset at one or two null points. This is most often achieved by setting a stylus tip distance with respect to the headshell-arm junction, which is how Denon, Kenwood, Sony, Technics and almost all manufacturers do it. They achieve this by supplying an overhang specification and/or a paper or plastic gauge or protractor that is unique for the arm.

I use manufacturer-specified alignments and tools wherever possible because the design engineers knew what they were doing and I like to honour those design decisions. In rare cases where the original set-up data and/or tools are not available, I’ll select (or make) an alignment tool appropriate for the job, based on the arm design, its specifications and experience aligning and calibrating thousands of turntables, tonearms and cartridges.

There are folks out there who’ll tell you these manufacturer-supplied specifications are “wrong”. I won’t waste time explaining how stupid this take is.

Confusion

Cartridge alignment involves setting the precise geometric and positional relationship of a cartridge in a tonearm. This ensures correct geometry as the stylus traverses the surface of a record. The stylus describes an arc of a precise radius as it moves, calculated to yield the best (or a particular) total area under the curve distortion result.

The factory-prescribed alignment is designed to generate the lowest distortion at a significant place on the record surface, often an outer track, or the inner grooves where distortion tends to be higher. Change the radius or this arc and/or angle of the cartridge, ie its alignment, not to mention tracking force, anti-skate and VTA, and you will change the result, and how the turntable sounds.

I must mention that most owners shouldn’t be aligning cartridges. This is simply because it’s a technical process that requires some knowledge, tools and experience to complete successfully.

Generic Alignments

When a cartridge is correctly factory aligned, it may appear misaligned when checked with any of the multitudes of cartridge protractors and alignment gauges available. If you align a cartridge with a Shure paper alignment gauge for example, when you check with a factory tool, the alignment will very likely appear wrong.

Why? Because those others are the wrong tools for the job. The simple answer is that each tool delivers a different alignment. Don’t expect five different alignment tools and methods to get you the same alignment because they won’t. None of them may be correct for your deck.

A generic paper gauge “designed for every turntable” (which is technically impossible) cannot render the correct factory-specified alignment for many turntables. Generic tools deliver generic alignments, approximations based on a ‘generic’ tonearm length, unspecified alignment geometry, mounting distance and type of alignment. A factory-supplied template, tool or protractor on the other hand is designed to give the precise alignment specified for your deck/arm.

An example some might better understand would be getting a car wheel alignment done using data from the wrong vehicle. This happened to me years ago when I took my car to a supposed wheel alignment specialist who had no idea what they were doing. My car’s wheels were technically ‘aligned’, just to the specifications for a different model vehicle! idiots!

Generic protractors have a role to play in ‘quick and dirty’ alignments and work well in situations they were designed for, but there is no substitute for the correct factory alignment, tools, or a custom-made gauge specified with factory alignment parameters for your deck.

Multiple Alignment Syndrome

There are three common alignments – Baervald, Lofgren and Stevenson alignments – each yielding measurably different total ‘area under the curve’ distortion. Your arm will likely use one of these alignments. These alignments each sound different, some good, some not so good and random owner and retailer-made alignments can sound bad!

Which alignment is correct in your case? The factory alignment is technically the correct alignment, as the designers intended. It is always best set with a factory gauge, protractor or tool, or a precisely calculated and printed arc-type protractor. Other alignments are possible as we’ve discussed, but in my opinion, it’s preferable to stick with the factory-specified alignment.

Now, it’s technically true that one can improve on some alignments, in certain circumstances, but this is tweaker’s territory. Some alignments (Stevenson) are designed to perform best on 45s and on the inner grooves of 12-inch vinyl, where classical music crescendos often appear. Is it worth deviating beyond factory recommendations for most users though? No.

I’m interested in getting turntables working perfectly for 99% of owners who would also defer to manufacturer recommendations. Of the 1000 or more turntables I’ve worked on over the years, only a handful have been correctly set up, including many brand-new machines. Every turntable that leaves Liquid Audio is perfectly set up, per the manufacturer’s specifications.

Summary

• A cartridge must be correctly aligned for maximum performance
• Correct alignment refers to correct cartridge overhang and offset, azimuth, VTA, tracking force and anti-skate
• The best alignment in most cases is the manufacturer-specified alignment, made with the correct/supplied tools
• You should only change/set cartridge alignment if you understand everything so far, and can accurately assess the current alignment and any changes made to it.

Need Advice?

No problem, check out other FAQs, and reviews for more. For those needing more specific assistance, we offer an advisory service that provides information tailored specifically to you and your equipment. Better still, book your deck in for proper alignment and calibration.

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