BaerWald vs VPI setup protractors

In my experience, the Turntable Basic protractor is fatally flawed in that it does not permit the user to precisely locate and align the spindle with the pivot point of the tonearm.  You've got to aim it by eye at the pivot, which is usually several inches beyond the edge of the protractor surface. Yes, it can be modified by the user to allow for closer approximation, but that's still a big problem with the original design.  And to say it will "work" for any cartridge and tonearm is really to say it will approximately work, because there are minute differences for which it cannot account.  Take a look at the UNItractor or the SMARTractor from Acoustic Sounds, and you will appreciate what those tiny tonearm to tonearm variables might be.  Or even the Feickert.  This is why Mint protractors are made one by one for each tonearm.

I'm all for saving money.  As regards protractors, my ship has left the dock.  I already own and have paid for the UNItractor, the Feickert, an original all metal Dennesen (I keep it for its historical value), and a Turntable Basics (which I no longer use at all).  For those who have not already shot their wad, there is apparently a free program available on the internet wherein you can dial in the name of your tonearm and cartridge and then print out a free arc protractor template, provided your printer will make 1:1 copies.  Do a search on either VE or VA for the URL. Honestly, I do not feel that the mirror is so vital to the procedure, although the UNI is mirrored.  Certainly, not using a mirror does not make one ignorant or careless.  If your cantilever is out of line, you probably can compensate for the error by guesstimate.

Melm, You and cleeds certainly are a judgmental pair. But also, your reading comprehension is not up to snuff. Where did I say that a SMARTractor cannot be as good as an arc protractor? The answer is: nowhere did I say or write that.

What I did say/write is that the SMARTractor is in a whole other league from the Turntable Basics, because the Smartie allows the user to locate the pivot in relation to the spindle very precisely. Whereas, you yourself have described the way in which one must add on to the TB in order to get even close to accurate location of P2S. And by the way also, the Smartie and the Feickert can be used for tonearm set-up, because they both permit precise measurement of P2S. The TB is useless in that process. I hate to drag poor Albert Einstein into this silly discussion, but he is reputed to have said that the solution to any problem should be as simple as possible, but not simpler. The TB is an example of a too simple solution. I admit, you cannot beat the price, but even for only $20, one would be better off downloading one of those free arc protractors designed for one’s particular tonearm.

In case you don’t know it, the SMARTractor was developed from the UNItractor. (I actually think the Smartie is easier to use than the UNI, and I wish I had waited for its introduction before buying the UNI.) Then I went on to say/write, for those who would rather not spend the big bucks for the Smartie or Feickert, that one can download a correct arc protractor for free using a program available on the internet. I have no beef with arc protractors. I was praising the Mint, in fact.

Now, you are free to disagree with my opinions, but please get my opinions right before you dump on them.

Helomech, In my one experience of trying to print a protractor, the problem was not in the file but in my computer and printer.  I had to make sure to set the ratio to 1:1 using the printer's controls.  I can't recall how I did it.  The default ratio between the file and the copy put out by the printer was greater than 1:1, I believe. (Copy slightly smaller than original.)

melm, You seem determined to find something to disagree with, no matter what I write.  Yes, I did know that the UNI and Smartie are based on the Dennesen.  Was it necessary for me to say that in the context of the point I was trying to make?  I didn't think so.  I would also add, however, that the Acoustic Sounds protractors are so far and away superior to the original Dennesen in so many ways that it is not even important to note their common origins.  These include:

(1) 2-point alignment vs single point
(2) Use of a mirrored surface where the reflective component is very close to the surface of the glass (not several mm below the surface, as for the TB protractor or no mirror as for the original Dennesen)
(3) Separate mirrored templates for each tonearm
(4) Interchangeable spindle holes to compensate for slight variations in spindle diameter
(5) Precise location of the pivot from the spindle and precise measurement of P2S
And more...

As I hope I made clear, if you or anyone else does not want to spend $600 on a protractor, that's fine with me, and it is very understandable.  I held off buying the UNI for a long time, for that reason.  My advice in that case would be to opt for the free download of an arc protractor from the source cited above.  Or, for fewer bucks than the AS products, get the Feickert. Heck, some guys maintain that an arc protractor is the only way to go; I'm cool with that, too.  But this is how I would advise a neophyte.

melm, I give up.  Re-read my last 3 posts. Or don't. 
Invictus, Lofgren A = Baerwald.  So, what is your opinion now?

melm,  I wish that HW would get on this thread and confirm or modify your interpretation of what he supposedly prefers in terms of cartridge alignment. Because your description of his preference doesn't make complete sense.  If one wants only a single point of tangency on the playing surface of the LP, for whatever reason, one is best off using an "underhung" tonearm, of which there are only two that I know of: the RS Labs RS-A1 and the Viv Float.  These tonearms have no headshell offset angle;  doing away with headshell offset may afford some sonic advantages in and of itself, based on my experiences with the RS-A1 tonearm.  Underhung tonearms develop quite a bit of tracking angle error as the arm moves away from its single point of tangency to the groove, much more than conventional tonearms. Yet I hear no problems I can relate to tracking angle error when using the RS-A1.