Calling all VDH Colibri Fanatics and Experts ...

Could you guys shed some light on your ways to set SRA at 92 with Colibri? I've got XGW version (wood) and find it hard to get that sweet spot with mine. 

I spent a lot of time trying to figure out what is the source of this sibilance in the right channel on too many records. 

I am not sure what you mean with telling a view vinyl's. Pls clarify. 

Mine on XGW looks like it is slighlty rounded on the front and has flat cut on the back. While yours and mine on XGP LW looks like a spade really.

OK

Yes the front looks similar to my XGW: https://www.dropbox.com/s/rrrxy9nzzelzz6e/Photo%20Dec%2030%2C%2010%2059%2033.jpg?dl=0

Link once more https://www.dropbox.com/s/yp1w5uc5u56p8vi/Photo%20Jan%2004%2C%2010%2003%2037.png?dl=0

So you're getting the best possible  sound at 93 SRA? Any sibilance at that level?

Interesting. I've got Colibri XGP LW with that stylus shape. I think it is called VdH 1S. However it looks like on my Colibri XGW there is a different shaped stylus: https://www.dropbox.com/s/yp1w5uc5u56p8vi/Photo%20Jan%2004%2C%2010%2003%2037.png?dl=0

Or it is the same but with more glue on it?

Thanks. On my XGW I tried to measure SRA with DinoLite USB microscope but I am not sure what line I should take. Some say that the flat cut line which is at the back of the stylus should be taken but I am not sure about it. It is hard given the stylus shape to find the right line. And this is critical as you get different results. So I am trying to set the angle just going with my tonearm up and down and let my ears to be the judge. This is quite a process. With my Audio Origami PU7 tonearm you need to raise the tonearm by hand so to know where I am I am using the ruler and magnifying glass measuring each time where exactly the tonearm is. I move each time by 1mm then align the cart with Dr Feickert protractor (Baerwald), check if VTF didn't change and then use Adjust+ for azimuth. Then I rip specific piece of music and have a listen and compare with the same piece ripped at different arm position. At 1mm above the level I noticed quite a change with the surface noise being more visible and the sound getting more dynamic and better soundstage. Then I moved up another 1mm and noticed that drums became more apparent but the other instruments went away slightly. Clear imbalance. That was I sensed moving away from the best sound so I went down with my tonearm by 0.5mm. The sound became overall better but some elements like cymbals work, bass sound when comparing the rips were telling me that it was better at 1mm above the level. So I got it down by 0.25mm and that was it. All elements in the right place, the best sounding cymbals, guitars suddenly became more apparent with dynamics being really there. This way I ended up with the tonearm being 1.25mm above the level having at this level sound quality the best to my ears. Adjust+ shows me the crosstalk in both channels at the same level of 33.8 and phase at 156/166 level respectively. So with the phase it is not truly ideal but close. Some say that the SRA optimum setting as seen in Adjust+ is reached when crosstalk and phase in both channels match perfectly so probably I will have to lower the arm very very slightly maybe 0.10mm to get really perfect level

Really nice rip. Here is some of my rips done with my XGP LW. Played on LP12
(Cirkus/Radikal/Kore) w/AO PU7 tonearm. What did you play it on yours?
https://www.dropbox.com/s/3fmuu0lu0uygdu2/09%20Brain%20Damage%20A3%3AB3.wav?dl=0

Well that is historical rip from 2015 done on my 2nd XGP LW. I will try to post fresh one later on today with my XGW. 

So here is fresh rip with XGW. Do you think I could get better settings with my XGW than this? I am not sure if that is the sweet spot.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/4kwanj9iknnaql9/Sample.aif?dl=0

Got it. 

No. This is original UK1P A2/B3. 

OK. I went through your collection and I have some of these pressings. I will try to rip something of this and post the sample so we can compare. Interesting that you have Gwrman pressing of Van Halen 1984 which I just ordered as I am not too happy with Rhino 2010 and 30th Anniversary from 2015. Rhino is very bright and sibilant while 30th Ann. Is about right but Hot For Teacher is quite sibilant.  I hope original German press is free of this. 

Here is the sample from Suzanne Vega st German pressing. Very good example of the my major Issue with my Colibri - sibilance in the right channel. I think I dialed all antiskating possibilities yet it is still there. Does your copy have that sibilance?
https://www.dropbox.com/s/o8oxaajycvj81ho/Sample%202.aif?dl=0

I use Audio Origami PU7 tonearm. Compatibility test with Colibri gives me 9Hz resonance. 

Not too many. Apart from SV I see The Beatles UK Blue Box, German press Tracy Chapman, Sgt Pepper UK1P, German press Abbey Road, EU McCartney New and 2011 EU Pink Floyd Dark Side. Thats about it. 

How long the sample should be?

OK. Here it is. For My Lover sample from Tracy Chapman s/t German pressing in the form of WAV 96/24.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/0dnir6m00ei2gmf/Sample%20TC%20ForMyLover.wav?dl=0

I know this AJ recommendation. He also says that the optimal antiskate is at 1/3 of VTF. But  in my case AO PU7 does not have the scale but the weight that you can slide up or down the metal stick with no scale. So my settings could be wrong yet I do not know where I am with these settings in terms of measured value. I think I would have to use some math formula to measure it. I measured all the elements of this mechanism and this is as follows: 
Metal Stick length: 17mm
Wheel diameter: 20mm
Weight mass: 0.73g
Metal stick weight: 0.30g
I think having the right formula I could measure specific antiskate force but I can't find that formula. Maybe that is physics formula.

Or my load is too much. I run my preamp at1kOhm. And you?

Thanks. Quite a different sound but really nice and very well balanced overall. Mine is perhaps too edgy in comparison, too bright with less bass present. I noticed that either you or I have L/R channels swapped.

And how did you set antiskate for your Frog?

I like the 2nd picture idea. We shall see how it goes. 

I was trying to set it by ear listening to some mono records and looking through magnifying at how the cantilever reacts (left, right, nothing) when the stylus touches spinning vinyl. Also watching how the tonearm behaves in the wider inner groove (is it slow/fast). But this is approximation I think. 

ninetynine.
I just checked again our picture with SRA measured. Are you sure the result >93 is the correct one? BTW this is really nice quality of the pictures you took of the stylus. May I ask what microscope you are using. I am using DinoLite AM3111 but cannot get such closeups like you did.

ninetynine,
with regards to SRA settings you mentioned earlier that you started from the level settings and ended up at 93 degrees. Was the final setting achieved by hit/miss listening or some other way? Also with your current SRA of 93 degrees where are you with regards to the level position? I am 5mm above the level with mine currently. It sounds really good but a little bit edgy and I wonder if the current level isn't too high. 

So you are having the tonearm level at the moment and this gives you current 93.17d?

Of course. Your Frog may have different cantilever position and it is all individual per cartridge settings. But this is interesting.