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Tracking error distortion audibility

I recently unpacked my turntable from a couple of years of storage. It still sounds very good. Several times during playback of the first few albums I literally jumped from my chair to see which track was playing as it sounded so great. After a while I realized the "great" sound was always at one of the "null" points. They seem to occur at the approximately the proper place (about 125mm from spindle) and near the lead out groove. Questions:
Is this common? I have improved the resolution of my system since the table's been in storage but I don't remember hearing this before.
All others geometric sources of alignment error not defined by the null points (VTA, azimuth etc.) are essentially constant through out the arc correct? If so they should cancel out. I assume the remedy is a linear tracking arm but I am surprised at how obviously better the sound is at these two points.
Table - AR ES-1, Arm - Sumiko MMT, Cart. - Benz Glider, Pre - Audible Illusions, Speakers - Innersound electrostatic hybrid
Do linear arms really sound as good across the whole record as I hear at only the nulls with my set-up?
feathed
audiofeil
4,011 posts
 
Jwglista,
I do not sell the Mint LP protractor. I simply use it with all of my turntable/tonearm combinations.

Let's not confuse my business interests with your inability to properly align your gear.

Thanks.
jwglista
205 posts
 
Whoa, easy. It was more of a joke than anything.

My gear is aligned properly. I'm glad you're happy with the Mint LP.
audiofeil
4,011 posts
 
>>My gear is aligned properly<<

Can't be if you're hearing all the distortion and sibilance.

Good luck and hope you can find the proper tools and skills.
thom_mackris's avatar
thom_mackris
680 posts
 
Just to make it clear, I wasn't trying to undersell the MintLP. The fact that we go round and round on this and it gets contentious is a bit silly - especially in light of the voluminous comments on several threads archived in this forum over the past 6 months.

All of the doubters (experienced audiophiles) became true believers, and it's not because they drank the Kool-Aid. They opened their mind to the fact that they may not be as skilled as they might have thought - that a better tool yielded better results.

My take is that it's simple for anyone with a printer to test this for themselves for the cost of a piece of paper.

To date, the only person I've encountered who can achieve the same audible results with a two point protractor as I can with an arc protractor is Frank Schroeder.

So, stop debating this, get off yer duff and prove it for for yourself. If you like what you hear, you can decide for yourself whether it's worth the $$$ to try a MintLP.

Cheers,
Thom @ Galiber
feathed OP
16 posts
 
I think we can all agree that alignment is difficult to get spot on and visual means have many inherent inaccuracies. To me this screams out for verification with a test record and instrumentation. I would think it possible to measure the distortion and confirm the positions of the nulls. You can then position them to agree with whatever formula you prefer or fine tune in combination with listening tests. I thought I remembered 20 years or more ago one could bring his or her table to a dealer and they would analyze the output to assess alignment. Did or does such a thing exist?
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