VPI Tonearm connector wire and record tracking

I prefer the twist, am using a Zephyr on a 10.5i armtube that does incorporate the kludgy AS mechanism (which I don't use, didn't know Peter recommended it).

An easier way to adjust wire tension I've used for a while is to get all parameters set (VTA, VTF, azimuth, overhang). Then ball up a wad of Mortite (plumber's putty) that is just heavy enough to float the arm when it is stuck onto the back end of the armtube, and adjust the connector to the point where the arm is just drifting toward the outside of the record. Works for me.

BTW, I love that Zephyr cartridge and really appreciated its built in stylus guard when our earthquake struck while I was playing a record. Caught it on the third bounce and expected the worst, but it was fine.

Sorry if this is heretical, but when I picked up my VPI Zephyr, I did a quick alignment, VTF was a snap, checked azimuth and VTA -- all in 15 minutes. Didn't need a laser or oscilliscope or any other crazy jigs or whatever. The VPI jig is based on Baerwald geometry and works just fine. AS, as I said above, is just a light twist of the tone arm wire. I did a quick and dirty check for cantilever deflectiion, of which there was none that I could see, and away I went. Tracks great; sounds great; channel balance is great.

Tzh21y, I don't recall if you mentioned your cartridge, but as Stringreen, Dopogue and I have said, why suffer. Go with what VPI recommends, albeit the Zephyr, DV or whatever. I believe that Stringreen had great results with his Benz LP-S. But I say again, you are not the first person to have this problem. Call Mike at VPI and he can get you where you need to be.

Tzh21y

I have looked at a pic of the arm. Does the wire at the top of the arm come out of a hole directly above the pivot? Or is it offset? It is hard to see exactly.

If it is offset, then it will affect the arm in some way as it appears to be quite substantial. The fact that they say it can be used as antiskate would suggest this, as well as the fact it is able to maintain a loop.

I designed a couple of arms many years ago with similar arrangements in order to try and avoid the complication and expense of other solutions, and found that it was difficult to avoid some effect from the wire even though it was much finer than that of the VPI. It was not just on the lateral plane, affecting imaging and solidity, especially in the centre and towards the inner grooves, but also in terms of downforce variations which led to a generally imprecise quality, an uneasiness or edginess.

Those designs were rejected in favour of wiring that went through the bearings to give the minimum torque.

Recently, a friend of mine used some original old bits from one of the arms, a unipivot, and also found that the wiring was problematic. He started off by having the wire exit from the armtube, as in this pic,

Fernando's 1st version

and eventually ended up by running to the centre of the bearing housing and then straight up for a distance before looping it round the wire support.

The wire he used was very soft, but still not as fine as the original wire I used.

So maybe you could try routing the wire so that its axis of rotation is directly above the point of rotation of the arm. This will reduce the lateral torque, but the wire will still be prone to affecting the vertical movement. as it acts at a distance from the actual pivot point.

Using a longer arm will reduce any effects, as will higher VTF, so cartridges play a part, or using an "inner groove friendly" alignment.

I'll say nothing here about anti skate, as it is a contentious subject.

Hope this is of use or interest.

John

The VPI arm's wire exits from the front of the unipivot bearing housing and thus has a built in side thrust compensation factor even without the twist of the cable. As the arm travels across the record, the loop is condensed so the natual spring of the cable will push the arm toward the beginning of the record. I imagine the effect is slight however.

I run a Lyra Delos on a VPI 10.5i arm. When I first hooked it up and got it dialed in, it tracked great. After pulling the arm off and disconnecting the Lemco a few times, and tying the Lemco to the arm to keep it from pulling the wires while I worked on it, it needed just a tad of anti-skate. So I hooked the fishing line up with the bare minimum force it would deliver (line and weights close to the pivot) and it's back to tracking perfectly.

I think it's about what Stringreen mentioned, my wire lost its "set" from me fiddling with it too much.

I might be able to fiddle with the wire and make it work, but it's really great as it is. No IGD or sibilance, no jumping grooves, stylus remains clean, VTF on the recommended weight, etc.

I REALLY like this table/arm/cartridge combo, but it was my first uni-pivot. I got used to adjusting it with an inexpensive MM cart with stylus guard (AT440MLa) before installing the Delos. Made setting the Delos up a snap, but undoubtedly flexed the wire many unnecesary cycles.

I sure wouldn't write it off as "limitations of the table" just yet. If you still have any hair you haven't pulled out, then you need to adjust your tonearm until you have pulled out all of your hair. That will get you close.