Art Dudley Listening

Listening #191: The Smartractor Page 2

The UNI-DIN curve is available commercially via the Acoustical Systems Smartractor ($599, footnote 5), a phono-alignment protractor described by the manufacturer as "universal" inasmuch as it can be used with virtually any pivoting tonearm. Like Dennesen's popular Geometric Soundtracktor before it, the Smartractor has much in common with a draftsman's beam compass: here, the beam is a 13"-long rod of square cross-section, machined from polyoxymethylene (POM), that slides along a block of POM that has both a locking screw and a vernier scale. Fastened to one end, perpendicular to the beam, is an adjustable steel rod, machined at its lower end to a point that's intended to contact the precise center of a tonearm's lateral bearing; for tonearms whose pivots are difficult to discern, the upper end of this rod is fitted with a clear plastic disc marked with a scale inscribed on a transparent surface.

The block and beam are fastened, through various fittings, to a semicircle-plus of mirrored plastic, the top of which is engraved with a series of reticles and information. Because the Smartractor can precisely lock on to the tonearm pivot, dual alignment grids aren't required for accurate results: only a single grid is required, just as in the Dennesen Soundtracktor. That said, the generously sized Smartractor is engraved with five grids, for five different alignment schemes: UNI-DIN, Löfgren A (IEC), Löfgren A (DIN), Löfgren B (IEC), and Löfgren B (DIN). In brief, Löfgren A is Erik Löfgren's original, 1938 alignment. In its IEC version, the innermost null point is set at 60.325mm from the spindle center, in accordance with the LP-manufacturing standards set by the International Electrotechnical Commission; in its DIN version, the innermost null is at 57.5mm, in accordance with DIN standards. Löfgren B is a variation that Löfgren devised for players in which the offset angle is both nonadjustable and suboptimal—this according to engineer Graeme F. Dennes, in a paper that is a landmark traversal of studies of the subject (footnote 6); the IEC- and DIN-prescribed nulls are consistent with the above.

I love my cartridge
The Smartractor is ergonomically friendly, and its readings are easier to see and interpret than those of the outwardly simple DB Systems DBP-10 protractor I've relied on in recent years. The user removes a thumbscrew that secures the block-and-beam assembly to the protractor, then rotates the block relative to the beam to choose one of the five alignment schemes, after which the thumbscrew is reapplied to lock the settings in place. A sixth setting, labeled UNI P2S, allows the beam to be used to measure the pivot-to-spindle distance. The vernier scale ends at 315mm—a slight disappointment, given that the P2S distance of my EMT 997 tonearm, when set up for use with a G-style pickup head, is 316.325mm—but the beam seems long enough to accommodate, if not measure with precision, arms with P2S distances of up to 318mm.

1118listen.2.jpg

After the alignment grid has been chosen, the Smartractor is lowered to the platter. Its 9mm spindle hole is an intentionally loose fit: with the protractor in place, a short nylon tube—it tapers in thickness from bottom to top—is then pressed down onto the spindle, to center the Smartractor and hold it in place. With the protractor thus positioned and its beam's pointer either aimed at or in contact with the center of the tonearm pivot, the user lowers the stylus and adjusts the cartridge position as needed, until the stylus drops neatly into a dimple on the grid, and the cantilever lines up with the appropriate engraved lines. A cutaway in the clear-plastic fitting between the beam-and-block and the protractor holds a magnifying loupe (supplied) in just the right position to aid alignment—a very welcome enhancement.

The Smartractor is a breeze to use, and seems exceptionally well made. But what of the alignment curves it offers? I have yet to use all five, and my experiences with the Smartractor are limited to a very few cartridges. Most of the cartridges I own, such as my various EMT OFDs and Ortofon SPUs, are pickup heads, whose fixed offset angles and overhangs force me to use the DB Systems protractor. The DB is still the only commercial protractor I know of that makes it easy to select and then implement my own (dual) null points, arrived at by using the Arm Geometer software developed by Keith Howard and referenced in "Arc Angles."

I made a few listening notes during my early experiences with the Smartractor. In fact, this column began as the introduction to a piece about two new and very expensive standard-mount cartridges—but in my efforts to say a few preliminary words about the work that went into setting them up, I found that the Smartractor deserved more ink: those cartridges will appear in this space in the next issue.

So I reverted to an old friend among standard-mount cartridges, my well-worn Miyabi 47, which hasn't been in production for a number of years. I chose the Miyabi especially for its relatively spare body, and thus its easy-to-see cantilever: always a boon to precise alignment. And its elliptical stylus is, I suppose, closer than the spherical tips of my various pickup heads to the sorts of styli most hobbyists use. Not only that, audible differences among various alignment settings are presumed to be more apparent with an elliptical (or any of its many variants) than a spherical tip.

I began by setting up the Miyabi 47 with Löfgren A (IEC) alignment, then spun a few LPs, including: Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band's Strictly Personal (Blue Thumb BTS 1); the Incredible String Band's Liquid Acrobat as Regards the Air (Island ILPS 9172); Elgar's Sea Pictures, performed by mezzo-soprano Janet Baker, Sir John Barbirolli, and the London Symphony Orchestra (EMI ASD 655); and Donovan's Barabajagal (Epic BN 26481). I made sure to spend at least a little time listening to the first and last tracks on most of those sides. I enjoyed generally good sound with Löfgren A (IEC), and mentioned in my listening notes that Mike Heron's lead vocal in "Painted Chariot," the last song on side 1 of the ISB album, sounded very present and very good.

Then I repositioned the cartridge in its headshell to achieve Löfgren A (DIN) alignment—which, it seemed to me, required just over 1mm less overhang, and a hair less offset. As with the initial setting, this alteration took a bit of patience: not infrequently, I found I'd inadvertently moved the cartridge while retightening the mounting bolts—which I'd loosened in order to move the cartridge in its headshell.

From my notes: "With DIN, the beginning of Elgar's 'The Swimmer' definitely sounded a little worse—grainier and harsher, especially in the voice and massed strings. But the very end of the song sounded microscopically better—in particular, Baker's loud, sustained high A at the end. (Baker's voice is dead center, while the no-less-loud orchestra, which sounded no different, comes at the listener from both sides of the stage—make of that what you will.) In ISB's 'Painted Chariot,' Heron's voice didn't sound quite as good—a difference so slight I might have imagined it—but the loud organ at the end sounded worse in DIN—obviously more distorted." For the record, "The Swimmer" begins at about 90mm from the spindle center and ends at about 70mm; "Painted Chariot" ends at 63mm.

I left the Miyabi 47 in its Löfgren A (DIN) position for the rest of that day, listened to a few more records, and the next day resumed listening with Donovan's Barabajagal—chosen because I remembered measuring its modulated groove area a few years ago and noting that, on side 1, it goes all the way to a point just 57mm from the spindle center. For that reason, this LP was a useful choice, but it was a poor choice in another respect: Barabajagal has not, shall we say, held up very well. Listening to that side 1 closer, "I Love My Shirt," was an exhumation from which a few foul odors escaped, made worse by the fact that, at the time, my college-age daughter and her boyfriend were within listening range: much ribbing ensued. In any event: the side 1 opener (the title track) sounded really quite good, but by the end of "I Love My Shirt" cymbal smashes were a little hot, lead and backing vocals harsh.

I made a few more notes, then repositioned the cartridge for UNI-DIN alignment. "Barabajagal" was now worse than with Löfgren A (DIN)—per my notes, by the end of the track it was "borderline unlistenable." At first, "I Love My Shirt," which begins at around 77mm, also sounded worse, but not by as much: Donovan's voice was just a little more sibilant. Yet by the end of the song the sibilance was more natural and thus easier to take. With UNI-DIN, his voice at the end of the track sounded better than ever.

But let's be realistic: This was with one cartridge and a total of maybe a dozen LPs, heard over the course of two days. Over such a brief time and with so small a sampling, variables that might otherwise pale into insignificance—cartridge bolts tightened to different degrees, different ambient temperatures, etc.—can influence or even swamp distinctions that might prove more consistent over the long haul.

And the long haul is what I'm in for. With the indulgence of Acoustical Systems, I intend to keep using the Smartractor, which is more pleasant to work with than any other alignment product I've used, regardless of curve(s). For now, because Löfgren A (DIN) has worked for me so well for so long—from a technical point of view, I believe it's closest to what I've used in recent years with the combination of the DB Systems protractor and Keith Howard's Arm Geometer software—I'm going to keep that as my control. Hopefully, in time, I'll have a better-informed idea of which alignment scheme provides the most listening enjoyment long-term. My mind is open: as Deng Xiaoping famously said, "It doesn't matter whether a cat is black or white, if it catches mice it is a good cat"—a statement that put him at odds with Jiang Qing, whose mistrust of all things Western never dimmed.


Footnote 5: Acoustical Systems, Am Büchele 2, 86928 Hofstetten, Germany. Web: www.arche-headshell.de. US distributor: Rutherford Audio Inc., 12649 E. Caley Avenue, #116, Centennial, CO 80111. Tel: (303) 872-6285, x8003. Web: www.rutherfordaudio.com.

Footnote 6: Graeme F. Dennes, "An Analysis of Six Major Articles on Tonearm Alignment and Optimisation and a Summary of Optimum Design Equations," AES/IEEE, 1983/2015.

ARTICLE CONTENTS

COMMENTS
volvic's picture
Submitted by volvic on October 30, 2018 - 5:51pm

I have had my metal Dennsen protractor since 1989 and it has served me well. I did notice though that once I got it an obsession with getting it right to the point where I was always checking and rechecking cartridges I had installed on my tables was becoming an unhealthy obsession . To break out of this "sickness" I did two things; I purchased a Shure V15 MK V which had an ingenious way of aligning the cartridge using the Lofgren technique, applying the cartridge against their template and checking against the Dennsen I found it was always spot on and very accurate, hence stuck with the cartridge and still use it today. The other thing I did was purchase and use SME tonearms, I find their method of setting up to be quite easy provided you use the right size screws to provide a nice snug fit. Toyed with the idea of getting the Smartractor but in the end I wouldn't want to start adjusting and readjusting cartridges again and again. Been OCD cartridge free for decades.

Anton's picture
Submitted by Anton on October 30, 2018 - 12:41pm

I wish all cartridges worked that way!

volvic's picture
Submitted by volvic on October 30, 2018 - 12:44pm

I have asked in other vinyl forums if anyone can think of any other manufacturer that offered something similar or as elegant. Nope, no one. I should move on to a MC but that Shure tracks like no other and I know is perfectly aligned so why bother.

Herb Reichert's picture
Submitted by Herb Reichert on October 30, 2018 - 3:13pm

Sure V-15 Vs simply because they came with that snap in alignment tool.

But I loved the sound of the Type III more . . .

herb

volvic's picture
Submitted by volvic on October 30, 2018 - 5:48pm

When I tried the Jico sas stylus I was amazed how it opened up the sound from the standard Shure stylus. Jico keep telling me they will be producing more shortly as they have been inundated. Might have to grab a few, I should upgrade to MC but it tracks oh so well and is set up so optimally I just keep putting off an MC purchase.

mrounds's picture
Submitted by mrounds on October 30, 2018 - 2:39pm

My old Dual 1245 came with a little plastic slide-on clip for the cartridge shell, with a notch it in that makes it quite simple to visually align a cartridge. It's certainly not perfect, and could certainly be improved with a good protractor (and this seems like a good one, though costing more than a whole turntable!), but it's easy to use.

As for shops and speakers, I think you were undersold when you thought of EPI as being good only for classical. That might have been true of AR with those cloth-dome tweeters, but EPI had a considerably hotter tweeter and worked well for rock. Still does in fact. I still have my pair of EPI 100 from my first system after college (1973), rebuilt a couple of years ago using Human Speakers components. The original 100 components were well-balanced, with just the slightest rolloff at the high end (which I can't hear any more anyway). The Human components seem to be just a little hotter at the high end (probably because they couldn't get the old tarred inverted domes any more and had to use aluminized material), and a little more solid at the low end (original test strip showed the speakers rolling off seriously at about 50 hz; Human woofer seems to go a tad lower, perhaps by 1/3 octave or so). Still well balanced, very accurate (after resetting my ears' calibration at a concert) for classical, but also quite good for rock in general and absolutely nailing it for acoustic rock/jazz/folk.

Robin Landseadel's picture
Submitted by Robin Landseadel on October 31, 2018 - 4:02am

Interesting article, but:

" . . . any good product or technology should be equally at home with rock'n'roll, chamber music, large-scale classical, hard bop, techno, ragas—even George Crumb. . ."

I'm one of those musical omnivores who requires playback gear that does that very thing. Fortunately, I've found a way to do that.

" . . . despite the disc's unchanging speed of rotation, the linear velocity at which the groove is dragged under the stylus is considerably slower at the end of the groove than at the beginning. As the record-mastering lathe nears the end of the groove, it crams a consistently complex signal into an increasingly small expanse of vinyl, setting the stage for a progressive rise in distortion upon playback. . . "

I'm getting rid of all my LPs, every one, no room for nostalgia, Mr. Dudley nailed it for me. I listen to a lot of classical music. The climaxes tend to be next to the deadwax. On the highest-end gear the sonic effects of having the distortion inevitably increase as one gets to the end of a side might not be as bad as on the record-eating gear we boomers were raised on. In any case, reproduction of Redbook-level digital files has improved to the point where I can't stand to listen to records at all. On my cheap DAP I'm getting a better sense of room sound, of rests playing out, of the complex intermingling of tones on a grand piano or the interplay of Bach's textures than I have ever encountered on any LP playing gear I've owned, up to and including a Linn LP-12 with Ittok arm, Valhalla mods and an Audio-Technica high output moving coil cartridge, set-up by a lute player with mad skillz. The lack of surface disruption, of speed variation, of time limitations that are baked into the LP's formula, that's all out the window now.

I can't help but see LPs as a pure nostalgia exercise. I guess if one lives in the further reaches of the high-end there would be a "sound" that one couldn't get any other way. But where I live, I'm getting a lot more music out of something that fits into my pocket.

volvic's picture
Submitted by volvic on October 31, 2018 - 9:32am

Where do you live? If you have a decent classical collection I might want to purchase a few if you have some interesting titles. Unfortunately/Fortunately for me, I am working on a fourth turntable, maybe it is nostalgia, maybe I don't have your golden ears, have over 5,000 cd's and just as much in vinyl but I find the vinyl of the same 16 bit recording far more satisfying, and the Shure cartridge sure (hah) as heck tracks as well as anything. I see the benefits of streaming and having everything on the palm of your phone, but listening to Karajan conduct Sibelius as I type, on my SME table & Linn (not at the same time of course) I rarely turn on the CD player or the computer. To each his own.

Robin Landseadel's picture
Submitted by Robin Landseadel on October 31, 2018 - 3:45pm

I live in Fresno, California. Have plenty of Sibelius on Lp. Also Beethoven, lots of Beethoven. Willing to ship.

I don't think of it as a "Golden Ears" issue. In my case, I've had a little side enterprise, transferring discs of various sorts to digital formats. I re-arranged all my gear to minimize the issues of the typical and generally awful examples of shellac or vinyl I was presented. That high-school choir record their uncle conducted. Some acetates that run from center to edge. Home recorded 78s. This semi-occupation demonstrated to me that the second law of thermodynamics + time equals degradation. Very audible degradation.

And this is after Neil Young erased my top octave over at the "Fabulous Forum" back in 1978.

Worn records sound a whole lot better via a Shure M-44-7. Just sayin'.

You haven't heard "worn" 'til you've heard a "Pepsi Recording Booth" record to home from a soldier in Europe in WWII. Acetate on paper, about 6". More noise than signal. Guy did a passable Matt Monroe.

So, you might say that I'm "triggered" by surface noise. But it's the speed variation that really gets to me.

ok's picture
Submitted by ok on October 31, 2018 - 5:14pm

..average vinyl records tend to sound considerably worse when played on highest end analog rig setups.

Metalhead's picture
Submitted by Metalhead on November 1, 2018 - 10:47pm

Have had records I purchased over fifty years ago. As turntables, arms, and higher quality cartridges have entered my old records sound better than ever.

Vinyl has been very rewarding to this listener.

Old "average" records can sound great on modern gear.

Happy listening

ok's picture
Submitted by ok on November 3, 2018 - 9:11am

to question anyone’s taste or personal experience; what I do sometimes question are the uninvited generalizations and unfounded explanations of an otherwise totally legitimate indulgence. I hold nothing against analog per se soundwise either, since I always used to love my long lost hard-earned cassette tapes when all else failed. Anyway I never managed to get into the whole vinyl cult despite my best intents and efforts. It's not merely about inherent noise, clipped dynamics, counter-equalization or pitch drift – to only mention a few of many a handicap (by the way an average vinyl pressing of yore more often than not stems from some n-generation tape copy); to my poor old ears modern digital mastering can sound “sweet and warm” in a way that most legacy analog recordings (there practically being zero contemporary ones) could only dream of – although I'm fully aware that in this particular matter I may belong to an audiophile minority of one. As for the all-celebrated “human”, “lifelike”, "natural" analog thing, for all that's worth, vinyl theorists should sometime consider the fact that human beings and life in general have always been digitally reproduced by nature – and for good reasons alright.

tonykaz's picture
Submitted by tonykaz on November 1, 2018 - 1:33am

Does anyone sell Red Baseball Hats with MVGA stitching, there must be a few buyers for them?

Talking about Alignment Tools takes me back to Raymond Cooke, KEF loudspeakers still being Made in England ( instead of China ) and 1982, phew, a short meander down memory lane, those "good ole days" .

We need a Charismatic Vinyl Guru promising to lead us back to our, forever lost, greatness.

but then....

Stoddard Y Moffat are about to release a Record player with a Uni-Pivot Arm. Hmm. ( for $699 ? ) It's definitely gonna need an alignment gauge cause it ain't com'n with a phono PU.

However: The Chinese KEF LSX is providing stiff competition in that it plays straight-off a young person's iPhone. It's a complete HiFi system in a Box. ( just like the dam Apple Loudspeaker thingys ) and it comes in a whole bunch of Colors.

In Chicago, Craigslist Hunter's Peter ( just today ) turned down a 3,000 Vinyl Record Collection "Buy" because of the way they've been stored. Seems that Vinyl is dam hard to nearly "give away".

Vinyl is more pain in the Ass than I am. Vinyl guys have to put up with a whole lot of agonizing bother. I'm happy that I'm no longer afflicted and am still alive enough to say a small prayer for those long-suffering "true believers".

Now-a-days, somehow, Vinyl has become Collectable in the same way that "Sing Along with Mitch Miller" has become "Mid-Centruy". Unfortunately the Marketplace is saturated because the industry made billions and every household had 10, 20 or more for the Grandchildren to sell at every Garage Sale but a super good EAGLES Hotel California might fetch $100 bucks with a Chad New re-Release maybe fetching $500. hmm.

Will Lawrence Welk ever be re-issued?

Tony in Michigan

funambulistic's picture
Submitted by funambulistic on November 1, 2018 - 5:45am

He does not really do it for me - I am anxiously awaiting the Montovani and Perry Como remastered box sets!*

*Echos from my youth as those were two of my mother's favorites...

volvic's picture
Submitted by volvic on November 1, 2018 - 8:36am

Tony you remind me of my GI Joe doll with its pull string, every time I pulled that string GI Joe would say the same thing, over and over. We get it, you tired of vinyl, maybe you weren't adept at setting up like some of my former dealers who would install the cartridge, but never adjust the arm height. But in the end you just sound like a jilted ex-boyfriend who bad mouths his ex, but deep down just loves him/her too much to let go. Just let go. I will conclude by saying that thanks to the likes of Fremer and Dudley vinyl replay and adjustment has improved tremendously in the last 20 years. You don't like it like Robin Landseadel who makes a convincing case, that's fine, it's cool. But time to let go dude. No need to remind us thank you, we get it.

Robin Landseadel's picture
Submitted by Robin Landseadel on November 2, 2018 - 2:33am

And I noticed that no one appears to be interested in my collection of classical LPs, which have a good chance of being left out in the street for someone to take off my hands.

volvic's picture
Submitted by volvic on November 2, 2018 - 2:52am

Hah! Do you have an email? I suppose if they have a good chance of being left out on the street then the price will be very competitive ;)

Robin Landseadel's picture
Submitted by Robin Landseadel on November 3, 2018 - 3:08am

robinlandseadel@comcast.net

tonykaz's picture
Submitted by tonykaz on November 1, 2018 - 9:38am

I've been an Industry Participant for Decades. I share a useful point of view with the majority of the Audio Industry.

Today, I'm pointing out that Vinyl is a Component-part of the Mid-Century Collector marketplace focus. ( a part that has nearly no dollar value or appeal )

Vinyl reminds us of our happy lifetime, like 35mm Kodachrome Slides of our vacations.

So, a counterpoint needs presenting: Vinyl isn't mainstream, it still needs careful instrumentation for the important regular maintenance and servicing including a microscope that none of the dedicated 33.3 Vinyl reporters seem to own or reference to. ( I kept a B&L Stereo Microscope on my Turntable Set-up Bench, back in the good ole days ).

Vinyl is a dam good writing topic filled with wonderment and enjoyment.

Vinyl is also a place where nearly FREE is the price for an entire Album Collection.

I admire those who still write about their love of 33.3, these are wonderful people telling wonderful stories about our common history, especially Steve Guttenberg who, just today, beckons us to peacefully co-exist.

Tony in Michigan

ps. I still own an extensive Vinyl Collection & some 78s from my youth. I no longer own any of my vast Koetsu collections.

volvic's picture
Submitted by volvic on November 1, 2018 - 12:05pm

It's deja vu all over again, or Groundhog Day. Take your pick.

tonykaz's picture
Submitted by tonykaz on November 1, 2018 - 12:57pm

....forgotten Mid Century memories collecting.

It's time for a brief pause, 5th Generation Phones are just around the corner.

Will Apple finally embrace 24-192? or does it even matter?

Did Smartractor sell thru their first batch of 100 will be a question that no-one will remember to ask!

Tony in Michigan

ken mac's picture
Submitted by ken mac on November 1, 2018 - 3:04pm

What shall we do with you? The only nostalgia surrounding the ever increasing popularity of vinyl is endless Miles Davis reissues. The bulk of vinyl sales are not to geezers but below 30-somethings. There are so many new vinyl-only stores in Manhattan that I can't get to them fast enough.

"2017 only saw a 7% decrease in physical album sales according to Buzzangle. This could be due in part to the continued increase in vinyl sales. According to Nielsen, vinyl saw its 12th consecutive year of sales growth, rising 9% over 2016. The medium made up 14% of all physical album sales in 2017, the highest Nielsen has recorded it at since they started keeping records in 1991, and 8.5% of album sales in total. Buzzangle was even more generous, reporting that vinyl made a 20% leap over the previous year.: --https://medium.com/@vinylbay777/vinyl-sales-streaming-rise-in-2017-ffe1a3e8f4d3
Nostalgia? That's purely a compact disc phenomenon.

Robin Landseadel's picture
Submitted by Robin Landseadel on November 2, 2018 - 2:48am

. . . what price, you have to pay to get out of going through all these things twice."

"The only nostalgia surrounding the ever increasing popularity of vinyl is endless Miles Davis reissues."

And the Beatles reissues, and the Dylan reissues, And the Doors reissues, and the Stones reissues and the Creedence reissues and the Eagles reissues, all those "Shaded Dogs" that used to be collectible in their original, often badly cut, issues, all those Mercury "Living Presence" LPs that got their climaxes blown out on the first play because nothing one could buy in 1961 could successfully track them, even Judy Sill reissues that no one was playing "back in the day" . . .

Yeah, there's some young folk who play their White Stripes on their Crosleys. And I see that the LP section at Barnes & Noble has taken over the section that used to be filled with Classical CDs that stopped selling around 2007. Does not alter the reality that LPs really are a nostalgia exercise, bad value for money and mighty inconvenient. And as I already pointed out, LPs can never be SOTA due to the many inherent faults baked into their design.

JohnG's picture
Submitted by JohnG on November 6, 2018 - 5:34pm

...could write about a subject as esoteric and geometric as cartridge alignment models and make it (1) comprehensible without graphics, and (2) entertaining—and include a reference to Donovan's "I Love My Shirt," a song so terrible I thought I must be the only person who remembers it.

Jack L's picture
Submitted by Jack L on February 27, 2019 - 4:07pm

...a cat is black or white, if it catches mice it is a good cat"—a statement that put him at odds with Jiang Qing, whose mistrust of all things Western never dimmed." quoted Art Dudley.

That's why Mr.Tang Xiaoping became the China's true leader respected by billions of his people till todate while Madam Jiang Qing ended herself up in jail !

Was it the difference between a communist leader with open mind & a die-hard communist follower with closed mind ?

Jack L.

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