Origin Live Sovereign MKI - Manual (Page 15)

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H I - F I C A R T R I D G E A L I G N I N G T O O L S
Tools required are an alignment gauge, a tracking force gauge, a FLAT record, a screwdriver or Allen keys of the right size (usually 2mm), a
good light may also be helpful. Small needle-nose pliers and a magnifying glass all help. It also helps to have the hi-fi news test record. Treat
the arm with care, as some parts are fragile. To this end ensure that tightening of any bolts is carried out gently and without causing undue
strain.
C H E C K H I - F I C A R T R I D G E C L I P C O N N E C T I O N S A N D M O U N T I N G
Tonearm wiring uses a standard colour code for left channel (L) and right channel (R) and polarity. Coding is as follows: White = L Hot,
Blue = L Ground, Red = R Hot, and Green = R Ground. If the cartridge pins aren’t colour-coded the same way, they will have letter
identifications next to them. Make sure that the arm’s wires, wire clips, and solder joints are in very good condition. At minimum, clean the
contact between cartridge pins and wire clips by removing and replacing each clip. Holding the clips with needle-nose pliers can make this
easier, but be careful that you don’t strain the wires where they join the clip. Check the clips for a proper fit on the cartridge pins, and adjust
them if necessary. “Proper” means snug but not tight. To check clip size, hold the cartridge tail-up close to the head wires, grasp a clip firmly
right behind its tubular part with the tweezers, line it up with the cartridge pin, and press. If it does not slide on with moderate force, the
clip needs opening-up. If it slides on easily but flops around when attached, it needs tightening. Sizing is the operation most likely to detach
a clip. The trick is to avoid bending the wire at its attachment point or putting too much tension on it. To avoid either, always hold the clip
with its wire slightly slack-looped behind it while adjusting. For opening a clip, hold it firmly with the tweezers or needle-noses, right behind
its tubular section, and press the tip of the jeweller’s screwdriver into the open end of its longitudinal slot until you see this widen very slightly.
(Here’s where you’ll probably need the headband magnifier or reading glasses.) You’re dealing with thousandths of an inch here, so a barely
visible spreading may be all that’s needed. Try it for fit, and repeat until it does. For tightening a clip, press a toothpick inside it as far as it will
go, then use the needle-nose pliers to gently squeeze together the sides of the clip near its free end, while watching the slot for any change.
(Attempting to squeeze a clip without the toothpick inside it will flatten its sides.) Try it for size, and re-squeeze if necessary until the fit is
correct. When it is, close up the middle section of the tube to match the end
Cartridge mounting screws (usually 2.5mm Allen bolts) should be tight. Steel Allen bolts are the best for mounting hi-fi cartridges -
aluminium or brass are OK but difficult to tighten up hard (as they should be).
S E T T I N G U P H I - F I C A R T R I D G E S
M O U N T I N G
Mount the hi-fi cartridge in the headshell if this is not done already. This is best done with the hi-fi cartridge stylus guard in place but it may
be necessary to remove it during at least one phase of the installation. If you do, replace it as soon as possible. Be especially careful when the
stylus guard is off, as many MC cartridges have a strong magnetic field at the base of the cantilever. If this attracts the tip of a steel-bladed
screwdriver, it can destroy the stylus - there is no hope of resisting it. The best precaution is to keep the screwdriver well away from the
cantilever, use a nonferrous screwdriver, or keep the stylus guard on when you’re using the screwdriver near it. The other main hazard is
children so don’t forget to warn prying fingers.
The headshell screws should be finger-tightened just enough that the cartridge cannot fall off but still loose enough that the cartridge is
easily moved around. Work whenever possible with the stylus’s safety cap in place. Set tracking force at nominal, then carry out the tangency
alignment procedures, then the azimuth. Do not deviate from this sequence as each step affects the subsequent one — change the order and
the setup will be wrong.
T R A C K I N G F O R C E
This adjustment is carried out on the counterbalance weight of the tonearm or spring dial if one is in place. At this point, use your tracking
force gauge and setting tracking force according to your cartridge instructions — final adjustment will be done later by ear.
If you do not have a tracking force gauge, but the arm does have a calibrated counterweight, defeat the arm’s anti-skate mechanism or set
it to zero. Set the counterweight so the arm is level and balanced. Be very careful of the unprotected stylus — you cannot do this with its
safety cap in place. Once the arm is balanced, lock it in its cradle and, using the calibrated counterweight, set the tracking force according
to your cartridge’s recommended weight.
T A N G E N C Y A L I G N M E N T
(Lateral tracking angle) - Follow the manufacturer’s literature and the dictates of your alignment gauge — different gauges use slightly
different methods. As you square up the hi-fi cartridge body with the gauge’s markings, be sure that the cartridge sides are square or your
alignment will be wrong. When all adjustments are correct, carefully tighten down the hi-fi cartridge mounting screws. Keeping a firm
grip on hi-fi cartridge and headshell together so nothing shifts, delicately tighten each screw down a turn or so, and then repeat until tight.
Tightening down one screw all the way before tightening the others is almost certain to twist the cartridge out of alignment. However careful