SORAsound

Installation of ZYX Cartridges on a Linear Tonearm

As always, I invite customers/audiophiles to send me emails with their experiences. I will be happy to post their comments here.

The parameters that differ when mounting a cartridge on a linear arm are:

  • Overhang (the distance from the arm’s pivot point to the stylus),
  • Zenith (the angle of the cartridge when viewed from above) and,
  • Anti-skating (which does not exist on linear tracking arms).

Most linear arms come with a jig or protractor for adjusting cartridge overhang and zenith. (You can also DIY one easily with a sheet of paper and a straightedge.) The alignment protractors sold for pivoting tonearms cannot be used with linear tracking arms.

These parameters remain the same on any tonearm:

  • VTA (the angle of the cartridge when viewed from the side),
  • Azimuth (the angle of the cartridge when viewed from the front) and,
  • VTF (downforce on the stylus).