Cartridge Alignment Protractors
On this page you can download free cartridge alignment protractors for quick and accurate alignment of cartridge / stylus overhang, offset and null points. We have truly universal two-point tools such as the Stupid Protractor, and tonearm specific types for Audiocraft, Helius, Heybrook, Linn, Rega and Thorens, all with easy to follow instructions detailing how to align a cartridge.
To determine which protractor is suitable for your tonearm please read Seb's Protractor User Guide and please check scale carefully after printing and resize if necessary.
Generic (universal) protractors
Stupid Protractors
A pair of universal two-point protractors, one using the more common Baerwald alignment method as used on 99% of commercial products and the other Loefgren B (see Seb's user guide above for an explanation of the difference). Simple, accurate and widely compatible. If you aren't sure which type to use and want a free alternative to the common shop bought designs, download this one.
Stevenson alignment protractor
Another universal protractor, this time using the Stevenson alignment method with null points at 60.325 mm and 117.42 mm. This is especially useful for arms which have limited room in the headshell slots and can't be aligned satisfactorily with a Baerwald type.
Chpratz Protractor
Designed to allow users to align their cartridge at any two null points between 60 and 150mm. A quick and easy way for experimenters to judge the sonic merits of different alignment methods.For example, this could be used in conjunction with the tonearm database to compare the tonearm manufacturers alignment with the popular Baerwald type found in most aftermarket protractors.
Universal Stuff Protractor V.2.0
A mirror protractor, a variation on the classic two-point protractor - suitable for experienced users only!
Kearns Universal Arc protractor
The Arc protractor is suitable as a cartridge alignment protractor for specific tonearm lengths / mounting distances only (see instructions enclosed)
KWillis Universal Accutrak Protractor Version 2
I designed this protractor at the request of a customer. It was inspired by Garth's - of vinyl asylum fame - Incognito universal Stevenson protractor. Additional help was provided by Brian Kearns who sent me information concerning the design of his multi-arc universal protractor. Thank you Brian; and a posthumous thank you to Garth. I can also supply a custom designed plastic protractor specifically for your tonearm. Please send a PM for more details
Turntable specific protractors
These protractors are tonearm specific or use alternative alignment methodology.
AudioCraft AC300C protractor
Suitable for the Audiocraft AC300C tonearm only
Helius Aureus protractor
Suitable for the Helius Aureus tonearm only
Heybrook Universal alignment protractor
Universal two-point protractor that uses Heybrooks chosen null points of 63.5 and 120mm
Linn Ittok / LVX / LVX+ protractor / mounting template
This tool is suitable for accurate mounting and alignment of all Linn mounting pattern tonearms.
Seb's Arc Protractors
Arc protractors allow super fast, accurate cartridge alignment.
Please Note The alignment curve on an arc protractor is only suitable for the stated mounting distance. Stephlouv from belgium produced a lot of arc protractors for the french LS3-5a forum so if you don't see your tonearm listed below, you may find one adapted to your mounting distance HERE.
DO NOT use an arc protractor unless it matches your mounting distance exactly.
Rega Baerwald alignment protractor v.2
Suitable for Rega tonearms only, mounted at exactly 222mm (standard) mounting distance. This single point design is especially quick and easy to use and includes an arc for rapid double checking.
Rega Stevenson alignment protractor v.2
Suitable for Rega tonearms mounted at exactly 222mm (standard) mounting distance. Identical to the Baerwald protractor above but designed using Stevenson null points which gives alignment closer to Regas and is useful when the headshell slots don't give enough room to align your chosen cartridge using the Baerwald design.
Technics Arc protractor
Suitable for those Technics turntables that have an arm mounting distance of exactly 215mm, such as the SL-1200/1210/1300/1400/1500/1600 etc. Please check the tonearm database for the mounting distance of your arm before using this protractor. Also note that Technics arms do not use baerwald alignment as standard, so you may have to offset the cartridge in the headshell in order to align with arc.
Technics Arc Protractor Instructions
Thorens Arc protractor v.2
Suitable for those Thorens tonearms that have a mounting distance of exactly 215.6mm. See enclosed instructions for compatible tonearms.
All Cartridge / Tonearm alignment protractors on this page are freely downloadable for non-commercial use.
Comments
Technics SL1210 MK2 with Nagaoka MP-11
Submitted on February 1st, 2010 by benzeneJust got an used unit of Technics SL1210 MK-2 & installed a Nagaoka MP-11 cartridge. This is the first time i tried to setup TT.
Would be glad if anyone could share with me what's the best protractor to be used to align my Nagaoka MP-11 cartridge on this TT?
I tried both printable Baerwald & Loefgren but doesn't sound right? The Techinics Baerwald Arc Protractor here was meant for 215mm mounting distance & if not wrong SL1210 MK-2 is 230mm. Or did i miss out anything important? Got to know the overhang is 52mm, is it right? And what's the best tracking force for this combination?
Need help here, please.
Thanks.
Thorens 124 MK I with a Fidelity Research 64fx
Submitted on February 8th, 2010 by hartgashi
i am a bit lost here.
what protractor to use with my combo, thorens 124 with a fidelity research 64fx arm.
the distance from spindle to pivot is 230mm.
this thorens doesn't fit the thorens profile protractor.
and what would the overhang come down to?
thanks in advance.
hartgas
-.-.-.-.-.-
go dutch
Fidelity Research
Submitted on February 8th, 2010 by JaSHi,
You can use any universal 2-point protractor, but as standard your arm uses a geometry closest to Stevenson so this would leave your cartridge more central in the slots than other versions, offering better compatibility with cartridges that have an unusually long mounting hole to stylus tip measurement.
Regards,
JaS
Alignment
Submitted on February 1st, 2010 by JaSHi,
Baerwald & Loefgren B produce very low levels of tracing error within the playing area. They don't have a 'sound' as such so if it sounds bad either something else is amiss or you need to double check how you're using the protractor?
The SL1210 mk2 has a mounting distance (pivot to spindle) of 215mm and an effective length of 230mm (stylus to pivot when using the standard alignment tool).
52mm is the standard distance from the back of the headshell mounting surface to the stylus tip, not the overhang. Overhang is the amount the stylus tip overhangs the centre of the spindle once aligned - standard this is 15mm, but using a Baerwald protractor you will end up with 17.8mm of overhang and the cartridge 3mm further forward in the headshell (but lower tracing error).
FWIW you don't need to measure the overhang or offset angle, just align to the protractor as described in the instructions and it will be set.
Regards,
JaS
protractor sme 3012, thorens 521
Submitted on January 19th, 2010 by boguitasHello
I´m looking for the best protractor to my thorens 521 with sme 3012.
I think that the distance is 294mm.
I don´t know very well how I should use the protractor.
Anybody can explain it?
thank you very much.
Sorry for my english.
Best regards
3012 protractor
Submitted on January 20th, 2010 by vintage-componentsHi. That seems to be the mounting distance between pivot and spindle and your model is 3012R, right? Best overhang depends on your system that means: just measure distance from stylus to mid of screws. If approx. 9.5mm, you can use the normal IEC or SME protractor. I can send a special protractor/pdf if you like. regards, Alfred
Rega Baerwald protractor
Submitted on December 30th, 2009 by FatmangolfThank you very much for your clear explanation and this valuable set of tools. I used the Rega Baerwald protractor produced by Seb and it sounds better than the Rega three screws setup.
Which Protractor to use for Jelco SA-750L 12" arm
Submitted on December 27th, 2009 by selfaddictHello and thanks you for these protractors.
Would it be best to use Stupid Protractors for my 12" Jelco. I managed to adjust the overhang to 15mm and used HiFI News Analogue Test LP's own protractor to allign the cartride, but like to check the allignment in two nul poins if this is possible.
Thanks
Overhang
Submitted on December 27th, 2009 by JaSHi,
The 15mm overhang figure is only applicable to the original alignment method. If you want to keep the original overhang distance/offset angle you could try making your own two point protractor? According to Jelco's specs the original null points work out at 68.7 / 129.9mm so marking these on a piece of card would give you the radii at which the stylus should be perpendicular to the groove (if Jelco's figures are accurate).
Alternatively you would get slightly lower maximum and average tracing distortion by using the Baerwald Stupid Protractor, but you will end up with 13.4mm overhang and an 18 degree offset angle when aligned accurately to it. There should be room in the headshell but the cartridge will end up slightly skewed in the shell if that bothers you.
Regards,
JaS
Nul Points
Submitted on December 27th, 2009 by selfaddictMany thanks for your reply and advice.
Sorry about this stupid question. Where do I need to measure the nul points from, if I want to make my own protractor? Is it from the spindle or somewhere else?
So if I make a allignment protractor, I need to measure the nulpoints and then draw line between these points, after this I need to draw lines perpendicular from this line outwards? Did I get it right?
Thanks
custom protractor
Submitted on December 27th, 2009 by JaSHi,
To make a custom protractor, you firstly need to draw a straight line on a piece of card/paper and near one end mark a line for the spindle centre line (where you are going to punch/score the spindle hole). Then measure from this centre line the two null point distances and draw two lines at 90 degrees - these will be the two points at which you will place the stylus to check tangency. If you have Illustrator or a CAD program it's easier as you can more accurately draw the lines and maybe add a grid. Alternatively you could download the Chpratz Protractor above but it is only accurate to 1mm so you would be looking for alignment at the 69 and 130mm lines.
Regards,
JaS
nul points
Submitted on December 27th, 2009 by selfaddictHello JaS and thank you for the information again.
The Chpratz protractor confirmed that my allignment was dead righ :-)
Obviously using 15mm overhang and Linear Offset technique with only one 66mm nul point gave me a right cartridge allignment. Many thanks for your answers and have a good new year 2010.
Would you be so kind as to recommend a protractor template?
Submitted on December 19th, 2009 by alexandermathesonI appeal to the greater knowledge of those on the site! Which of these would you recommend for a Music Hall MMF-5.1? It is based off the Pro-Ject 9 series, so I'd hazard a guess that the Rega template would be most similar. Suggestions would be most appreciated!
Peace be,
Alex
protractor
Submitted on December 20th, 2009 by JaSHi,
The Rega protractors are only suitable for arms with a 222mm mounting/pivot to spindle distance. Any of the universal protractors (Baerwald, Stevenson, Loefgren B) are suitable.
Regards,
JaS
Which one must I use ?
Submitted on December 17th, 2009 by soundyHi, do you know which one I need for a BST Pro PR 4.5K turntable ?
NAD 533 (rega p2 rebadge)
Submitted on November 19th, 2009 by ncdrawlwhich protractor will give best results?
Rega/NAD
Submitted on November 19th, 2009 by JaSHi,
The scan of the original single point Rega protractor in the library is suitable, or you could use the Rega Baerwald/Stevenson arc protractors for alternative alignments which give theoretically lower tracking error/distortion.
Regards,
JaS
Protractor for SME 3009 Series II improved?
Submitted on November 2nd, 2009 by anilvaI do not see protractor for SME 3009 Series Improved tonearm. Help please.
Thanks.
SME protractor
Submitted on November 2nd, 2009 by JaSHi,
For serial numbers below 439606 you can use the two-point 'Stevenson Protractor', for later arms the 'Baerwald Stupid Protractor' is suitable.
Regards,
JaS
Luxman pd-264
Submitted on October 16th, 2009 by car_manCan someone recommend what protractor to use on a Luxman pd-264 turntable also does anyone have any recommendations on a good cartridge to use currently there is a Audio Technica AT-11E installed but I would like to upgrade to a better cartridge.
Thank's.
Protractor
Submitted on October 2nd, 2009 by 1200y3Which protractor is best for 45s, or 7 inch discs?
Thorens Tonearm protractor
Submitted on September 25th, 2009 by maudanI've downloaded this protractor but when trying to print it Acrobat replies with an error and doesn't allow for print it. I've tried with different versions of Acrobat.
What's the matter with this?
Thanks
Protractor
Submitted on September 25th, 2009 by JaSThere isn't a problem with the file. What error are you getting?
Regards,
JaS
The Technics protractor is
Submitted on June 27th, 2009 by rogersmiff497The Technics protractor is labelled as 232mm on the pdf file. The effective length is 230mm? What gives? typo?
Geometry
Submitted on June 28th, 2009 by JaSHi
Standard effective length for most 215mm Technics arms is 230mm (mounting distance + overhang). The arc protractor uses Baerwald geometry for lower distortion which requires more overhang (cartridge further forward in the slots) and hence a longer effective length.
Regards,
JaS
makes sense, thanks!
Submitted on June 28th, 2009 by rogersmiff497makes sense, thanks!
this baerwald arc protractor
Submitted on June 30th, 2009 by sandor626this baerwald arc protractor is very good
MITSUBISHI LT-30
Submitted on March 9th, 2009 by balabakaGood day! Can You please help me find a copy of an alignment gauge which was supplied with this magic machine? Big thanks - Nick
That is likely going to be
Submitted on March 11th, 2009 by Audioquest2009That is likely going to be difficult to find. I have a 20 and through a little deductive measuring I found where the center of the stylus should be from a reference point on the arm so it will be dead center of the platter pin
I Have to use the Stevenson V2
Submitted on December 1st, 2009 by ImbalanceHey
There are some if not a lot of cartridges that dosnt have a long enough cantilever to reach the Baerwald alignment, when using the Rega RB arms.
Both my Ortofon Rondo Blue and my Transfiguration Phoenix will not reach the overhang of 18mm that Bearwald uses to aling its null points...
So in this case Stevenson is the only Protractor u can use, if u dont reach the correct overhang the null points u set are useless...
Also tried a VDH Condor on RB700 and here there's no problem with the Baerwald protractor, and this was done using the quite expensive Feickert i have bought, ands its a bit stupid it dosnt have the Stevenson method also, as its also needed sometimes..