PT-9 TONEARM
ACCESSORIES: VITAL VINYL
AudioQuest PT-9 Basic/PT-9+/PT-9 Extreme Tonearm
Rigid, Non-Resonant, Versatile
Adjustable pivot damping, damped armtube & headshell. LC-OFC internal wiring. Gun metal gray finish. Template & set-up instructions included.
Available in 3 versions:
PT-9 Basic ~ includes generic non-AudioQuest tonearm cable. Upgrade to PT-9+ by adding Plus (+) tonearm cable. Upgrade to PT-9 Extreme by adding Extreme tonearm cable.
PT-9+ ~ includes high performance FEP-tubed solid PSC+ (Perfect Surface Copper+) Plus (+) tonearm cable (available separately). Upgrade to PT-9 Extreme by adding Extreme tonearm cable.
PT-9 Extreme ~ includes very high performance FEP-tubed solid PSS (Perfect Surface Silver) Extreme tonearm cable (available separately).
•Medium mass and adjustable optional-use damping allows optimum performance from a very wide range of cartridges.
•Extremely non-resonant due to internal expanded foam, external polyolefin sheathing, and PVC headshell label.
•Premium Linear Crystal (LC-OFC) litz wire for internal wiring and headshell leads.
•Bearing hardness is greater then HR C60. Surface finish better than 0.5S.
•Adjustable arm height allows for optimal stylus angle adjustment.
•Fixed headshell assures structural rigidity.
Instructions: The very versatile AQ PT-9 Tonearm is suitable for virtually any cartridge. In order to maximize performance, it is very important to set-up the arm properly. The template included on the back panel of this box will make the job easier.
1)The PT-9 should be mounted with the center of the arm base (the pivot) measuring 211 mm from the middle of the center spindle. The PT-9 uses the same mounting distance and mounting holes as a Linn® tonearm. Most turntable manufacturers can provide an armboard pre-drilled for a Linn style arm.
2)Once the arm base has been tightly secured to the armboard, the phono cartridge should be mounted to the PT-9’s headshell before mounting the arm in the arm base. First attach the color-coded cartridge headshell leads and then loosely attach the cartridge to the headshell. Place the arm pillar in the arm base and tighten the locking screw in the base just enough to hold it in place.
3)Position the PT-9 so that the arm pivot, turntable spindle and the cartridge stylus are all in a straight line. Slide the cartridge in the headshell so that the stylus is 18 mm past the center of the turntable spindle. Make certain the cartridge is aligned straight in the headshell, then tighten the headshell screws. The PT-9’s pivot-to-stylus distance is 229 mm. (211 mm. + 18 mm. = 229 mm.).
4)To calibrate the arm, first turn the anti-skating dial (on the right side of the arm) to zero. Put the cueing arm (the raising and lowering device) in the ‘up’ position. Install the counterweight by sliding it onto the back of the arm with the movable dial facing forward (toward the headshell). Carefully remove the stylus guard from the cartridge. Ignore the dial setting and move the counterweight until the arm "floats" like a seesaw that has exactly the same weight on both sides. The cueing lift should be too high to let you finish this task, so lower the cueing, but be very careful about the cartridge's exposed stylus.
Once the arm floats parallel to the turntable platter, set the arm in the locking armrest. Now turn only the dial (not the counterweight itself) until the dial shows zero over the marking line. This is called "zero balancing" the arm. To set the tracking force, turn the counterweight counterclockwise (the dial will turn with the counterweight) until the dial reads whatever value tracking force is specified for your cartridge. Now turn the anti-skate dial to the same number.
5)To get the best sound from your cartridge it is also necessary to adjust the vertical tracking angle (VTA), or more accurately, the stylus rake angle (SRA) very carefully. First, with the table still turned off, adjust the arm height so that the arm is parallel to the record when the stylus is resting on a record. Be very careful with that stylus! Now it is time to begin listening. Choose a couple of minutes of music featuring a voice or an acoustic instrument. Listen and then raise or lower the arm in very small increments (_ mm. to _ mm. at a time) until you hear the best imaging, focus, depth and tracking all at once. A ruler can be held vertically against the armboard so that you can measure the height to the armrest or whatever part of the arm you find handy. This way you can keep track of your movements as you adjust the arm. This is all a little awkward but well worth the effort.
VTA/SRA adjustment is not like a tone control. There is a right and wrong. However, the sound is generally light and treble biased with fairly good center focus when the back of the arm base is too high, and the sound is often cloudy and bass biased when the back of the arm is too low. A natural sound with a tight center image against a big stage is only possible when the setting is correct.
6)The AQ PT-9 features optional-use viscous damping. Damping allows the arm to behave as though it has additional mass at higher frequencies without affecting the moving mass at low frequencies. Too much weight or resistance would prevent an arm from following the groove as it moves. On the other hand, behaving like a heavier arm at higher frequencies prevents the movement of the stylus tracing the modulations in the groove from affecting the tonearm. Damping allows the PT-9 to provide a proper platform for almost every type of cartridge.
Not all cartridges need damping. You may wish to experiment to determine whether damping will improve your sound. The knurled bearing cover easily unscrews. Place a small amount of the enclosed damping fluid in the small bowl, no more than half full because if the little cup is filled most of the fluid will spill out when the ball under the bearing cover fits into the cup. The knurled damping cover is also designed to make it easy to adjust the amount of damping. Screw it all the way down for maximum damping. Screw it less than all the way for less damping. If you decide to use no damping, you can easily clean out the cup that holds the damping fluid.
The PT-9 arm has extensive damping of the headshell, finger lift and arm tube in order to prevent arm resonances. This type of damping does not interact with any dynamic elements; it only prevents undesirable interaction between the cartridge and vibration in the tonearm. No adjustments are required.
Happy listening!
