MORITA'S MEMORABILIA IV...A few days ago, Morita was in the vicinity and sounded very excited to meet me and give me a couple more 'white papers'. The guy seems to have a top-notch memory despite his seniority over me.
He wanted to address a question I posed last year in Val's 'members' setup' thread. That time, I had asked him what the 'weapon' JAA was using in this pic while checking Val's Transfiguation Phoenix cart :
He tells me now that the instrument was a lens from a microscope, and he was directing JAA to check on these parameters, which he described by showing me 2 papers which he collected and marked in the yesteryears.
May 2002 edition of Fremer's Analog Corner:Highlighting the importance of checking "horizontal tracking geometry" and "SRA" :Next, Morita pointed out that Fremer had used a diagram from a 1981 issue of Audio Magazine to illustrate parameters such as VTA and SRA:A copy of the actual page of Audio Magazine in 1981 with the VTA and SRA illustration:Morita was all the more intrigued when I told him that a few weeks ago, I received an email from a close friend with pictures of microscopic shots of SRA illustrations.
The guy had paid attention to SRA all along and was very glad I mentioned the 2 actual microscope pictures on the said subject. And he continued to give me some insights which I myself had not really done, mostly due to the absence of a scope. So, without much further ado, I present:
Points from "Pat's Pulpit"... 1. Not all cartridges have the same SRA settings.
2. The ideal SRA setting is 92 degrees, to mimic the cutting lathe.
3. He likens the stylus/cantilever setting to a horse feet and its hooves.
( I had to laugh a bit there when he said that) And he adds that if 'baluktot ang hoof, hindi da makakatakbo ang kabayo ng tama'.
( After the laughter, I thought that it does make a little sense)
4. 'Short' is better than 'Long'. It's one of the rarer times we get to hear this, and I'm sure nobody would brag about this in a shower room.
But fortunately, the guy is talking about cantilevers.
How short? How bout this?
Look ma, no cantilever.
But, he says that's a very difficult design to produce, and Decca ended up producing carts with cantilevers but with short lengths. He adds that short cantilevers 'reduce tip mass' and create 'better transient response' than the longer ones which can cause 'loss of definition' in the sound.
There you have it. I always discover a few things in these 'chanoyu' tea meets with Morita san. But I will never join him for a 'kabuki' meet.