Fitting Instructions
Your Odyssey tonearm should at all times be treated with care. On no account should any parts be forced or moved with excess pressure, especially where the bearings may be damaged.
If you have a problem or a question regarding the operation of your tonearm, contact John Gordon who will be only too pleased to offer help and advice.
Parts can be kept clean of fingermarks by wiping gently with a soft cloth or cotton bud which may be dampened with pure alcohol or pure petroleum spirit (cigarette lighter fuel). Liquid metal polishes should be avoided.
You may care to have your tonearm installed by a technician to ensure it is correctly set up. He will be pleased to fit the tonearm and install your cartridge (but, unfortunately, usually only if you pay him...)
If you arrange for your tech to fit the tonearm, please omit the instructions concerning installation and concentrate on those concerned with adjustments.
Please only adjust or unscrew fasteners which are mentioned as being adjustable. Do not attempt to unscrew any others or damage may result to the arm and a repair may be costly.
Before unpacking the tonearm, read through these instructions and refer to the diagrams. In order to make yourself familiar with the name of each part and where it is located, the General Arrangement Drawing (figure 1) and its list of part numbers should be studied carefully.
Carefully unpack the tonearm. Take care not to lose any parts. You should have the following additional parts and assemblies: counterweight & sleeve, supplementary counterweight, tools, base plate, lifter assembly, cartridge fasteners & fingerlift and base fasteners.
2. To fit the arm to your turntable you will require an adaptor plate or arm board with the standard SME cut out and fixing centres, which can be supplied by your dealer. Alternatively, for the 9" arm, a 35mm diameter hole can be drilled in the arm board at a radius of 215mm from the spindle. The base plate should therefore be used to mark the position of the 4 base fixing screws for drilling.
3. Make sure you position the arm so that it does not overhang the front or rear of the deck or that the lid does not hit it.
4. To detach the base from the main pillar assembly, loosen the two screws on the rectangular base plate.
5. The tonearm base plate (16) should then be firmly fixed to the turntable arm board. Use four 25mm x M2.5 (or 6BA) screws with washers and nuts. The base plate should be installed such that the logo and name face towards the front. The eccentric base (14) main pillar (6) assembly can now be fitted to the base. Do not fit the phono leads at this stage.
6. When handling the main pillar assembly try to avoid unnecessary rotational movement and in no circumstances allow up and down or side to side rotation of more than half a turn in order to avoid possible bearing damage or damage to internal wiring.
7. Ensure the stylus guard is fitted to your cartridge to protect the stylus, install the cartridge under the fixed headshell (2) using two 25mm or two 19mm screws. In fitting the cartridge connectors it may be necessary to use small pliers to positively grip the connector tag and avoid straining the wire.
8. Then clip the arm tube into the arm rest (8).
9. The counterweights (7) normally supplied with the 9" arm are 80g, 60g, with a supplementary weight of 40g..
10. Items like heavy or lightweight fixing screws, may alter the choice of counterweight.
11. Select suitable counterweights. Slide the weight onto the sleeve and temporarily lock in position with the screw, then fit the sleeve onto the arm/counterweight support (4).
12. Balance out the arm, until it is floating above the platter and set the tracking force using a stylus balance. A rough adjustment can be made by moving the weight on the sleeve, and a fine adjustment by rotating the sleeve and counterweight.
13. Then remove the stylus guard and fine tune the tracking force.
14. Do not allow the stylus to rest on the platter unless the tracking force has been set within the manufacturer's recommended range.
15. The lifter (9) should be fitted and its height adjusted with the screw. Note that if the arm has been stored or transported in cold weather, the lifter will need to be operated a number of times to eliminate any air locks and ensure it is working correctly.
16. Check that when viewed from the front the stylus is perpendicular to the record surface. This may be adjusted by loosening the screw at the top of the arm counterweight support, and rotating the arm tube until the correct orientation is obtained, then tightening the screw.
17. To initially set the horizontal cartridge alignment you will need an alignment protractor of your preferred geometry, but not an arc. First loosen the screws on the rectangular base plate then rotate the offset base (14) to move the whole arm assembly towards or away from the turntable centre such that the stylus can align with the grids on the protractor which you have mounted on the turntable platter. When the stylus is resting on the marked points, the cartridge body should be square to the grid lines.
18. You may also have to angle the cartridge in the headshell to do this. If this is the case, use the base adjustment until the error angle is equal at both null points, then rotate the cartridge slightly to eliminate the error. With the adjustment complete, tighten the screws.
19. There are a number of sophisticated set up devices available to fine tune this parameter, and it is worth looking at the posts on the Odyssey blog to help familiarise yourself with the concepts. Or just leave it to a dealer or knowledgeable friend.
20. The arm height (VTA/SRA) can be varied by loosening the screw (13) on the eccentric base (14) and then raising or lowering the main pillar (6). When the desired VTA is obtained the screw should be tightened. A recommended setting is with the arm tube level, or sloping slightly down towards the headshell by 1-2 mm.
21. The lifter height may require adjustment after the VTA has been altered.
22. The position of the arm when at rest can also be adjusted while adjusting VTA by loosening screw (13) and rotating the pillar and arm rest (8) to the desired position. The rubber O ring on later models can be positioned to constrain the pillar and prevent a sudden drop.
23. Set the bias force by screwing the bias weights (11) to the required setting, then locking them by turning them in opposite directions towards one another. A test record can be useful for this, failing which set the weights in the centre of the screw as a default.
24. The point of maximum effect of the bias force can be varied by loosening screw on the bias mount and moving the bias assembly in or out. The recommended setting is such that the arm carrying the bias weights is horizontal when the stylus is tracking the inner grooves of the record.
25. Fit your phono leads to the DIN socket on the underside of the main pillar and ensure that they do not cause any drag on the turntable suspension. Check that any clamps or clips on the turntable for the purpose of holding the phono leads are securely tightened.
26. Check that the turntable and armboard are level and the turntable is free to move on its suspension, if it is of that type, and that all screws are tight.
27. The separate earth lead which is normally wired together with the phono leads should be connected to the earth terminal on the pre-amplifier unless this creates an earth loop and causes hum. Depending on the turntable and cartridge earthing arrangements, an earth wire may be required from arm pillar or turntable chassis.
28. Having set up your system to your satisfaction, sit back and forget about it and enjoy the music.
Remember: if you have any questions regarding your RP1 you can email:
odysseytonearms@gmail.com
You can also find more information on the website:
www.odysseytonearms.blogspot.com
Or telephone:
(+44) (0) 7948 215899 mobile
John C Gordon
