The Denessen uses ...

Baerwald null points 66/121 and a method the company patented (now expired) which uses only one null point and aligns the angle of the protractor to the pivot point of the tonearm. There are a few free "print it out" protractors that use this same basic method. This method is truely universal like a traditional two point protractor but is for many faster and more accurate sinc there is no shifting back and forth between two grids.

The proper alignment of a cartridge cantilever forms a right triangle with the pivot point and a line drawn through the cantilever. The point where a line perpendicular to the vector from the pivot to the stylus intersects the vector drawn through the cantilever forms the right triangle and this leg must be 93.5mm long according to the Baerwald method. That is the linear offset and is a constant. The other leg (the vector from the stylus to the pivot point) and the hypotenuse (the vector drawn through the cantilever from the stylus point) are the variables as well as the two angles that are not 90 degree.

Dennesen flipped this triangle over and discovered if the linear offset, 93.5mm, was a constant from the 66mm null point drawn through the spindle center the alignment would ALWAYS fulfill the Pythagorean theorem (that of a right triangle) IF the long leg of the triangle was pointed at the pivot. They developed a simple tool with an outrigger that has a variable length which fixes the length of that leg (and by default the offset angle).

This method can be used for any set of null points and linear offset but the Dennesen does allow for only the Baerwald.

The Clearaudio is similar but fixed to a specific effective length, it is not adjustable or universal. The outrigger does move but the alignment is wrong for anything but a specific Clearaudio arm or one of the same effective length.

A search will clarify the details of that problem my recollection may not be 100% right..

Hope this helps.

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Follow Ups Full Thread

Topic - I just used the Rega Stevenson Arc Protractor... - Stephen Murphy 18:45:10 08/26/05 (15)

I tried the Rega Baerwald Protractor -- and I liked it!!! - Heli_Dog 22:59:44 08/27/05 (1)

Re: I tried the Rega Baerwald Protractor -- and I liked it!!! - Stephen Murphy 09:22:05 08/28/05 (0)

Perhaps it would be interesting and informative to compare the different alignments graphicallyâ€¦ - John Elison 19:42:25 08/27/05 (2)

wow - hukkfinn 22:16:55 08/27/05 (1)

it's a good illustration - KT88 15:56:21 08/30/05 (0)

I also tried it and... - jsm 16:22:51 08/27/05 (0)

Excuse my ignorance, but where do the Denessen and Clearaudio protractors fit in as far as methodologies? nt - Ray-o-Stat 07:28:29 08/27/05 (1)

The Denessen uses ... - garth 08/27/0508:22:41 08/27/05 (0)

out of interest - avian 21:11:14 08/26/05 (3)

I get MUCH better performance with Stevenson - slate1 10:39:17 08/27/05 (1)

MUCH better? - garth 14:12:32 08/27/05 (0)

Re: out of interest - Stephen Murphy 21:40:16 08/26/05 (0)

That's odd...... - Jazzyguy 20:39:43 08/26/05 (2)

Re: That's odd...... - Stephen Murphy 21:23:20 08/26/05 (1)

I agree - Jazzyguy 06:50:16 08/27/05 (0)

Follow Ups

The Denessen uses ... - garth 08/27/0508:22:41 08/27/05 (0)

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