VPI Industries JMW-9 Setup And Instruction Manual

JMW-9 MEMORIAL TONEARM

Setup and Instruction Manual

VPI Industries, Inc., 77 Cliffwood Ave . #3B, Cliffwood, NJ 07721

phone: [phone] fax: [phone]

http://www.vpiindustries.com

Install ing and Aligning the Cartridge

To avoid injury, do not touch the male pivot

assembly.

• Remove the protective cover from the male pivot point on the arm

base assembly.

point. It is extremely sharp. In addition, skin
oils can blemish and cause corrosion to the

• Place the JMW Memorial Tonearm on its side on a foam pad.

• For cartridges with t hreaded mounting holes, use the screws

supplied by the cartridge manufacturer. Other screws may not fit
properly and may cause damage to the threads and cartridge.

To avoid damage to the tonearm, use one of the washers supplied by

VPI under the screw heads.

• For cartridges with pass-through mounting holes, use the

hardware supplied with the tonearm. Be sure to use washers
under the screw heads.

• The tonearm wires are color-coded as follows:

Red  right hot.
Green  right ground.
White  left hot.
Blue  left ground.

If your phono section inverts phase, the hot color becomes the
ground color.

• Using tweezers or fine-tipped pliers, grip the center of the red

wire’s connector  not the wire itself  and push it o nto the
cartri dge’s right hot terminal pin. Connect the remaining
connectors in the same way.

To avoid damage to the cartridge, do not push the connectors all

the way on.

• Adjust the tonearm counterweight halfway back on its mounting

to reduce the amount of down force on the cartridge.

• Place the JMW Memorial Tonearm Alignment Jig on the spindle

with the narrow end next to the pivot point. Tighten the screws of
the jig so it fits snugly against the male bearing shaft

• Place the arm tube assembly on the lower pivot point, using

caution with the 4-color wire and Lemo connector. Set the arm in
its rest and lock it.

• If the cartridge has a guard, remove it.

• Line up the red dot on the Lemo connector with the red do t on the

recept acle on the junction box. The Lemo connector can plug in
only one way and should not be forced.

• Swing the tone arm over the jig so the stylus is as close as

possible to the dot in the center of the grid. Set the counterweight
for enough downward force to keep the stylus from moving when
resting on the jig.

• Look down at the cartridge and align it between the lines of the

grid. Be careful to align the cartridge and not the tonearm
headshell.

• Adjust the cartrid ge mounting screws as needed until the

cartridge is centered between the grid lines and the stylus is
resting on the dot of the grid. The picture below shows the setup,
the jig is in white for clarity, yours is black.

• When the cartridge is properly positioned, tighten the cartridge

mounting screws and remove the alignment jig. Do not go crazy
over this adjustment it is only mildly critical.

Setting the Anti-Skating – Two Solutions

If you try adjusting the anti-skate with a

Anti skating is one of the least understood forces acting on a
tonearm. Skating force is created by friction between the stylus and
the record, causing a force vector in a direction towards the center
of the record when the headshell of the tonearm has a n offset angle.
Putting a stylus down on a flat, groove less record will cause the arm
to move toward the center of the record. Arm manufacturers have
tried to compensate for this force, but that is impossible because the
force is constantly changing as the music and velocity change.
VPI has conducted careful listening tests and determined that every
tonearm we tried sounded better with its mechanical anti-skating
disabled and the tracking force very slightly increased..
VPI has a unique solution to anti-skating: the coiled wire of the JMW
Memorial Tonearm acts as a spring and pushes the arm back without
affecting the sound quality. You now have the option of installing a
mechanical an ti -skate for those that want it.

• Adjust the counterweight so there is no down force on the

cartridge.

• Swing the tonearm toward the spindle and release it. The arm

should swing out toward the outer edge of the turntable.

groove less record, you will ruin the twist in
the tonearm wire and void your warranty. Do
this with the mechanical anti-skate if you
want that m uch anti-skate.

• If additional anti-skate is needed you can go to the mechanical

anti-skate available from your dealer.

Setting the Tr ack i ng For c e and Tone ar m Height

• Tracki ng force is adjusted b y moving the tonearm counterweight

forward and back on its shaft. If your cartridge is heavy and the
counterweight is all the way back, you can order a heavier weight
from your dealer.

• The JMW Signature Tonearm does not have a built-in tracking

force gauge. We recommend that you use Shure Stylus Force
Gauge or good digital gauge. Place the gauge on the platter and
raise or lower the arm so it i s parallel to the platter when sitting
on the record. Only when the arm is parallel to the platter will
you get an accurate VTF reading.

• Follow the gauge instructions a nd set the tracking fo rce according

to the cartridge manufacturer’s recommendation. We recommend
always going to the high side of tracking force. High frequency
vibrations on a light-tracking cartridge can cause more damage to
the grooves of a record than running a cartridge at a heavy
setting. Always go 1/10th gram higher than the maximum
recommendation.

• To adjust the arm height, loosen the setscrews on the b ase of the

arm assembly and turn the adjustment wheel above the base.
When the arm is at the desired height, tighten the screws.

• NOTE: If you put a 5” X 7” lined index card next to the arm with

the lines parallel to the arm tube when it is on the rec ord, you can
set the height very accurately parallel to the record. That should
be your zero starting point for tuning VTA.

Setting the Azim ut h

• Set a drinking straw into the groove behind the mounting screws on the
tonearm headshell.

• If it is not parallel to the record surface, use the supplied Allen wrench to
loosen t h e se tscrew on the coun terweight a n d rotate the counterweight
as needed to bring the arm into correct lateral balance to set azimuth.
When the azimuth has been set, you can lightly tighten the setscrew
locat e d on th e top of the counte rw eight. To make thi s ta sk e a sie r make
sure the arm tube is parallel to the record surface.

Long thin rod

90 degrees

Rotate

Playing Records

• Before playing a record, make sure that all of the tonearm screws
are tight.

General Use

• Allow at least 20 hours of break-in time.

• If you not ice hum in the system, remove your interconnects and

replace them with very cheap, standard VCR interconnects. These
are well shielded and should eliminate the hum. If the hum goes
away, get quality, well shielded interconnects.

VPI Industries, Inc. Limited Warranty

VPI Industries, Inc. (VPI) warrants this unit against defects in materials
and/or work manshi p for five (5) years from the date of purchase by the
original retail purc haser. VPI’s sol e obligation un d e r this warranty i s limited
to the repair or replacement, at VPI’s option, of any part(s) found to be
defective. VPI’s obligation to rep air or replace defective parts is the
purchaser’s sole and exclusive remedy, and VPI shall not be liable for any
direct or indirect injury and/or property dama ge arising out of t he use of the
product or de f ect in or failure of the product.
This warranty does not extend to any unit whose serial number has been
defaced or altered. Any product that VPI determines causes a defect or
malfunction due to inc orrect installation, m odification , mis use, or servicing
by the purc haser, or service technici an not authorize d by VP I to pe rform
such se rvi ce will not be warranted. This warranty does not cover trivi al or
cosmetic defects that do not impair the unit’s normal function.
VPI reserves the right to make changes in this product without assuming any
obligation to install such change in any product previously manufactured.
This wa rra n ty to repair or replace defective parts is in lieu of all other
express or implied w a rranties of merchantabilit y or fitness for a particular
purpose. There are not w a rranties that ex tend beyond the descripti on
herein.
Some states do not allow ex clusion of impli ed warrantie s or limitation of
incidental or consequential damages, so the abov e ex clu sion or limi t ations
may not apply to you. This warranty gives you specific legal rights, and you
may also have other rights that vary from state to state.