Nate then decided to remove the mechanical anti-skating device in favor of setting the anti-skate with the counterweight.
Next, we placed the felt mat, and on top he put the rubber mat washer.
He then placed a record on, and secured it with the screw clamp VPI provided.
According to VPI's webpage, by using their stainless steel Delrin Deluxe Record Clamp you can lower the noise floor and hear significant dynamic improvements for a relatively low cost. "By applying simple rules of vibration control—use higher mass and dissimilar materials to kill unwanted resonance—this one-piece clamp provides terrific sonic benefits to every record you spin. Constructed of Delrin at the base and steel at the top, [it] also reduces warp and enhances LP coupling to the platter." Who am I to disagree?
Now it's time to attach the arm to the turntable…
Nate begins teaching me again. "Delrin is a stable type plastic, the motor pulley is made of the wand body—maybe it's made of anodized aluminum, but probably is Delrin.
He then instructs me on the proper way to lay the cables behind the various components, which suddenly reminds me of the same thing that Chad Stelly used to tell me. "Speaker cables do not like to be parallel to power cables, so whenever possible, run power cable at a right angle to the speaker cables."
Indeed, it looks a bit chaotic back there…
…but there is some method to the madness.
