ACOUSTIC SIGNATURE TA-5000 Neo Tonearm Audio Emotion Instruction Manual

: June 10, 2024
: ACOUSTIC SIGNATURE

ACOUSTIC SIGNATURE TA-5000 Neo Tonearm Audio Emotion

Dear Acoustic Signature customer,

many thanks for your confidence in our product, the tonearm TA-5000 Neo. With the purchase of your tonearm, you acquired a precision instrument for the playback of records. To make it sound perfect, there is some attention necessary for setup and handling.

The manufacturing of this tonearm and its assembly takes place completely in Germany at the highest engineering standards – this still guarantees highest quality after years. Understandably you want to start immediately as possible with listening to music. We kindly ask you however to read this guidance before the first use attentively, so that you can use your tonearm optimally.

We tried to put all the necessary information into this manual. If you still should have questions, which are not answered here, then feel free to contact us directly at www.acoustic-signature.com or with e-mail: info@as-distribution.de

Your team of Acoustic Signature

Product/Warranty registration

PRODUCT REGISTRATION
ACOUSTIC SIGNATURE is introducing an extended warranty of 15 years for ACOUSTIC SIGNATURE turntables / 5 years for ACOUSTIC SIGNATURE tonearms (applies exclusively to NEO products manufactured from October 2020). By introducing the extended warranty, you will benefit from our constantly optimized quality control process.

REGISTRATION ONLINE
To apply for the extended warranty, you have to register your product including serial number and some purchase information on the ACOUSTIC SIGNATURE website at www.acousticsignature.com/en/product-warranty- registration/. The registration has to occur no later than one month after the date of purchase. The registration process is only on the website.

WARRANTY GUIDELINES
More information and our Warranty Guidelines can be found on our website at www.acousticsignature.com/en/product-warranty- registration/

Setup

Parts

TA-5000 Neo tonearm
Adjustment template part 2
Wrench 5,5 / 7
Set of screws
Toolset
Adjustment template part 1
Additional weight
Cable
Mounting base (Rega-style)
Counterweight
Manual (not shown)

Getting started

Please switch off all components of your system before connecting the tonearm to your Hifisystem. Please follow now the mounting and adjustment steps, as described.

Parts identification

Mounting dimensions

For Dimensions A, B and C see last page.
Mounting dimensions

Tonearm mounting

Preparing the arm mounting board

To mount the TA-5000 Neo tonearm with the Rega-type base mount your turntable needs to have a 24mm thru hole combined with 3x M3 threads around it at a Radius of 20.5 mm.

The pivot to spindle distances are 222 mm /237,8 mm/295,8 mm (see drawing above) according to the tonearm length.

For mounting the TA-5000 Neo with the SMEtype base mount you need to provide 4 M3
threads and a cutout as shown in the picture below.
Tonearm mounting

Fitting the tonearm

Take the provided either 3x M3x20 countersunk screws or 4x pan head screws M3x12 and insert them into the marked appropriate holes of the mounting flange (see picture above).

Use the provided Allen key to tighten the screws.
To get easier access to the holes, it might be helpful to turn the complete tonearm within the mounting flange, so the holes are free. Or you can take out the tonearm and assemble the mounting flange first.

Mounting the cartridge

Note: before mounting the cartridge please make sure that the stylus protection cover is in position

Color code for cartridge wire:
Red = signal right channel
Green = ground right channel
White = signal left channel
Blue = ground left channel

Please take a look at the assembly drawing above to mount your cartridge to the tonearm.
You can either use the provided screws of the cartridge or the 2 pcs. M2.5 screws we supply with the tonearm.
Then connect the audio cable pins to your cartridge. Take care for the correct color.

Adjusting the tonearm

Before we start aligning the cartridge, we need to pre adjust the tracking force and the height of the tonearm.

Adjusting the vertical tracking force
Vertical tracking force (VTF) will be adjusted by moving the counterweight forward (more weight) or backward (less weight). Search the manual of your cartridge for the right value and adjust it by using a weight scale (not provided).

After adjusting the VTF please tighten at least one the 3 screws in the counterweight.

For heavy cartridges you can mount the enclosed additional weight onto the normal counterweight.
Use the delivered countersunk screws M3 x 10.

Adjusting the arm height

Adjust the arm height with cartridge fitted, so that the arm tube is either parallel or slightly lower at the front end.

You can do this by opening the VTA locking screw with the provided Allen key size 3. Open it carefully and adjust the needed height and tighten the screw softly. Check if height is ok – if not redo the adjustment.

Note: Be aware, that when opening the VTA locking screw, the arm might fall down

Adjusting the azimuth

To adjust the azimuth of the cartridge, loosen both azimuth screws (DO NOT UNSCREW) on the front of the arm tube flange (see picture below) using an Allen key size 2. Now you can turn the arm tube / headshell / cartridge.

Assembling the template

This is done by using the provided adjustment template. Take the two parts of the template and assemble it, as shown in the picture above, and place it on the platter.

Aligning the template

Put the template on the platter using the bore for the desired tonearm length.

Move the tonearm forward or backward, so that the centering fits into the drilled marking on top of the tonearm. Tighten the tonearm with either its 3 screws (Rega base mount) or its 2 hexagon head screws (SME base mount) in the round mounting flange, when the position fits. This ensures the correct angle and distance of the template for adjusting the cartridge.

Adjusting the angle and position

Lift down the cartridge and place the diamond tip of the cartridge on the reference point of the adjustment template and make sure that the edges of the cartridge are parallel to the marking lines printed on the template.

For proper adjustment it is important to look perpendicularly on top of the tonearm and the template.

Anti-skating

To adjust the Anti-skating use the Anti-skating adjustment knob and adjust the correct value by slowly turning the knob, starting with 0.
We recommend using a test record.
After the adjustment, please reduce the determined value slightly, because modulation of test
records is much higher than that of normal vinyl records.

Connecting the tonearm

Looking from the bottom of your TA-5000 Neo you can see the 5-pin plug and its alignment. The connector has a small Phillips screw on its cylinder. This screw must face towards the cartridge when being inserted in the plug.
Please insert the connector carefully; otherwise, the pins might be damaged.
Connecting the tonearm

Finally connect the RCA-connectors and the ground connector to the matching input plugs of your phono pre-amplifier

Technical data

Technical data TA-5000 Neo

13,2 mm / 0,52 in (12“)

Effective length| 239,3 mm / 9,42 in (9“)

309 mm / 12,16 in (12“)

Mounting distance (from pivot to center of platter)| 222 mm / 8,74 in (9”)

295,8 mm / 11,64 in (12”)

Tilt angle (depends on cartridge)| 23,9° (9“)

18,1° (12“)

Effective mass| 12,4 g (9“)

14,4 g (12“)

Weight| 573 g (9“)

687 g (12“)

Tonearm mounting versions| Rega style / SME style
Output| 5-pin plug / 5-pol. Stecker
A = height from mounting surface to record surface| 21mm – 46mm / 0,83in – 1,8in
B = depth from mounting surface to end of pivot housing| 5mm – 35mm / 0,2in – 1,38in
C = height from mounting surface to highest point| 98mm – 128mm / 3,86in – 5,04in

Customer Service

Acoustic Signature
Made by AS-Distribution GmbH
Hillenbrandstrasse 10
D-73079 Süssen / Germany
Tel: +49 7162 20797-0
www.acoustic-signature.com
E-Mail: info@as-distribution.de