Acoustical Systems AXIOM Owner's Manual page 4

AXIOM BDA 04-2021
Technical features
& general design
The AXIOM is a pivot tonearm featuring a double
nano-gimbal bearing architecture.
The AXIOM is a static, full lateral balanced design.
The AXIOM features an unique compound arm wand -
a combination of surface hardened Titanium and
Carbon Fiber pipes blocked together and internally
damped by an all new design concept, a concept never
before applied in tonearm design and first featured
in the AXIOM resulting in unmatched fast
energy transfer and total absence of any parasitic
resonances in the tonearm.
The AXIOM was designed to explore the possibilities
of analog playback to the utmost degree. To
accomplish the best possible analog playback
performance, the AXIOM offers an unique complete
set of alignment features.
Two (2) variants
The AXIOM is available in 2 standard 12" variants:
* with fixed standard EIA 1/2" mounting slots
* with SME-compliant detachable headshell mount
Alignment options
Leveling the bearing axis
The AXIOM can be precisely leveled by the user,
independent from the turntable or mounting surface.
This is essential to avoid parasitic side-forces prior to
alignment and anti-skating setting.
SRA/VTA adjusted at the
cartridge
In the AXIOM the important alignment(s)
of VTA / SRA can be made at the cartridge – without
altering the static parameters of the tonearm, while
preserving the other set alignments and leaving the arm
wand always horizontal.
This again is of paramount importance in a static
balanced design to avoid unwanted changes in static
settings (namely tracking force) when changing
tonearm height to accommodate VTA or SRA.
Offset and Overhang
adjustment
Offset is adjusted in the prolonged and slightly
widened slots for the cartridge mounting screws.
Overhang can be adjusted at 2 spots, both located at the
head. First of course in the prolonged 1/2" slots for the
cartridge mounting screws. Here the slots allow for up
to 5 mm adjustment in overhang and thus
effective length. The 2nd spot is at the collar of the
headshell where it is clamped to the arm wand. This is
an additional spot for further overhang adjustment only
IF NEEDED.
The whole headshell can be moved back and forth by
up to another 5 mm in this way.
This should hardly ever be necessary.
Azimuth
The headshell's collar is also the point for
azimuth adjustment. By loosening the clamp screw the
user may rotate the whole headshell in either direction.
Small indication marks at the rear of the
headshell's collar and on top of the arm wand allow for
reference and easy return to former settings.
Dynamic anti-skating
Skating compensation – or anti-skating –
adjustment in the AXIOM is dynamic and
follows the tangential geometry of the
AXIOM. If carefully operated, it can be
adjusted during play. However we recommend that
you do ALL adjustment or alignment at the AXIOM
ONLY with the cartridge / stylus lifted off the record.