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Advice on setting VTA

I have set it before, but not exactly certain if I’m going about it the right way. I am generally setting it by eye, eyeballing the botton of cartridge body to get it as parallel as possible, sometimes using a 3x magnifier to assist.  I have also in the past used playing cards as a reference for some cartridges, so I have something to fall back on. Generally using the cards stacked at the tonearm base, similar to using feeler gauges. I’ve read that using an index card on top of record can be a good way to set it due to the parallel lines on the card. My question is what am looking at to get parallel? The bottom of tonearm, top, or the bottom of cartridge? The tone arm is a carbon fiber/aluminum 9 inch pro-ject. It does appear to have a slight taper towards the headshell end of arm.
128x128audioguy85

Showing 2 responses by elliottbnewcombjr

elliottbnewcombjr
5,202 posts
 
a current related thread

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/vta-on-the-fly

others have shown you the clear plexi blocks with mm grids,

I got this clear plastic protractor, can set it behind the stylus, light goes thru it ...
I scratched a few reference lines in the plastic, one 15 degrees for my Shure V15, to get started.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01HF9PEA4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
elliottbnewcombjr
5,202 posts
 
except exotic methods:

VTA/SRA is always last, as everything must be right and tight

cartridge (every connection back to pivot), needs to be TIGHT, to headshell/arm. azimuth can/often changes while tightening, do a final check, refine if needed.

Arm Post: perfect vertical alignment of the arm post, viewing down, straight in all 360 degrees, is needed so nothing changes throughout the arc across the lp outer track to inner track. If correct, raising and lowering the back of the arm should not change azimuth.

raising an arm, adjusting VTA/SRA, arm post must be ’loosened’, it needs to be tightened, both to preserve arm post vertical positioning, thus azimuth, and rigidity. then listen to change, it’s not easy.

azimuth is set viewing from front, adjusting left/right/ ... until stylus tip is straight down into the groove (90 degree angle), the grids on the transparent blocks help, and a mirror placed below the stylus reflects any variance, helps get it right. anti-skate off while setting azimuth so the arm stays put while viewing/adjusting.

look at the cantilever/tip, not the cartridge body, occasionally a stylus cantilever/tip is a squeak 'off' square with the body.








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