Developing A List Of Tonearm Candidates For A SOTA Turntable

@dover That is a very valid point. I should have noticed that. A tonearm with vertical bearings that are not perpendicular to the offset angle is a deal killer, the reason being that azimuth now changes with elevation, over warps and with different record thicknesses and as far as I know there is no down side to offsetting the vertical bearing

Your ears are only going to notice a difference in SRA when you are already far off the mark. While it is true that some old records have odd angles, they are also very deficient in sound quality for other reasons and are of historic value only. I would not be concerned with trying to optimize them. If you set your SRA to 92 degrees with the stylus on 150 gram record you will be able to go a degree in either direction without noticing a significant change in sound quality. This is the opinion of many seasoned audiophiles. The problem is setting the contact line to 92 degrees is not so easy. However, fishing around for the right SRA by ear is a PITA and very unlikely to be accurate. 

@wrm57 Even robots have to recharge their batteries once in a while:-)

Please pardon my horrendous mistake. I was not referring to VTA. I was referring to SRA. Stylus rake angle is far more specific than vertical tracking angle. VTA depends on the stylus being mounted perfectly which is not the case in, I would guess, 75% of the cartridges. It is like setting SRA by making the tonearm parallel to the record. These methods of setting SRA are easier to see, but there are simple magnifiers that will get you close enough as long as you know where the contact line is. The magnifier that comes with the SmarTractor is perfect. They should sell it separately.   

@wrm57  Here I am. I was taking a nap. 

The problem is that most people have no idea where they are actually starting. The contact line has to start at 92 degrees. Even with a stabilized high power USB microscope this can be hard to see. In many styluses the contact line is not symmetrically in the center of the stylus. In the replicant 100 the contact line is parallel to the rear face. One has to know where the contact line is for the stylus they are using and measure from that. How one determines 92 degrees is with the stylus on the record at the correct VTF. One has to use a transparent protractor with 92 degrees scribed in very fine lines behind the stylus. If one is starting at say 95 degrees a fraction of a degree might make a difference. If you are truly starting at 92 degrees then a degree one way or the other will not make any difference. To prove this to yourself set the contact line at 92 degrees then have a friend change VTA or not and record your response for each position. I promise you will be amazed at the results. 

The Agile's mechanism is typical British simplicity and like the Schroder has a scale so you can return to previous positions accurately. It might be a bit fiddly in the Sota's tonearm well and I would not recommend trying to adjust it on the fly. 

@dover Thanx, I had not heard that. I am in no big hurry to step away from the CB. I would have to take a big leap in capability to make a change and it would be to a Schroder LT or Reed 5T, but both would require another turntable or a major reengineering of the SOTA. If I can do it in a reversible fashion I might try it.

@neonknight  I have a method and it takes me only 10 minutes to change cartridges once they are set up for the first time. All it requires is a WallySkater and a stylus force gauge. Each cartridge gets its own mounting plate. They are set up initially with a SmarTractor and the plates are marked with a fine Sharpie so I can return them to the exact same position every time. The VTA scale reading is recorded for each cartridge. Azimuth stays the same throughout. I must add that the WallySkater is a must with magnetic anti skate mechanisms. I set all modern styluses like your Replicant 100 to 11%. 

The Enterprise is a well designed arm. The only thing I do not care for is the anti skate mechanism. I personally think the Kuzma is a better arm even if it is ugly as sin. Check out the Clearaudio Magnify arm. I am very tempted to try this one. It is a brilliant design with all the features I demand in an arm. Like the CB it is deceptively simple. It will fit on the SOTA like an Italian driving glove. The Universal is probably too heavy for the SOTA.  

Hey neon, I feel your misery. The problem is that for the suspension of the SOTA to work normally, the arm has to be within a certain weight range. I use a CB on my Cosmos and I am in no hurry to move on. I have also installed the Kuzma 4 Point 9 on a Cosmos with excellent results. The 9 " Origin Live arms fit really well, but their customer service has received more than a few negative comments. There are also several Clearaudio arms that will fit. The Verismo on an SME V is not the greatest match without adding a significant amount of mass to the headshell. I have an MC Diamond which is way heavier than the Verismo and I still have to use the brass mounting plate! The Lyras are a great match for the SME, but you are ready to move on. I would like to try mounting a Reed 2G on the SOTA. It is lighter and more compact for a tower arm and I really like the bearing arrangement and the magnetic anti skating mechanism. The problem is once you buy it you are committed and it might require some modification to the plinth for clearance, something not many are willing to do. I keep thinking I'm going to build a custom plinth for the Cosmos. If I get down to it I might make use the old one as a guinea pig. 

Elevating the arm board won't work because you can only lower arms so far and somehow I do not think a Rega arm is your cup of tea. 

If you have a Thrax CB you might want to get in touch with the man himself and put yourself on the waiting list for one of his hand made wood CBs. I must warn you that I have been on that list for 2 years.