HiFi News Test Record Azimuth

kunaraiker, there seems to be some confusion about what the "mirror method" is. It is extremely simple unless you are millercarbon. You are not aligning the cartridge, you are aligning the stylus. To minimize record and stylus wear the stylus (not the cartridge) has to be perfectly perpendicular to the groove. If you place a pocket mirror under the stylus, the stylus and it's reflection in the mirror form an hourglass shape. This doubles the error when the stylus is not perpendicular making it very easy to see. You can easily get the stylus within a few minutes of a perfect 90 degrees. You adjust the azimuth until the "hourglass" is perfectly symmetrical and upright. Lighting is important. Two flashlights usually works great. I use to be able to do it easily by eye only but now I find a little magnification helps. I used loops until I got a SmarTractor which has a mirrored surface and a great magnifier. 
As VTA changes azimuth will change so it helps to have a mirror the thickness of a 150 gm record.
I do not care at all about crosstalk. 

boothroyd, Preservation of your records will do a whole lot more for sound quality than an overpriced meter will ever hope to. The mirror method will properly orient the diamond and if the cartridge is well made the coils also. If it's not...then what does it matter. Crosstalk in cartridges is terrible to begin with, a dB here or there really does not matter. I have checked the mirror method with my Hi Fi News record and an oscilloscope. I check every cartridge when I set it up for the first time to make sure it is constructed well. Every cartridge I have gotten since I have been doing this has been easily within a dB. In other words most cartridges are well made today and the mirror method gets you real close while optimizing record wear. The benefit being no need to waste money on a meter.

As lewm suggested the important issue is record wear. To minimize this it is important that the stylus be perpendicular to the record. With well made cartridges this will also optimize crosstalk. The easiest way to get the stylus perpendicular to the record is to look at it. You can increase your accuracy dramatically by putting the stylus down on a mirror the thickness of a 180 Gm record. With two lights aimed at the sides of the stylus you will see a distinct hourglass shape. If it is leaning to one side or the other adjust the azimuth until it is perfectly upright and symmetrical which is painfully easy to see, even for somebody who listens to Tekton loudspeakers. This method is more than accurate enough in regard to record wear. If the geometry of the cartridge is off it will not optimize audio performance. The solution to this dilemma is to get a better cartridge or maybe get a warranty replacement. 
The one tool that really makes this easy is the SmarTractor. With the stylus down on the mirrored surface you can use it's special magnifier to give you the big picture. Brilliant if expensive tool.