I believe the VTF varies with the height at which the gauge takes the measurement. (Graham addresses this with the new Phantom arm, which is designed to have the same VTF regardless of height.) I would recommend reading the VTF with the needle located at the height it will be when playing a record.
How to properly set VTF??
Hello there.
Just wondering which is the proper "placement" of the gauge to set the VTF for a cartridge. I use a digital gauge and normally fine tune by ear.
Method #1
Place VTF gauge directly on the turntable playing surface.
OR
Method #2
Place VTF gauge "outside" of the playing surface beyond the records edge.
I set the VTF at the recommended 1.96g using method #1. I then tried the #2 placement and the measurement read 2.14g for a difference of 0.18g
The only explanation I can think of that attributed to the weight difference is the anti-skate setting. On my arm (Tri-Planar) the anti-skate kicks in when the cartridge is on a playing surface, outside the playing surface the anti-skate is very minimal.
Which method do you think is best or is it arm dependent?
Cheers!