Recommendations for setting VTA


All of the other cartridge alignments are possible for me to set with some level of confidence, but then there is VTA. Yes, I am confident when making parallel, the tonearm with the platter, but then there is the sighting of the stylus position in respect to the groove. Is there a microscope made especially for this task? FWIW, I own a Schiit SOL, and yes, it has adjustable VTA on the fly, but trust me, it is the coarsest adjustment that you can imagine, and in my case, broken to start with! TT came that way when I bought it second hand. 

128x1284krowme

Showing 2 responses by lewm

Elliot, I personally have always used the "start with headshell level" technique. I have never ever, nor will I ever, take the trouble to directly measure SRA.  Not the least of the reasons for my choice is the fact that I am not trained to measure SRA correctly.  There is no reason to burden a newbie with the idea he has to measure SRA or needs special equipment to do so, IMO.

You will receive reams of advice on this topic.  You can even search in these archives for even more blah-blah.  Simplest approach is to set the top of the headshell parallel to the LP surface.  Many/most cartridge makers manufacture the cartridge so that this setting gives at least close to the ideal Stylus Rake Angle (SRA).  SRA is just another way of talking about VTA, really, if you don't get too technical.  After listening for many hours in the base setting, you might then, and only then, try raising or lowering the tonearm in tiny increments, just to see if your perception of the sound quality improves or not.  If your VTA adjuster is broken, I would set it once and forget it; changing VTA without an adjuster built into the tonearm is nerve-wracking and imprecise as well.