Here is what you should know as basis for an arm decision
Absolute “must have” mechanical adjustments for a SOTA arm!
1) Micrometer arm height adjustment that has index marks for VTA/SRA. Index marks are needed to ‘fine tune”, and go back to a previous setting, when the last setting was better.
2) Fine azimuth adjustment with index marks. Azimuth is as important as VTA/SRA, for sound quality.
3) Internally damped arm tube, and adjustable external fluid arm damping.
4) Anti-skate adjustment, including no anti-skate option.
5) Fine tracking force adjustment with index marks. For ease of adjustment, azimuth setting should not need to be reset when tracking force is changed.
6) Adjustable head shell cartridge position (arm pivot-to-spindle distance,and stylus contact angle) for desired horizontal alignment. Straight non-pivot arms also need proper cartridge alignment (if off, they will be off through out the entire record). They also may have equal left-right channel sidewall force issues as the arm moves across the record, depending on the type of arm movement mechanism, IMO.
Tuning the arm by ear is “subjective”! Set for the listener’s sonic taste, as to what playback sounds best!
Electronic amplification, and the cartridge, must be “settled in” (warmed up) before adjustments are made. Play a few Lps before “fine tuning” any adjustments. Keep the stylus clean.
Incremental, “very fine” adjustments, over long term listening, with many Lps is necessary.
The optimum setting is always within a very small “window”.
Certain settings affect, other settings, that may need to be re-adjusted.
Listen for sonic changes as you make incremental adjustments, back and forth, as “clues” for the best setting.
Optimal setting are not for one record, but for the “mean” of all your Lps IMO.
Stylus mounting position may be slightly off (even on the most expensive cartridge), and this needs to be taken into account.
Adjustment for each Lp is “madness’, time consuming, and interrupts the enjoyment of repeated playing during long listening sessions IMO.
When all adjustments are complete 80% of your Lps will sound at their best, the remainder very good IMO. I throw away bad recordings, why waste time listening to crap?
Not every record is well recorded, or will sound great, even with the arm properly set up.
Cartridge suspension break-in and settling over time, and stylus wear, requires arm re-adjustment.
Resistor loading, arm cables, and step-up transformer, gain and impedance (if used), are also big factors in getting best sonics.
Some VPI arms, Graham, and most all TriPlanar arms meet these requirements.
SME arms and many other arms do not, and are not SOTA IMO.