What angle should I set the VTA on my VPI turntable?


I can't believe after all these years, I am asking such a basic "analogue 101" question, but here it goes. I own a VPI turntable that has a "VTA on the fly" knob.  I thought the best VTA setting was for the arm to be 100% parallel to the record surface.  

However, based on some research, I am not so sure that is correct way to set the arm to achieve optimal VTA and correlatively, optimal SRA.  Not sure, ... but I think I have to raise the pivot side of the arm.

Any advice would be appreciated. 

Thanks.     
bifwynne

Showing 1 response by whart

My final settings are done by ear, using a couple of well-known (at least to me) records including the well known flying fish record about which there is an article for using that record to set VTA. There are other records as well: I first heard that Clements/Holland, Norman Blake and Tut Taylor record in a listening session decades ago, and Saurerkraut 'n Solar Energy was a killer then. 
But, using it to set VTA is for me, like a knife edge, and gets closer to the zone where you have to adjust for differences in sound, quicker. 
Once I'm dialed in, I don't change much- if it is a stupidly fat record, I'll take account of it, but I'm not down to adjusting per record. I also found that the need to do so varies by cartridge; that is, certain cartridges will sound better if dialed in more to whatever is happening in the grooves.