Why are modern arms so ugly?

I would like to see the SME V without the lines and print on its armtube. It would be more difficult to set up...

For shame, Peter! The SME would be easier to set up (properly) without those lines, not more difficult. The lines tempt one to level the armtube when adjusting VTA/SRA instead of focussing on what matters, the cartridge and stylus.

I'm sure you would never do that, so I'm just sayin'. ;-)

Peter,

I'm having fun but I'm also serious about the futility of that line. It is in fact a distraction that misleads the unwary, as you demonstrated when you wrote, "I still think it would be more difficult to set up without the lines printed on the armtube. That tapered tube would be tough to set parallel to the record surface".

Who cares? Do we play records with an armtube? Adjust what matters. Ignore the rest.

We play records with a stylus, so as you noted the ideal method for visually estimating SRA is to set the stylus with a magnifier. That's quite the bother however and as fine tuning must follow by ear I agree it's rarely worth the fuss.

The next closest thing to adjusting the stylus is to adjust the cartridge body. This is actually easier than levelling an armtube and arguably more effective. Just make the cartridge level to the record surface (or tail-up/down if that's what a particular cartridge prefers). Where the armtube ends up is irrelevant.

Who am I to go against the recommendations of the arm manufacturer?

You're Peter, I'm Doug, both thinking audiophiles who trust their own judgement and learn thereby. :)

With regard to pertinance, as the SME's line is pointless at best or a distraction at worst it is technically offensive, which makes it aesthetically offensive in a technical device. So I agree with you - the arm would look better without it!

Doug

John,

Your questions suggest that I failed to communicate my point. Let's begin with an area of agreement, namely, that we're seeking a reasonable basis for VTA/SRA adjustment.

Next, let's ask ourselves exactly what we're adjusting:
- what is VTA? The angle of the cantilever relative to the record surface (stated roughly for simplicity).
- what is SRA? The angle of the stylus contact surfaces to the record surface.
We note that neither definition references or even assumes the existence of an armtube. If an armtube is not required for the existence of a parameter it may not be the most sensible basis for adjusting that parameter.

Proof: VTA/SRA exist and ought to be adjusted even when a cartridge is mounted on a tonearm that has no armtube at all, e. g., the Clearaudio Souther. We always should and in this case we must choose something other than armtube angle as our basis for VTA/SRA adjustment, preferably something more directly related to VTA/SRA.

Similarly, when adjusting zenith angle do we look at the armtube? Do we care if it's tapered or parallel? No. We look at the cartridge and cantilever because that's what we're adjusting. The same principle applies to VTA/SRA adjustment. Our basis for adjustment should be the cartridge/stylus. The angle of the armtube is a consequence of, not a basis for all these adjustments.

Whether I like or dislike SME is irrelevant. I use the same VTA/SRA basis with all tonearms because it's not a tonearm adjustment. It's a cartridge/stylus adjustment.

Peter,

Sorry for spouting theory and forgetting a few straightforward examples.

First I never use a magnifier or loupe for VTA/SRA, at least not any more.

For a ZYX I just make the ridge near the bottom of the cartridge body level. I know from experience that this will get me very close - on any tonearm.

For a Shelter I just make the cartridge body slightly tail down. I know from (less) experience that this will get me close - on any tonearm.

If I'm setting up an Ortofon A90 with Dan and you at Chris's house I waste 45mins trying without success to decipher and follow the instructions about adjusting SRA under magnification. ;) Then I come to my senses, level the cartridge frame by eye (30 seconds) and find that we're so close I can nail the sweet spot by ear on any LP in another 30 seconds. This worked on both the Durand Talea and the Kuzma Airline, easy as pie on both arms.

That last example is how I (should) begin with any unfamiliar cartridge. Fussing with magnifiers to nail SRA certainly works and is technically the most accurate way to start, but since one must fine tune by ear anyway it just isn't worth the time and expense, IME.

It's not that levelling the armtube is bad. It should get you *nearly* as close as levelling the cartridge body. It's just that people with less knowledge and experience than you read these threads and may get the wrong idea about what they're trying to adjust. Whether one's eyes are good enough to see the (obviously smaller) cartridge body vs. the armtube is of course an individual matter.

There's little question that such user-friendly functions can improve the sonic performance of an arm in the areas they're designed to address. For example, VTA/SRA on-the-fly makes it possible to optimize those parameters very quickly and the results are clearly audible (at least to me).

Notwithstanding that, there is probably also a sonic penalty from hanging additional bits off the arm. Every piece of material is a potential resonance trap that may color the arm and/or raise its sound floor.

It's a two-edged sword, no simple answers.