Phantom Supreme to 4Point-14?


I'm considering it. Who's done it and what did you think? Members who've heard a head-to-head comparison are also welcome to chime in.

The turntable is an SP10R in Artisan Fidelity plinth. Cartridges at this point are an mainlyan A90 and Benz Ebony TR, but I'm planning for a MSL Gold or Platinum sometime down the road.

Thanks.

wrm57

That hypothetical 92 degree ideal setting is not even that.  As the Wallytools people point out, one has to set the 92 degrees when the stylus is actually dragging when the record is in motion.  They utilize a special microscope and take measurements with the surface in motion. 

I prefer setting VTA by ear after first getting the body of the cartridge close to parallel to the record surface.  I too utilize a typical thickness record and don't bother to make changes for different thickness records.  

There is one extremely rare version of the linear tracking Air Tangent arm that provided for VTA adjustment on the fly using remote control--that would be the ideal way to set VTA for each record (there is a numerical readout, so one could record the number for each record once that is done by ear).  I am actually glad I don't have this kind of capability because I really don't want to bother with that kind of fiddling around.

@larryi , I think the 92 degrees in motion is why Fremer sets his to 93 static. Your approach to VTA, like lewm’s, is utterly reasonable. As an experiment, I’m going to set my tonearm to the average record, which in my scheme would be 160g, and see how long I can go without changing it. Might take me a few days to fully detox! If I can live with it, the door is open to the 4P-9 or even, gulp, Safir!

The largest sonic change I've heard in all my time with analog is when I installed the Safir arm, it wasn't subtle it was jaw dropping. Yes cartridges have their flavor, tonearms have had their flavor and even the dozen or more tables that I've owned all had their flavor but nothing could have prepared me when I swapped my 4Point11 for the Safir. At least in my own experience. Although out of curiosity I've ordered a CS Port https://www.csport.audio/products/products-turntabletat1m2-en.html table that just cleared Customs and should arrive in the AM. Yes I'll be using the Safir on it, very excited! 

Setting at 93 degrees static does make sense--drag would lower the actual angle in play.