Cartridge setup help please

Hello Geoff

VTA is very dependant on the cart you are using, some sound their best level and some best when the tail is slightly down. With some carts they can be very sensative to VTA changes others not. I am the type of listener that likes to set and forget.
As for anding and removing VTF I think that is totally unnecesssary if you VTA changes are as small as you are making.
VTA changes is something that is done by ear and can be very system dependant.
What are you using for a arm and cart combo?

Paul

quote:

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Originally posted by Geoff P:
If you want a long winded version go here:http://forums.naim-audio.com/eve/forums?a=tpc&s=67019385&f=48019385&m=46010794

But I have re-posted here since I am looking for help from you serious TT users out there about VTA adjustment based on the following questions

Do you set an average VTA using a 180g record as the "middle of the road" or do you use a 200g to get an average VTA
Do you add and remove tracking weight on a regular basis from record to record
Are you obssesive to the point that for your very favorite recordings you raise or lower the arm height (we are talking distances like 1/2 a mm here)

Thanks
GEOFF

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Hy Geoff!i personally would take the middle of the road way,because of :maybe you
have to raise up a cutting machine or it would
become more nessecary if you use a tangential or a nearby tangential arm like new kuzma air or Goldmund or southern linear arm.My theory is that to change vta becomes less nessecary the longer the arm is.for example the arm is 220 mm long from bearing to stylus ,so one milimeter more height at the needle means the arm(or cartridge) will get nearby 0,5 percent out of parallelity concerning the record surface. i did not measure it but i think different height of several vinyls rarley comes to half a milimeter and so we are taking
about nearby o,25%.this is very difficult to see with free eye ,and you need a long horizontal marking on the arm (like SMe has to measure the height exactly).the other possibility is to have an straight arm tube and you have a line marking on the wall behind your tt and are able to bring your arm exactly
paralell to this line while cartridge is lying on the vinyl.(the problem is you cannot bring a markig on tt platter to find a parallel position arm to wall, because you cant see this(there is lying your vinyl while measuring So i would forget this.
adding and removing weigth is the other aspect
but imo damping of the needle to tracking force
is more important relation than the difference of damping concerning the varying heights of records.And do not forget height of one and the same record is changing.if the record is not perfectly flat.the only mechnical solution i know
to this problem is the idea of roksans artemizarm.the counterweight gets weightier if there is a wave in the record and afterwards it
goes back to the adjusted weight.(one of two technical features of artemiz arm that should be sugessted for nobel price)
O.J.

Guys'

Thanks for your replies.

I don't have a very sophisticated TT. It is only a Project RPM 9 but the arm is reputed to be pretty good and can take quality cartridges. It is 230mm "straight" arm & has the usual degrees of adjustment.
I currently have the arm set "parallel" to the record turntable with a record on it. The clearence of the cantilever on the 200g records is virtualy non existent with the arm lifter "up", but on a 160g disk it has quite a large clearence.

regards
GEOFF

quote:

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Originally posted by Geoff P:
Guys'

Thanks for your replies.

I don't have a very sophisticated TT. It is only a Project RPM 9 but the arm is reputed to be pretty good and can take quality cartridges. It is 230mm "straight" arm & has the usual degrees of adjustment.
I currently have the arm set "parallel" to the record turntable with a record on it. The clearence of the cantilever on the 200g records is virtualy non existent with the arm lifter "up", but on a 160g disk it has quite a large clearence.

regards
GEOFF

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Aha ! you have a problem with the
distance cartridge to record while lifted.
two steps: first you have to adjust tonearmheight for correct playing position.(think you have the carbon arm with the white line marking).
second step:adjust the height of the lifter,(think there must be a screw)as high as you would like it to have.now play a thin vinyl.
if the lifter is touching now the arm in playing position you have to fix lifter deeper,
but i think there will be no problem because
arm is thicker near bearing and therefore you would have a wide lifting of cartridge with a actual short liftway near bearing.
O.J.

Thanks o.j.

Will try that out tomorrow.

regards
GEOFF