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From: eacj@theory.TN.CORNELL.EDU (Julian Vrieslander)
Newsgroups: rec.audio.high-end
Subject: Re: I want my VTA
Message-ID: <10019@uwm.edu>
Date: 7 Mar 91 13:59:15 GMT
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In article <9982@uwm.edu> hqyy@vax5.cit.cornell.edu writes:
>        Okay, I guess I'll get the ball rolling on this one... just
>how DOES one go about choosing the proper VTA setting???  What records
>do I use for listening?  What do I listen for???

Well, here's what I do:

First I make sure that the other tonearm/cartridge adjustments are dialed in
(overhang, lateral azimuth, tracking force, antiskate).

Some folks recommend starting by setting the tonearm, or top surface of
the cartridge, to be parallel with the record.  I do that, but then I
check the stylus rake angle to see if it's in the right ballpark.  This is
the angle between the stylus and vertical, when viewed from the side.
With a high quality cartridge the stylus chip will be quite small, so you have
to get very close to the turntable and have good eyes to see this.  Adjusting
the light may help, too.  Have the stylus on a record, an inch or two in
from the lead-in groove.  Position your eye at record level, near the
edge of the record, and looking perpendicularly at the left side of the
cartridge.  If you are near-sighted and wear corrective lenses, you may be
able to focus better without the lens.  Note the line from the stylus'
contact point on the record to the point where it meets the cantilever.
There may not be a visible line on the stylus, so you may need to just
imagine a line through the center of the stylus chip.  This line should be
close to vertical, or tipped forward a few degrees (5 to 10).  By "forward"
I mean that the stylus tip should be behind the stylus top, or the tip
should be closer to the tonearm pivot than the top.

Once you have established this starting position, you can try listening tests
at other positions slightly above and below.  Raise or lower the tonearm
by millimeter increments.  Listen for clarity, tonal balance, and a stereo image
that seems to snap into focus.  If you are way off, you will hear less
precise imaging, and transient sounds may seem somewhat disembodied (the
highs and lows not in correct proportion).  I like to use records featuring
complex acoustic sounds that are familiar: violins, female vocals, good
recordings of falling water (hard to find), applause, etc.  The best
overall choice for this kind of tweaking might be a recording of a small
ensemble of acoustic instruments, one known to have accurate timbres and
good imaging.  If you don't hear significant differences as the VTA is
changed, that's OK, too.  Some cartridges are less sensitive to this
adjustment than others.

A few warnings.  Remember that the optimum VTA for one record may not be the
same for another.  This means that the best practical approach is to note
the optimum setting for a a few records (maybe by using a ruler to record the
height of one point on your tonearm) and then set to the average value.
And then don't worry about it. 
-- 
Julian Vrieslander 
Neurobiology & Behavior, W250 Mudd Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca NY 14853    
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