SME IV Tonearm and Warped Records

invictus005

... I disagree. One should never ever align VTA to the cantilever. VTA should be aligned by either having the top of the cartridge be parallel to record’s surface ...

If you do that, you’re not assuring the exact VTA for each single cartridge. Different cartridges specify different VTAs. As I noted, some are designed for 15 degrees, many for 20, some even more. Remember that VTA is the angle between the LP surface and the cantilever itself. (That’s a slight oversimplification, but sufficient for this discussion.) So the only real question is whether you want to get VTA correct, or you’re happy with an approximation.

If the cantilever is mounted wrong, or the stylus is crooked, get a new cartridge. Why bother compensating for crap like that?

If the cartridge is out-of-spec, it’s defective and should be returned. But every product is manufactured with tolerances and with a phono cartridge, even a slight deviation can be audible. In particular: Tangency. To visually set that properly, you need a mirrored gauge that uses a crosshair and reflection of the cantilever itself, such as the WallyTractor. Many listeners, however, are happy to get "close enough," and can’t be troubled with that step.

Of course, if you use a conical stylus, none of this matters. But as the stylus shape gets finer - from elliptical to any of the "fine-line" or Shibata-type stylii - precise alignment becomes all the more critical for best results.

if you’re Fremer, one can use a microscope to look  at the stylus’ SRA.I personally find the microscope idea ridiculous.

Why? In many respects, getting the correct SRA is even more important than getting the VTA spot-on.

@cleeds All cartridges should have their tops parallel to the record’s surface and all of those angles you speak of will be correct if the manufacturer didn’t muck something up during assembly. If the cartridge is out of spec, get a new one. Simple as that.

SRA should be correct if top of the cartridge is parallel to the record. If not, get a new cartridge.

This is direct information from speaking to engineers at Ortofon and Audio Technica.

Some do, some don't . Some carts are better tilted up a tad .

I agree...cartridges should provide the proper angle when the top is parallel ... Few cartridges I’ve seen conform to this...Also, the stylus tends to settle trough time. For this and many other adjustments, I’m always futzing around with setup. The joys of vinyl.  As to this particular problem.....I'd get a different cartridge....at least get this one checked out - might be damaged.

I stick to real companies who have been in business manufacturing cartridges for a long time (i.e. Audio Technica, Ortofon, Nagaoka, etc.) and have never had any problems whatsoever. If a problem is suspected, then it should be checked by the manufacturer and all of the good companies are willing to do that no questions asked.

I question the ability of an end user to measure anything cartridge related properly. Audiophile ninjas armed with junk Chinese $12.99 USB microscopes make me laugh. Many times I've seen people take 10 measurements and get 10 wildly different SRAs. 

You guys honestly think that you can accurately measure stylus and cantilever geometries? Maybe a few, sure. Cartridge manufacturers use hundreds of thousands (maybe millions) of dollars worth of sensitive calibrated tools. And they have technicians with decades worth of experience assembling and testing each cartridge.

All these stories of angles not matching up, or styluses mounted improperly are 99.9999999 end user error. 

The only thing that anyone can and should be measuring is that the top of the cartridge or the tonearm wand is parallel to the record's surface, the rest should be left and assumed that the experienced manufacturer got right.

If in the extreme rare instance there is a defect, the good companies will take care of you. If they don't, buy from better companies. And stay away from used cartridges.