Ortofon A90 or Air Tight PC-1

Well, this has become quite an interesting discussion about the A90, SRA and grove cutting angles. There doesn't seem to be that much discussion about the PC-1. I have come to appreciate the need to adjust VTA/SRA with the A90 and because that is not the easiest adjustment to make on the SME V, and certainly not "on the fly", I'm rapidly getting the impression that on the basis of adjustability alone, the SME V and A90 may not be an ideal combination. Thank you for all of the information on this thread.

Dear Peterayer, whether the A90 and the SME V are or are not an ideal combination has nothing to do with VTA.
It has a lot to do with the effective mass of the "V", the body mass and compliance of the A90 and the general alignment you are making (to name just the "cornerstones").
I for one would rather recommend using the A90 in the SME V.
Aside from my personal opinion that the A90 is the "better sounding" cartridge of the two, its technical parameters will nicely match the mechanical/dynamic parameters of the SME V.
VTA is a matter of dedication and the will to go the extra mile time and again to get the very best out of ANY given tonearm/cartridge combination.
It wouldn't be any other way with the PC-1... or any other cartridge .... in any other tonearm.

@ Dertonarm

Very interesting information, indeed. Thanks!

Hi Dertonarm,
I understand your point about VTA. I'm just saying that I've had difficulty making very small VTA adjustments in my SME V arm. A dial-type tower like that on the TriPlanar with markings would be much easier. I don't change VTA depending on record thickness because of this.

Hi Peterayer, I've had the SME V too - back in the Eighties. Yes, it easier with the kind of tonearms like the Triplanar. However - it has nothing (read: VERY little ....) to do with record thickness, but everything (read: the HUGE portion of the whole "picture"...) with the cutting angle of the cutting head which originally cut the master for the record you are playing. As these (the cutting heads..) do (did) differ considerably in a fairly wide range in the angle they do use, it give us some headaches to get the minute detail and exact matching angle (read: VTA) with the polished area of the stylus.
The problem is system-inherent and universal.
It is the very same problem with ANY tonearm and ANY cartridge.
Some do allow easy adjustments - some don't.
Some (few....) audiophiles are very serious about matching that particular groove-compliant VTA - some audiophiles aren't even aware of the problem - and some audiophiles do not care.
To get back to the core issue: - the A90 will perform very well in a SME V.No matter whether you are willing to adjust the VTA for each record or whether you will - as most audiophiles do .... - settle for a "good compromise".