Dumb VTA Question

Dear Bruce: I've used 10.5 inch (and longer) tonearms, and my experience was that the VTF and overhang errors introduced by SRA changes were significant enough that correcting the VTF and overhang did alter the sound. The real PITA is that you need to repeat the cycle a few times in a series of gradually diminishing spirals before you can be reasonably confident that you have accounted for all variables, but that can't be avoided.

If you go to Stereophile's website, you will be able to find Mikey's review of the Etna. In the Manufacturer's Comments, I have added a wee bit about SRA in general, which I think you will find worth reading.

Ultimately you listen with your ears rather than your eyes. The visual method is simply intended to get you into putting range quickly, but you will still need to do the final tweaking by trial and error and ear.

Regarding possible cartridge damage... There was one dealer who thought that he wasn't able to lower the back of his Kleos sufficiently, so he ripped off the protective washi cover to give himself extra room. Please don't ape this (smile).

I recommend that you get in touch with Alasdair Patrick at Audioquest, and have him tell you when and where to send in the Kleos. Please stick a memo on the outside of the box to the effect that you don't think that there is anything outright wrong with the cartridge, but in consideration of how long you have used it (provide purchase date, please) that you would like to have it inspected for wear, suspension ride height and alignment.

At the time that you send the Kleos to Audioquest, you could also email me the cartridge serial number and perhaps a slightly more fleshed-out version of the memo that you attached to the outside of the box.

kind regards, jonathan

Thanks J Carr!! :)

I will be sad until I get my Kleos back. :( :(

Bif,

I just got my Delos back from Lyra in Japan and here is how
you do it.

Send an email to apatrick@audioquest.com and tell him why
you need to send your Kleos in. He will email you a RMA
form that you fill out and email back to him. You will get
a completed RMA form in pdf to print out and send into
Audioquest with your cartridge. All the return info will be
included with the RMA form.

It took less than two hours from the time I started this to
get all the stuff I needed to send it back to Audioquest.
Actually I had the cartridge in the mail,(via Priority Mail)
in less than two hours. The only cost incurred to me was
the shipping from me to Audioquest, which was all of $5.00.

I got my Delos back six weeks to the day I sent it in. It
had a collapsed suspension and Lyra fixed it, cleaned and
polished the cartridge, replaced the Washi paper with a new
one and even supplied new mounting hardware...all at NO
COST!

Alasdair was PHENOMENAL to work with. He really took care
of me and I have the highest regards for both
Alasdair/Audioquest and Lyra. Two absolutely WONDERFUL
companies!!!

I need to also give a big THANK YOU to Jonathan. He
answered several questions for me and always had the time
and guidance to give me. We really couldn't ask for better
people in the high-end business to deal with.

IMHO there is nothing wrong with the OP's procedure.
If you can't hear the difference it is not important, if you can hear, then you have done the alignment. The USB microscope may give you a closer starting point, but that all folks!

VTA depends on the cantilever angle, angle of stylus A_N_D what kind of Diamond is used. The side walls have different cuts (and more...) and they track the information. So it is logical that every change in that "angle" will give you different results. some record collectors say, you simply have to dial it in, until it "settles". You can hear it. Another chapter is the cutting angle from mastering...
The VTA adjustment is necessary when you listen to older records (until the end of 60's), when you use an old Mercury/London/RCA ... you can hear how the soundstage gets wider and deeper.
The SRA explanation is another - different - chapter and also has influence to VTA adjustment. But the VTA adjustment is only the way to get the angle the older records were cut for proper reproduction....
What you have done to find a good result is right, but to repeat it again, a VTA at a "given angle" is wrong, the given angle is for SRA and a statement from M. Fremer which sounds important in discussions but is totally overrated in reality.
It is ok when someone uses an Arm which can't be adjusted in the height, when he also uses an arm which is perfectly aligned from arm board to record surface distance (level) and when he listens only to records which were done after 1980 and when the cartridge height overall fits also for level adjustment with the given cantilever length, angle...and there are some more...it may be ok when someone uses a table AND a matched Arm from a Manufacturer ... anyway, forget it and do it the way you did before