Rega RP10, Grado Statement 2, and Bryston BP-2 on order

[Antonmb]

Originally Posted by cleeds

Does it have a mirror?

No. That’s why I said the Mint is a tweak more accurate.

Originally Posted by cleeds

If it doesn't, how do you know you're aligning the cantilever? What prevents parallax from inducing error?

Nothing other than common sense, practice, a good eye, and checking it from several angles.

So that we don’t hijack this thread, if you’d like to discuss further you could pm me, or start a thread on the pros and cons of various protractors.

[audio bill]

Originally Posted by ylee

You know? I have not yet. I'm still learning about various settings to make with cartridges. While I took pains to install the cartridge and align it using Mobile Fidelity's Geo Disk, I haven't looked into VTA yet. That said, the rig sounds terrific. If I can get more out of it than what I'm hearing, I'm very open to advice

Since the Rega arm itself does not incorporate an adjustable height setting, if the VTA needs adjustment it must be made through the use of a spacer under the arm which Rega sells. I believe they have machined metal spacers of various thicknesses as well as an adjustable spacer, but you'd have to check which type is recommended for your specific arm. I'd start by looking at the arm and cartridge on a record from the side to see if the cartridge appears to be parallel to the record. That would be a starting point, and if it looks close to parallel and sounds good it may not require any further adjustment. Some will go so far as to use USB microscopes and/or other more elaborate ways to optimize the SRA to 92 degrees, but achieving that level of accuracy without a continuously variable VTA arm can often be impossible. I'd suggest seeking guidance from your dealer since they sell that table/cartridge combo they'd likely know whether any spacer is recommended. Good luck and enjoy the tunes!

[Mikado463]

Originally Posted by audio bill

if the VTA needs adjustment I'd start by looking at the arm and cartridge on a record from the side to see if the cartridge appears to be parallel to the record. :

actually Bill it's the tonearm that one looks for being parallel

[audio bill]

Originally Posted by Mikado463

actually Bill it's the tonearm that one looks for being parallel

That is often true, but many tonearms have a tapered profile so that can sometimes be misleading. If the body of the cartridge has a flat top edge it can be used as a visual indicator being parallel to the record. I would only use that as a starting point though and then suggest adjusting VTA by ear, which can be particularly critical with more advanced stylus profiles.

[Mikado463]

Originally Posted by audio bill

That is often true, but many tonearms have a tapered profile so that can sometimes be misleading. If the body of the cartridge has a flat top edge it can be used as a visual indicator being parallel to the record. I would only use that as a starting point though and then suggest adjusting VTA by ear, which can be particularly critical with more advanced stylus profiles.

True, agreed ......

[audio bill]

Originally Posted by Mikado463

True, agreed ......

Nice to have your agreement, it's rare when audiophiles can agree on anything!

[Formerly YB-2]

They aren't really agreeing. Just trying to be nice................

[ylee]

Got my childhood/teenage era records from my parents house today. I immediately put the Spin-Clean to use. This thing works really well! It is a manual process, so it's a bit time consuming - about 16 records per hour while being careful. But the result is very good.

[robd2]

+1 on the spin clean