Must have adjustments for an arm to be SOTA

Don C

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Jul 20, 2013
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Absolute “must have” mechanical adjustments for a SOTA arm!

1) Micrometer arm height adjustment that has index marks for VTA/SRA. Index marks are needed to ‘fine tune”, and go back to a previous setting, when the last setting was better.
2) Fine azimuth adjustment with index marks. Azimuth is as important as VTA/SRA, for sound quality.
3) Internally damped arm tube, and adjustable external fluid arm damping.
4) Anti-skate adjustment, including no anti-skate option.
5) Fine tracking force adjustment with index marks. For ease of adjustment, azimuth setting should not need to be reset when tracking force is changed.
6) Adjustable head shell cartridge position (arm pivot-to-spindle distance,and stylus contact angle) for desired horizontal alignment. Straight non-pivot arms also need proper cartridge alignment (if off, they will be off through out the entire record). They also may have equal left-right channel sidewall force issues as the arm moves across the record, depending on the type of arm movement mechanism, IMO.


Tuning the arm by ear is “subjective”! Set for the listener’s sonic taste, as to what playback sounds best!


Electronic amplification, and the cartridge, must be “settled in” (warmed up) before adjustments are made. Play a few Lps before “fine tuning” any adjustments. Keep the stylus clean.

Incremental, “very fine” adjustments, over long term listening, with many Lps is necessary.

The optimum setting is always within a very small “window”.

Certain settings affect, other settings, that may need to be re-adjusted.

Listen for sonic changes as you make incremental adjustments, back and forth, as “clues” for the best setting.

Optimal setting are not for one record, but for the “mean” of all your Lps IMO.

Stylus mounting position may be slightly off (even on the most expensive cartridge), and this needs to be taken into account.

Adjustment for each Lp is “madness’, time consuming, and interrupts the enjoyment of repeated playing during long listening sessions IMO.

When all adjustments are complete 80% of your Lps will sound at their best, the remainder very good IMO. I throw away bad recordings, why waste time listening to crap?

Not every record is well recorded, or will sound great, even with the arm properly set up.

Cartridge suspension break-in and settling over time, and stylus wear, requires arm re-adjustment.

Resistor loading, arm cables, and step-up transformer, gain and impedance (if used), are also big factors in getting best sonics.

Some VPI arms, Graham, and most all TriPlanar arms meet these requirements.

SME arms and many other arms do not, and are not SOTA IMO.
 
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DaveyF

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Jul 31, 2010
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Absolute “must have” mechanical adjustments for a SOTA arm!

1) Micrometer arm height adjustment that has index marks for VTA/SRA. Index marks are needed to ‘fine tune”, and go back to a previous setting, when the last setting was better.
2) Fine azimuth adjustment with index marks. Azimuth is as important as VTA/SRA, for sound quality.
3) Internally damped arm tube, and adjustable external fluid arm damping.
4) Anti-skate adjustment, including no anti-skate option.
5) Fine tracking force adjustment with index marks. For ease of adjustment, azimuth setting should not need to be reset when tracking force is changed.
6) Adjustable head shell cartridge position (arm pivot-to-spindle distance,and stylus contact angle) for desired horizontal alignment. Straight non-pivot arms also need proper cartridge alignment (if off, they will be off through out the entire record). They also may have equal left-right channel sidewall force issues as the arm moves across the record, depending on the type of arm movement mechanism, IMO.


Tuning the arm by ear is “subjective”! Set for the listener’s sonic taste, as to what playback sounds best!


Electronic amplification, and the cartridge, must be “settled in” (warmed up) before adjustments are made. Play a few Lps before “fine tuning” any adjustments. Keep the stylus clean.

Incremental, “very fine” adjustments, over long term listening, with many Lps is necessary.

The optimum setting is always within a very small “window”.

Certain settings affect, other settings, that may need to be re-adjusted.

Listen for sonic changes as you make incremental adjustments, back and forth, as “clues” for the best setting.

Optimal setting are not for one record, but for the “mean” of all your Lps IMO.

Stylus mounting position may be slightly off (even on the most expensive cartridge), and this needs to be taken into account.

Adjustment for each Lp is “madness’, time consuming, and interrupts the enjoyment of repeated playing during long listening sessions IMO.

When all adjustments are complete 80% of your Lps will sound at their best, the remainder very good IMO. I throw away bad recordings, why waste time listening to crap?

Not every record is well recorded, or will sound great, even with the arm properly set up.

Cartridge suspension break-in and settling over time, and stylus wear, requires arm re-adjustment.

Resistor loading, arm cables, and step-up transformer, gain and impedance (if used), are also big factors in getting best sonics.

Some VPI arms, Graham, and most all TriPlanar arms meet these requirements.

SME arms and many other arms do not, and are not SOTA IMO.


You bring up an interesting thread. On another forum that is dedicated to all things Linn, I brought up a similar thread. Over there, the prevailing thought is that by introducing the ability to have multiple adjustments on the tonearm, one is going to sacrifice SQ due to the loss of rigidity or additional connections required for the adjustment mechanisms. I am not in agreement with this philosophy, IMO, the ability to accurately adjust azimuth, SRA, VTA and VTF are paramount. I also feel that any SOTA arm needs to be able to connect to a SOTA phono connecting cable. This is the primary reason why I have so far not 'upgraded' my tonearm on my Linn to the vaunted Ekos SE-1.
 

tima

Industry Expert
Mar 3, 2014
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Thanks Don. The list covers a lot of good points to look for in a tonearm.

VTF can alter SRA and VTA. Can VTF alter axial tilt?

Wrt SME, while the headshell on the V has fixed position mounting holes, the arm operates on a movable sled, largely to the same effect. Also there is a removable head shell version of the V that allows for azimuth adjustment (though not as easily as other arms and no index marks.) Don't know if that changes its SOTA status, but it is still a good arm.

I don't believe the Tri-Planar has azimuth index marks though it allows very fine adjustment.

The Kuzma 4Point meets most all of your list. And to DaveyF's point it integrates both a single 'arm cable and a terminal box to use your own.

I own all the above, but pls correct as needed.
 

Don C

Well-Known Member
Jul 20, 2013
208
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333
USA
Tima

Proper azimuth makes a "big" difference. If most of the SME arms can not get the azimuth right how can they be very good arms?

The SME arms with a removable head shell and set screw, that can be "grossly adjusted", does not really work. I have owned SME arms that claim on the box "the best tone arm in the world". BS!
 
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number95

Well-Known Member
May 14, 2014
384
7
250
Absolute “must have” mechanical adjustments for a SOTA arm!

1) Micrometer arm height adjustment that has index marks for VTA/SRA. Index marks are needed to ‘fine tune”, and go back to a previous setting, when the last setting was better.
2) Fine azimuth adjustment with index marks. Azimuth is as important as VTA/SRA, for sound quality.
3) Internally damped arm tube, and adjustable external fluid arm damping.
4) Anti-skate adjustment, including no anti-skate option.
5) Fine tracking force adjustment with index marks. For ease of adjustment, azimuth setting should not need to be reset when tracking force is changed.
6) Adjustable head shell cartridge position (arm pivot-to-spindle distance,and stylus contact angle) for desired horizontal alignment. Straight non-pivot arms also need proper cartridge alignment (if off, they will be off through out the entire record). They also may have equal left-right channel sidewall force issues as the arm moves across the record, depending on the type of arm movement mechanism, IMO.


Tuning the arm by ear is “subjective”! Set for the listener’s sonic taste, as to what playback sounds best!


Electronic amplification, and the cartridge, must be “settled in” (warmed up) before adjustments are made. Play a few Lps before “fine tuning” any adjustments. Keep the stylus clean.

Incremental, “very fine” adjustments, over long term listening, with many Lps is necessary.

The optimum setting is always within a very small “window”.

Certain settings affect, other settings, that may need to be re-adjusted.

Listen for sonic changes as you make incremental adjustments, back and forth, as “clues” for the best setting.

Optimal setting are not for one record, but for the “mean” of all your Lps IMO.

Stylus mounting position may be slightly off (even on the most expensive cartridge), and this needs to be taken into account.

Adjustment for each Lp is “madness’, time consuming, and interrupts the enjoyment of repeated playing during long listening sessions IMO.

When all adjustments are complete 80% of your Lps will sound at their best, the remainder very good IMO. I throw away bad recordings, why waste time listening to crap?

Not every record is well recorded, or will sound great, even with the arm properly set up.

Cartridge suspension break-in and settling over time, and stylus wear, requires arm re-adjustment.

Resistor loading, arm cables, and step-up transformer, gain and impedance (if used), are also big factors in getting best sonics.

Some VPI arms, Graham, and most all TriPlanar arms meet these requirements.

SME arms and many other arms do not, and are not SOTA IMO.

I have a Graham Elite which fulfills the requirements above. I concur it is SOTA. I also have an Ikeda 407 which does not have some of the points above. I also concur it is SOTA. Flexibility and versatility are essential to make life easier but a tonearm can not be just evalulated by those.
 

tima

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Mar 3, 2014
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Tima

Proper azimuth makes a "big" difference. If most of the SME arms can not get the azimuth right how can they be very good arms?

The SME arms with a removable head shell and set screw, that can be "grossly adjusted", does not really work. I have owned SME arms that claim on the box "the best tone arm in the world". BS!

Hi Don - I think we agree proper azimuth has a significant influence on getting the most a cartridge has to offer.

I have no input on most SME arms but the SME V specifically, the only one I've owned. As I noted the Vd (detachable headshell) model is not as easy to adjust for azimuth as say a Tri-Planar or a Graham, but, with patience, small adjustments are possible - in fact only small adjustments, otherwise the mating pins on the headshell and 'arm won't make proper contact. I do wish it had an index mark scribed across both headshell and 'arm - that's where it can be frustrating. For a relatively massed produced product I found the SME V to have as high a build quality as any arm I've used. For example, I love the Tri-Planar, but its build is not quite as tight as the V. Arm design and manufacturing has come a long way since what, the 1960s?, when the V was introduced - for years SME's claim was probably true. Like any 'arm it has some synergy with particular 'tables. Nowadays I wouldn't pay too much attention to the marketing claims - most experienced audiophiles will not claim any arm is the best. I thought your list was a fine proposal and I'm also inclined to agree with #95 that there are other factors as well.

Items I'd add to that list include: a) a cuing mechanism that provides a consistently soft landing, b) the ability for an 'arm to drop the stylus in the same spot from whence it was raised, and the c) ability to replace and/or adjust the cuing mechanism. Not sure that swap able 'arm tubes or headshells are required, but they can be convenient when well implemented.
 

Don C

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Jul 20, 2013
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Hi Don - I think we agree proper azimuth has a significant influence on getting the most a cartridge has to offer.

I have no input on most SME arms but the SME V specifically, the only one I've owned. As I noted the Vd (detachable headshell) model is not as easy to adjust for azimuth as say a Tri-Planar or a Graham, but, with patience, small adjustments are possible - in fact only small adjustments, otherwise the mating pins on the headshell and 'arm won't make proper contact. I do wish it had an index mark scribed across both headshell and 'arm - that's where it can be frustrating. For a relatively massed produced product I found the SME V to have as high a build quality as any arm I've used. For example, I love the Tri-Planar, but its build is not quite as tight as the V. Arm design and manufacturing has come a long way since what, the 1960s?, when the V was introduced - for years SME's claim was probably true. Like any 'arm it has some synergy with particular 'tables. Nowadays I wouldn't pay too much attention to the marketing claims - most experienced audiophiles will not claim any arm is the best. I thought your list was a fine proposal and I'm also inclined to agree with #95 that there are other factors as well.

Items I'd add to that list include: a) a cuing mechanism that provides a consistently soft landing, b) the ability for an 'arm to drop the stylus in the same spot from whence it was raised, and the c) ability to replace and/or adjust the cuing mechanism. Not sure that swap able 'arm tubes or headshells are required, but they can be convenient when well implemented.

Cuing has absolutely nothing to do with playback sound quality!

You are listed as an "Industry Expert". Does writing for the Audio Beat make you an expert??? LOL!
 

tima

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Mar 3, 2014
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Cuing has absolutely nothing to do with playback sound quality!

You are listed as an "Industry Expert". Does writing for the Audio Beat make you an expert??? LOL!

Don, your originating post begins: "Absolute “must have” mechanical adjustments for a SOTA arm!"

I think of tonearm cuing as a mechanical function whose accuracy is desirable in a SOTA arm.
 
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Brian Walsh

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I just noticed this thread.

Don, what tonearms have you owned, and which one(s) did you like best? Do you adjust SRA for each record? What is your favorite cartridge alignment geometry, and why?

I have to disagree in general with your assertion about VPI's adjustability, especially in terms of azimuth.

And the quality and performance of an arm goes far beyond adjustments.
 

jfrech

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Mosin

[Industry Expert]
Mar 11, 2012
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And the quality and performance of an arm goes far beyond adjustments.

I'm another in agreement.

Sometimes, there are arms that defy logic. The ancient big Gray Research tonearm is such a beast. The thing's musicality makes you forget its shortcomings. There are others.
 

Mosin

[Industry Expert]
Mar 11, 2012
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I neither said nor implied that. Please reply to my questions.

I think Don may have been referring to my post. I stand by it, although I believe all the things he said in his originating post are spot on. However, I also believe there are exceptions to every rule. I can't wrap my head around "Magic" tonearms any more than he can, but I refuse to be locked inside a box where everything is finite.

The more we find about about this hobby, the less we really know...or so it seems. Sometimes, it's like trying to figure out how a duck-billed platypus works. It just does. :D
 

Brian Walsh

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Win, I figured he was and respectfully agree but wanted to say it anyway. I look forward to his reply to my questions.
 

Don C

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I think Don may have been referring to my post. I stand by it, although I believe all the things he said in his originating post are spot on. However, I also believe there are exceptions to every rule. I can't wrap my head around "Magic" tonearms any more than he can, but I refuse to be locked inside a box where everything is finite.

The more we find about about this hobby, the less we really know...or so it seems. Sometimes, it's like trying to figure out how a duck-billed platypus works. It just does. :D

Thanks for agreeing my adjustments thoughts are spot on.

Also SOTA is subjective!
 
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Don C

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Jul 20, 2013
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Win, I figured he was and respectfully agree but wanted to say it anyway. I look forward to his reply to my questions.

I do not adjust SRA for each record after I am satisfied, but I believe there is one best setting for the "mean" of my many records, and it is in a very small window.
This window in my opinion is a few thousands of an inch. Big changes happen within this window and it is hard to zero in on.

I have owned many arms and turntables.

VPI JMW 10 and newer, SME V, TriPlanar, Graham, and older arms from the 70's.

I sold the expensive ones due to personal finance issues.

I now use a VPI TNT III Special, original JMW 10, and ZYX Airy 3 with silver coils. I also have spare arm tubes with other cartridges.

Do not laugh at my old arm! It takes a long time to know an arm.

Not all SOTA arms sound the same, and I am set as far as equipment.

The setup I now use is not my most expensive but I prefer it.

What arms do you sell that are SOTA?

Do you believe in my arm adjustment opinion? Proper adjustment makes a very "Big" difference in sound.

I know you do initial setup for customers. What happens after cartridge breaks in, and when it comes time for a new one?

Do customers take time to learn, or even care?

Is this too hard for customers, without assistance? For most yes. Are they satisfied? No! They keep upgrading and changing.
 
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Don C

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Jul 20, 2013
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Brian you are a dealer that is trying to maximize profits, and not eliminate the sale of high margin arms you carry that are not fully adjustable.

You have skin in the game (to sell expensive audio), and that is why you are on this forum.

Also this forum is loaded with "the most expensive is always best" opinion, from people with more money than sense.

Why do most all big buck systems sound bad at shows and dealers?

Why do they not sound very good, as worst case?

Because expensive audio is mostly all hype, and buyers believe in "magic" and not logic.

And these rich people have taken over the industry, because they are the only ones buying and catered to.
 
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PeterA

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Don C, I like your OP and appreciate the discussion that you are trying to encourage. However, I think the title of the thread is too general and that there could be two different discussions about this important topic.

1. Tonearm adjustments: rank them for sound quality, convenience or both.
2. What makes a tonearm SOTA?

It seems to me that all designers are well aware of what adjustments are necessary in a tonearm. Some designers prioritize some adjustments over others. Some designs prioritize EASE of adjustments and convenience over absolute sound quality. Some adjustments, depending upon how they are implemented, may in fact degrade the sound, so some designers opt for a less easy to adjust arm.

There are so many interesting designs out there. If one examines the Durand line of tonearms, trade offs seem to be made between convenience and sonics. The early designs did not even have arm rests because it was thought to harm sonics. It looks as though the latest and best sounding arm, the Telos, has a less convenient way of adjusting arm height than does the Talea II. A rigid mounting to the arm board might sound best but it also might compromise ease of adjustability. Again look at the direct versus offset tower mounting schemes of these two arms. These are simply casual observations in an attempt to suggest that trade offs are made by designers and perhaps this is why top arms all function and sound so different from each other.

Look at headshell designs. Some are highly adjustable like the Acoustic Systems from Germany, and others make it rather difficult to even see the cartridge to set it up properly, like the Continuum Cobra. Some have adjustable, rotating mounting plates, some are very rigid with two fixed mounting holes instead of slots. The latest SAT tonearm seems to be designed foremost for sonics and it appears to have adjustments but not ones that are as easy to make as say those in a Graham or TriPlanar.

My first thought after reading your OP was, sure, those adjustments would all seem to be essential and critical for every arm aspiring to be SOTA. However, what if an arm which does not have azimuth adjustment, or a cumbersome arm height adjustment, or even lacks mounting slots for fixed holes actually sounds better that one of the arms on your list? Should it be excluded as not SOTA because of the lack of adjustments? Or should the arms on your list be excluded because they don't sound as good? I don't think it is as simple a subject as you lay out in your OP.

I have the SME V-12, as you can read from my signature. It is an interesting arm which came supplied with my turntable. I make no claims that it is a SOTA tonearm. However, I have heard systems in which this arm was used sound much better than systems which use arms with more adjustments. It's hard to draw any conclusions from that though because of all of the other variables involved. I did once own an SME 309 with removable head shell and with which I could thus adjust azimuth. I replaced it with the SME V. The V sounded better, and it did not have azimuth adjustment while the 309 did. The V has better bearings, and other improvements. The 12" SME 312 arm does not sound as good as the SME V-12, even though the former has azimuth adjustment and the latter does not. The SME 12" arms sound better than the 9" arms based on my direct comparisons in my system.

I have not made direct comparisons between these SME arms and other brands in my system, but some SME owners have directly compared the V-12 to other arms which fulfill your list of requirements. They have preferred the sound of the SME. This gets us to my second question above, What makes a tonearm SOTA?

There are issues of length, rigidity, tonearm wire continuity, dynamic or static VTF and anti-skate, fluid damping, bearing type and many others that I am not in a position to even know about. Some of these properties like dynamic or static adjustments and damping are not included on your list of adjustments. I am simply suggesting that it is a complicated subject, one that could make for a fascinating discussion, and I thank you for bringing it up.
 

Don C

Well-Known Member
Jul 20, 2013
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Don C, I like your OP and appreciate the discussion that you are trying to encourage. However, I think the title of the thread is too general and that there could be two different discussions about this important topic.

1. Tonearm adjustments: rank them for sound quality, convenience or both.
2. What makes a tonearm SOTA?

It seems to me that all designers are well aware of what adjustments are necessary in a tonearm. Some designers prioritize some adjustments over others. Some designs prioritize EASE of adjustments and convenience over absolute sound quality. Some adjustments, depending upon how they are implemented, may in fact degrade the sound, so some designers opt for a less easy to adjust arm.

There are so many interesting designs out there. If one examines the Durand line of tonearms, trade offs seem to be made between convenience and sonics. The early designs did not even have arm rests because it was thought to harm sonics. It looks as though the latest and best sounding arm, the Telos, has a less convenient way of adjusting arm height than does the Talea II. A rigid mounting to the arm board might sound best but it also might compromise ease of adjustability. Again look at the direct versus offset tower mounting schemes of these two arms. These are simply casual observations in an attempt to suggest that trade offs are made by designers and perhaps this is why top arms all function and sound so different from each other.

Look at headshell designs. Some are highly adjustable like the Acoustic Systems from Germany, and others make it rather difficult to even see the cartridge to set it up properly, like the Continuum Cobra. Some have adjustable, rotating mounting plates, some are very rigid with two fixed mounting holes instead of slots. The latest SAT tonearm seems to be designed foremost for sonics and it appears to have adjustments but not ones that are as easy to make as say those in a Graham or TriPlanar.

My first thought after reading your OP was, sure, those adjustments would all seem to be essential and critical for every arm aspiring to be SOTA. However, what if an arm which does not have azimuth adjustment, or a cumbersome arm height adjustment, or even lacks mounting slots for fixed holes actually sounds better that one of the arms on your list? Should it be excluded as not SOTA because of the lack of adjustments? Or should the arms on your list be excluded because they don't sound as good? I don't think it is as simple a subject as you lay out in your OP.

I have the SME V-12, as you can read from my signature. It is an interesting arm which came supplied with my turntable. I make no claims that it is a SOTA tonearm. However, I have heard systems in which this arm was used sound much better than systems which use arms with more adjustments. It's hard to draw any conclusions from that though because of all of the other variables involved. I did once own an SME 309 with removable head shell and with which I could thus adjust azimuth. I replaced it with the SME V. The V sounded better, and it did not have azimuth adjustment while the 309 did. The V has better bearings, and other improvements. The 12" SME 312 arm does not sound as good as the SME V-12, even though the former has azimuth adjustment and the latter does not. The SME 12" arms sound better than the 9" arms based on my direct comparisons in my system.

I have not made direct comparisons between these SME arms and other brands in my system, but some SME owners have directly compared the V-12 to other arms which fulfill your list of requirements. They have preferred the sound of the SME. This gets us to my second question above, What makes a tonearm SOTA?

There are issues of length, rigidity, tonearm wire continuity, dynamic or static VTF and anti-skate, fluid damping, bearing type and many others that I am not in a position to even know about. Some of these properties like dynamic or static adjustments and damping are not included on your list of adjustments. I am simply suggesting that it is a complicated subject, one that could make for a fascinating discussion, and I thank you for bringing it up.

There are trade offs in all designs, and some designers do not think many customers want, or can make the adjustments I desire.

The adjustment I listed are my opinion, as a long term arm "fiddler".

I want all the different adjustments, and think they can be implemented to improve, without loss, if done right.

It takes time to learn the sonic effects of adjustments, and interplay between all of them.

This is back and forth, better or worse, zeroing in process. I takes lots listening, and some adjustments vary from Lp to Lp, and some do not.

It is not easy! And it is subjective, meaning you have to tune to "taste". What is your idea of bass tight or loose for example.

You can have cartridges that are built perfect that do not need azimuth adjusted, and sound great without that adjustment. But the diamond "may" not be mounted perfect even on the most expensive one.

It is hard to tell if you are at the optimum. With VTA/SRA you could very easily move past the sweet spot without knowing it.

SRA and Azimuth are picky IMO . I also keep the VTF constant, and reset it with big SRA movements (and check horizontal alignment with a gauge).

Damping is last.

Take is SLOW and Listen to a few Lps between adjustments. Do not go crazy, and stop, when you are satisfied. Knowing when to stop is important!

There as stages, initial setup (coarse adjustments), after break in (you may have to start over) , longer term (very fine, you have learned much),and finally I have got what I want.




As far as ranking, they are all important IMO. It depends how far off you are in any of these adjustments, what the sonic effects of being off are.

For example with regard to alignment gauges do you want minimum error across the LP, or at the inner groove with more in the middle?

Some are more "picky" than others, and some are more "picky" depending on cartridge and stylus shape.

I have a feeling when fine tuning SRA there is a Master sweets spot, and slightly above and below there are Minor sweet spots.

Around the master sweet spot are bigger sonic changes than around the minor sweet spots.

This shows up with mechanical resonance theory.

The SRA sweet spot on my VPI micrometer head is two index marks (6 ten thousands of an inch).

It takes time to zero in that close, but I hear it on some Lps, and after listening to many. many LPs 80% are close to that setting.

Arms have different resonance, and maybe most spread the sweet stop out much more.

OK now you think I am crazy!


As far as what is SOTA?

It is subjective. It is not one single thing but many. It is comparative to what is obtainable Today. It is whatever you feel and experience. It is your opinion, and it is different for everyone.

What is this philosophy 101?
 
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