Any of you experiment with optimal VTA for Benz Micro Cartridges


I've heard that some cartridges vary as to what VTA is actually optimal for them contrary to what the perfectly horizontal/vertical  positioning of the cartridge body might suggest.  I have my Benz Micro mounted such that the front plane of the wooden body is perfectly vertical as I assume that was the design intent for the correct VTA. Is that true?
elunkenheimer
@prof 

Nice turntable.

This discussion was about the slope of the cartridge, back to front, with comments that the BM sound better with with the back (tail) of the cartridge slightly higher than the front so the comment "tail up". 

I hope you have plenty of gain for your Benz Micro Ebony L. The output is very low.
@jperry

Thanks.

I barely can remember the difference between a MC and a MM cartridge (in fact, if you asked me right how...I couldn't tell you before having to look it up again).

But I've had a much more turntable-experienced pal advising me so I think I'm ok.

Some info I found on my Benz L cartridge:

The Ebony L (.26mV at 3.54cm/sec, 5ohm coil impedance) optimizes with high gain phono stages (>60dB) with input impedance of less than 300 ohms or when using step-up transformers.

And this is the phono stage I bought:

http://www.myaudioelectronics.com/eng/itemdetails.asp?id=P000001

It seems (as far as I understand it) to have the flexibility to accommodate the Benz cartridge.

@prof 

Enjoy your new analog set up. Your phono stage looks like it has enough gain and plenty of settings for load.

Best Regards,

Jim Perry
Good to have that confirmed, Jim.

BTW, what is the point of a manufacturer making such a low output cartridge?   It seems to me in theory come with the liabilities of higher noise in the system, not to mention needing a phono stage with enough gain.

I seem to remember once reading that low output MC cartridges had at least in theory some advantage for sound quality, but I'm not sure what it is.
@prof regarding why low output vs higher in a MC? Well one advantage of a lower output rather than higher is that getting more output entails more coil turns and hence more mass to move. 

There's lots of discussion on this point in threads such as this
http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/high-output-mc-cartridges-vs-low-output-any-difference-in-soun...

The phono stage you've selected looks as if it should work well. Have you also invested in a suitable set of mounting tools and templates? My recommendation would be to go with a setup like this (which is a simplified version of the Acoustical Systems alignment tool I own)
https://www.musicdirect.com/analog-accessories/pro-ject-align-it-cartridge-alignment-gauge