Question for jcarr...VTF with Lyra Etna on Kuzma 4point 9" arm???


Hello..

I have a Lyra Etna, non lambda, mounted on Kuzma 4point 9".  

Recommended VTF on this cartridge is 1.68-1.78 w/ 1.72 being listed as ideal.  

Due to the Kuzma's design, unipivot, the VTF varies quite dramatically depending on where you measure VTF in relation to the LP height.  I'm measuring 1.74g on my scale that supposedly places the stylus at lp height but checking with a machinists height gauge it really measures the VTF about 2mm above the record surface.  After experimentation I figured out a way to get a measurement EXACTLY at the surface of an lp.  The reading there is actually 1.85g and outside of the recommend range for VTF.  I have read that this is not something you want to do with Lyra cartridges...Problem is, this is where I am getting the best sound out of this cartridge.  In the old days I would just leave it and love it but those cartridges cost $300 tops..this one...well it's not something I want to take chances with.  I have not really messed with VTA yet, just leaving it as close to parallel as I can(kinda have to guess with this arm)

I am thinking maybe the higher tracking force sounds better because perhaps it lowered the SRA a tad??  Hopefully JCARR can chime in here and offer some advice. 

Any thoughts out there?? 

Ag insider logo xs@2xkozzmo999

I’m on my second "original" Lyra Etna on my TW Acustic Raven Anniversary on a Triplanar arm. It is a beautiful sounding cartridge.

You don’t say anything about how it sounds better to you so it’s hard to know how to help. There could be several set-up, cartridge loading, or system reasons why it sounds best to you at that VTF. I'm also not sure how you're measuring. A few hundreths of a gram either way will not damage the stylus, but I would try to stay within the higher end of the range. I’d be surprised if you couldn’t get great sound in the recommended VTF range.

First, make sure you have the right tools! Then, I’d find a good setup guide and go back and recheck and fine tune all the adjustments in the proper order, stylus overhang, azimuth, skating force, and VTA as these things are all interactive and changing one changes the other. I’d do them once more all over again as a final check. (Yes, you have messed with VTA/SRA if you’ve adjusted the tone arm to be parallel with the record and that changes the VTF on your arm!).

Good luck!