REGA VTA Question


Well, I have another rookie question. I recently purchased a Benz-Micro Glider for my REGA P5. According to REGA you are not supposed to change the VTA with any cartridge on a REGA table. The Glider is much taller than the Exact 2 cartridge that I was using. My questions is, should I leave the VTA alone, or use the REGA shims to raise up the back end of the tone-arm? The shims come only in a 2mm size. The tech at my dealer recommended raising the tone-arm by 4mm! I want to get the best sound possible! What should I do?

Also, should they use the REGA protractor for alignment, or wally tractor type mounting method. The cartridge was set up using the REAGA paper mounting guide.

Thank you for your assistance!!
rick_hilton
You could always install one of the many VTA adjusters and experiment. I use the Origin Live threaded adjuster. It's easy to install and use. Here's a link:

http://www.tonearm.co.uk/vta-adjuster.htm

I don't care for the Rega protractor. I've had far better luck with the free protractors from Vinyl Engine. Of course, for $100 the Mint tractor is supposed to be great.
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According to REGA, they manufacture shims for those people that buy REGA tonearms for aftermarket TT's. REGA says that you should absolutely not adjust VTA for any cartridge using there own TT and tonearm. The arm tube was exactly parallel to the platter when using REGA's own Exact 2 cartridge. So, I am having difficulty understanding why REGA recommends doing nothing when the arm tube is not close to being parallel to the platter.

What would be good starting point in terms of raising the VTA? Should I start at 2mm, or go strait to 4mm? Thanks for all the input!!! It is appreciated!

The arm tube was exactly parallel to the platter when using REGA's own Exact 2 cartridge. So, I am having difficulty understanding why REGA recommends doing nothing when the arm tube is not close to being parallel to the platter.
Maybe you've answered your own question. If a non-Rega cartridge doesn't perform as well, people who don't think things through like you're doing may just go back to a Rega one, without trying to do a better setup.

Rega also recommends playing LP's without cleaning them. Unless they get a commission for each LP that has to be replaced because it was ruined, that advice makes even less sense.

Roy Gandy recommends what he recommends, for whatever reasons. You can ponder his motivations or you can seek your own answers and learn to optimize your own setup, as Viridian suggested.
Gandy stresses mechanical ridgidity over all else. They feel that Installing a shim or variable VTA adjuster nut compromises the sound and Gandy argues raising the arm up or down a few mm's actually only changes VTA angle by an inconsequential amount. Sometimes it's no bad thing to have the arm a little lower towards the back, see how it sounds to you with no spacer first. From rega's site:
Arm Height or V.T.A adjustment can be a controversial subject. Rega believes that the integrity of the arm fixing onto the arm mounting board is much more important than the questionable facility of arm adjustment: The arm should be reasonably parallel to the record surface or slightly lower at the mounting. The only time a spacer is necessary to raise the arm height is if the rear of a cartridge is hitting the record whilst playing.