Stylus Rake Angle

The whole point of this exercise is moot simply because no two pressings are going to be exactly the same thickness. Way too much attention is paid to this VTA/Rake issue IMO.

The answer is to set it by ear (as you have done?) to a ~180 gram pressing and be done with it. Some records will be thinner, increasing rake, and some will be thicker, decreasing rake.

Set it and, please, by all means, forget it!

Listen to some music!

All this precision done on one record, then you play the next, it will be off, even if it's the same record weight...Tonearm mfg'r need to include spirit levels at their pivot to ensure sra consistency from record to record. Graham has got it right.

I got a tip from VDH and a very tweaky audio buddy of mine who was a principal in a speaker group with Linkwitz and set up Pacific Rim shows for Rowland.

As a consequence, I now never (even with two tables: an easily adjustable and measurable air bearing arm and a Triplanar) adjust for the MM or couple for various pressings. However, I was told to forget how weird it looks and really crank that baby up in the air/measurable and not subtle degrees off of horizontal (higher at the back). I was amazed. I lost nothing with the experiment and have to admit that if Mr. VDH gives me that advice for one of his high-dollar Black Beauty carts he made for me, joined by my friend with some of the best ears I've ever known in 36+ years in this hobby: I'll try it.

Try it. The worst that will happen is it will sound like hell and you lose nothing. Of course, lab measurements and instrument calibration and set up would be nice, so I ain't knocking that. Give it a shot and trust your ears.

As a consequence, I now never (even with two tables: an easily adjustable and measurable air bearing arm and a Triplanar) adjust for the MM or couple for various pressings. However, I was told to forget how weird it looks and really crank that baby up in the air/measurable and not subtle degrees off of horizontal (higher at the back).

Could you translate that into plain English?:) Thanks

I can't speak to the Benz cartridge specifically, but the general rule of thumb for adjusting VTA is start with the arm in the horizontal position and go from there. It's worked for every cartridge I've ever used. It is possible that Benz may have some specific quirk in design that requires a different method, but that is something your Benz documentation should make clear.