Unless you can make adjustments from your listening position Vernier adjustments are not a good thing. A tonearm has to be fixed rigidly to the same structure as the platter. This helps drain vibrational energy away from the arm. It also assures the proper orientation of the stylus to the groove as long as you still have the eyesight to set it. Those nasty grub screws have a purpose. Spurious structures also tend to resonate. The most important asset are appropriate scales so you can return to your settings instantly. For most of us tonearms are set it and forget it devices. The more you fiddle with your arm the more likely you are to break something by mistake. I know somebody whose shirt sleeve just got caught under the arm reaching for an adjustment. He ripped the cantilever off. Those of us with workshops know you never work on anything with long sleeve shirts on. Usually it is just you that get hurt. Let's see, what's worse, getting sucked into your 15" jointer or ripping off your cantilever?
Right on Clearthinker, except I doubt anyone can hear the difference between record thicknesses. The actual VTA used to cut records is not constant but can vary a few degrees. I think this is just an example of audiophile nervosa.
A nice test. Turn the volume down and put your ear down by the record. Ladies make sure your hair is tied back, same for guys with long hair.
Listen to your arm tracking the record. Ideally you should here nothing. What you do hear is vibrational energy that is leaving the system and reflecting back on the stylus. If you can hear it so can't the stylus! The quieter it is the better your set up.
Right on Clearthinker, except I doubt anyone can hear the difference between record thicknesses. The actual VTA used to cut records is not constant but can vary a few degrees. I think this is just an example of audiophile nervosa.
A nice test. Turn the volume down and put your ear down by the record. Ladies make sure your hair is tied back, same for guys with long hair.
Listen to your arm tracking the record. Ideally you should here nothing. What you do hear is vibrational energy that is leaving the system and reflecting back on the stylus. If you can hear it so can't the stylus! The quieter it is the better your set up.