Tonearm adjustments on the fly

VTA and SRA are not identical but so close as to possibly not be worthy of concern. But, as MC points out on damage control after earlier stating the opposite, they are not the same. 

Again I want an explanation other than "it sounds better" regarding the viability of wood as a medium for tonearms. 

Some of the Micro Seiki arms have 'on-the-fly' adjustments for VTA.  I know, for example, the MA-505 variants have this, as well as the MA-808.  The 'on-the-fly' adjustment is more micro in nature.  You have to get it close first with a macro adjustment, raising or lowering the pivot and pillar, then using the set screws.  After that, it can be tweaked with micro adjustments using a rotating/sliding arm lever that will lock into place.

Personally, I only look at SRA.  I want to see the stylus tilting just forward of vertical - about 92 degrees.  I don't worry about the cantilever's angle, or even the levelness of the tonearm to the platter (except as a starting point).  I know some, more exotic, stylus profiles don't follow the 92 degree rule based on the actual cut, but it's a good general rule.

P.S. @millercarbon, Isn't it 'newbs', as in, short for 'newbies'?  I know 'noobs' is perhaps more phonetically sensible, but...

Right you are. Think we can have rhodes add phonetically sensible to the list?

Thanks for your response on Durand, Mike. I recall reading the Durand website back when their only product was the Talea. This was right around the time that I heard the Talea for the first time. I was particularly taken by Joel’s background in both music and engineering, in part because one of our sons is a UW alum. I guess one can admire a developer with an open mind that stays open; once he decided on a particular wood, he apparently did not close his mind to other possibly better ideas. Back then there were some who disparaged wood per se because of the potential for warping. I didn’t and still don’t agree that warping is an insurmountable problem, if the maker knows what they re doing, and I have liked the Talea, the Reed tonearms, and Schroeder tonearms very much, all with wood arm wands.  And a tonearm is not going to be in an environment that is unstable as to temperature and humidity, which might tend to encourage warping.

atmasphere

... This allows the bearings to be adjusted so there is zero play, something you can't do with a jeweled bearing (lest it crack). So it has the least chatter and sticktion (I made that word up but you know what I mean) ...

Stiction is a real word. (There's no 'k'.) It means just what you think it means.