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wlutke

cleeds wrote "You clearly don't understand VTA, which typically should be around 15 degrees, although opinions vary about the best overall compromise."
cleeds, are you talking about the cantilever instead of the cart body?

VTA - vertical tracking angle - is by definition an angle created by the cantilever. See @folkfreak explanation above ^^^^^^, which is correct.

cleeds -
VTA is an angle defined by the stylus and record surface, not the cantilever which can be out of alignment with the stylus - if you want to be specific to the last detail. SRA is the angle of the cantilever to cartridge body and aligns the coils in the magnetic field regardless of stylus alignment on the cantilever.   I think you may be confusing the two.
How you jumped from my reference of a parallel cart as a starting point to an ignorance of VTA is ... beyond vague.

wlutke

cleeds -
VTA is an angle defined by the stylus and record surface, not the cantilever which can be out of alignment with the stylus - if you want to be specific to the last detail. SRA is the angle of the cantilever to cartridge body and aligns the coils in the magnetic field regardless of stylus alignment on the cantilever.   I think you may be confusing the two.

@wlutke, you are free to define words anyway you like. However, if you want people to be able to understand what you're trying to say, it's best to rely on commonly accepted definitions.

VTA - vertical tracking angle - is the angle formed when drawing a line from the stylus tip through the cantilever to its pivot point. It has nothing to do with the record surface except, of course, that's where the tip of the stylus rests. It is not the angle between the stylus and the record surface.

There is a graphic here, which is based on the work of Risch and Maier: http://www.theanalogdept.com/effective_length.htm

SRA - stylus rake angle - is the angle formed between the stylus and the record groove. It is not  the angle of the cantilever to the cartridge body.

The definitive work on this was by Risch and Maier. See Audio magazine, March 1981. Copies of this article are floating around the web.

How you jumped from my reference of a parallel cart as a starting point to an ignorance of VTA is ... beyond vague.

What you wrote was:

Azimuth and VTA "should" be near parallel with the platter.

That clearly shows you don't understand VTA, and now we know you're confused about SRA, too.

OK, I’ve got the diagram, some corrections.
VTA is commonly referred to as the relationship of the stylus to the record - as in 92 degrees. What is actually being set is SRA.
I read that the cantilever to cart body was SRA. Not so, my fault.
VTA as defined - a line from stylus contact area to suspension pivot point, included angle to record surface - seems nonsensical since no-one can measure it. But there it is.
What I wrote about VTA is "Assuming the manufacturers strive for proper VTF and VTA with the cart level, a parallel cart is as good a reference starting point as you’re going to get". That point goes for Azimuth too and has nothing to do with nomenclature.
There’s a difference between nomenclature errors and misunderstanding the relationships involved. Please pardon my prior usage. My understanding is just fine.