Is VTA and SRA the same thing?

Yeah Ledermann covers it all. He somehow manages the seemingly impossible feat of being even more long winded than me. He on the other hand is infinitely more interesting. And experienced.

millercarbon

VTA generally refers to the angle of the tone arm, although technically it is the angle of the cantilever.

Nope, you’re wrong again. Let @melm explain:

... VTA is the angle made by the stylus tip to the cantilever attachment to the cartridge. It is a bit different than the angle of the cantilever itself.

Millercarbon your claim here is also false:

if you raise the arm to increase VTA by 1 degree then yes SRA will also change by 1 degree.

To be fair to you, it will be very, very close to a 1 degree change. But it won’t be exactly 1 degree and that you don’t understand that shows you’re as confused now as when you stated earlier that VTA and SRA are the same thing.

Hey millercarbon, don’t you think it’s time you get your facts straight about LP geometry? I made it easy for you by linking to the definitive work on VTA/SRA by Risch & Meier published in Audio magazine.

And when you’re done with that, please do some research on HTA. It’s one of the most critical aspects of phono cartridge alignment, yet it seems to have completely escaped your attention.

Dear @cleeds : Excellent link ! !, good.

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.

SRA is the actual objective. VTA only a method of getting close to proper SRA (lets say 92 degrees, like the angle of the cutter when making the master).

It is a whole lot easier to see the cantilever shaft than seeing the stylus tip, thus VTA of the cantilever is the method of getting close to SRA.

Then you listen, you refine by ear, actually refining SRA. it ain't easy.

Start with cartridge maker's recommended VTA of the cantilever, 15 degrees being common. The end of the cantilever might be bent by design (or see example 3 below), the stylus tip is fixed onto the cantilever at a different angle, to result in achieved 92 degrees.

The tracking force you use will put more or less force on the suspension of the cantilever, (i.e. rubber the cantilever shaft passes thru into the cartridge body, and that will change the VTA, so you need to set tracking force first, and double/triple check your VTA. Change tracking force: check/reset VTA.

Note:  suspension could be aged, weak, brittle, .... view the cantilever shaft, not the cartridge body, not the arm.

Three examples:

1. Shure V15 series of cartridges are named for their design of 15 degree VTA.

When new, if manufactured and assembled perfectly, set tracking force, adjust arm height: IF you get the more easily seen cantilever at 15 degrees, then, by manufacturing intent, the stylus tip will be at 92 degrees to the record surface. You are unable to see the stylus tip, but presumably SRA is 92 degrees or close. 

2. This Ortofon, VTA 23 degrees yields SRA +/- 90 degrees, then listen/adjust

https://www.ortofon.com/hifi/products/hifi-cartridges/mc-a95/set-up/

3. My Friends Grace, Bent Cantilever (low rider)

His cantilever is damaged, the shaft is bent, the 'low rider' condition, the bottom of the cartridge barely clears the record surface. Factory VTA no longer valid.

It sounded bad, he called me. I came over, saw the bent shaft, stylus not user replaceable. So, until dealt with, what can be done? Checked TT level/spindle/pivot/overhang, all good. Azimuth also good.

a. reduce tracking force to very near minimum, to increase the space between cartridge body and lp surface a squeak. 

b. Raised back of arm, increased SRA as much as I could without the front of the cartridge touching the record surface. It's not ideal, best I could achieve, no listening refinement possible, as SRA is a squeak less than 90 degrees.

c. Listen. Much better, even though the shaft is bent, it still responds to groove modulations, it is amazing how good a damaged cantilever can perform IF the Azimuth and SRA are good.

Meanwhile, we found someone in NJ who can fix the Grace Cartridge, off it will go soon.

There is so much incorrect info here, and now on the setting of correct SRA that I hope I will be forgiven for repeating an old post on the subject:

Here is my $.02 keeping in mind that success will depend on stylus shape and the quality of associated components. And some experience listening.

Keep in mind that VTA setting should NOT be a tone control. There is one correct setting for a disk. But with a disk you should be close enough not to change for each disk unless you are particularly obsessive. Many of us are. Setting vta (really, sra) is like aligning the reading head on a tape machine. There should be one correct setting. It's not really an opinion issue. But it's also not very easy for most of us.

All best done by ear. Even with expensive microscopes, last setting is by ear. Save your money.

Find a recording that people say is good for hearing the differences when you adjust SRA. Do a search here and elsewhere; there are lots of suggestions out there.*  If you can't find one, take a record of a female singer and listen to it over and over 'till you know it very well. I have used Joni Mitchell's "Blue." Make sure it's something you like 'cause you'll be listening to it a lot.

Set your tone arm to level and listen to the recording a few times. Level is only a beginning point. It is rare for absolutely level to be the end point with a sophisticated stylus shape and components.

Read all you can about your cartridge and see if reviewers or users have a consensus suggesting tail up or down.  Change the angle in that direction a very small amount and listen to the whole record. You are listening for the voice and instruments to "pop" making them more 3 dimensional. It's quite subtle, but it's there with the a stylus having a clear rake. Do that again and again in very small increments. If you do not hear improvement soon go back and stay at level.

If your reading does not come up with a tail up or down consensus. You may have to try this in both directions.

If you do not hear this kind of improvement, go back and stay at level. Go on to adjust azimuth which many (including Peter Ledermann) consider the most important adjustment.

* Flying Fish HDS 701, "Sauerkraut and Solar Energy" is a popular suggestion, though one listens for other things using this disk--the bass fiddle. And great record besides. If you do get this record, there's a lot of posts on how to use it.