Azimuth 2020

@cleeds 

"When I stated that azimuth is a completely different angle than VTA and that adjusting one doesn’t alter the other, I should have added "in a properly designed, manufactured and installed pickup arm." I’ll be more careful with that next time. Thank you!"  

No, you are still incorrect if you are talking about a pivoted arm with an offset.

melm

... you are still incorrect if you are talking about a pivoted arm with an offset.

If the pickup arm’s pivot angle is perpendicular to the offset, changing VTA will not alter azimuth. (Disclaimer: that applies only if the arm is properly constructed and installed. If its manufacture or install deviates from "true," then all bets are off.) Why don’t you try it and see for yourself? It’s silly to argue about something that can actually be measured.

You might want to try and find a Wallytractor azimuth tool. You would likely find it quite revealing!! Malewicz understood these things.

This is all pretty basic geometry, folks.

First of all cleeds I am not a him, I am a her. 

It seems there might be a problem with definitions here. 
With any offset arm changing the VTA will ever so slightly change the azimuth. Within a reasonable setting for VTA the change is trivial but it is proper to set VTA before setting the azimuth.  cleeds, you said something about a tonearm being "true." What did you mean by that.

While I am at it I have not properly introduced myself. I am a retired psychologist. My father was an old time TV repair man. He also was an autherized Zenith dealer and repair center. For special customers he would make house calls. I frequently went with him with his big black case full of tubes and parts, the things that frequently broke. It was not long before people had him repairing their Music systems also. A lot of it was Zenith back then, big cabinets full of speakers with the changers mounted under a lid at the top. So I guess this is how I caught the bug.

I was an only child and I think my father really wanted a boy. I willingly took the role, a bit too seriously. By the time I was 13 I had already broken 4 bones, my left clavicle, both wrists and my sternum. Dad called me his loose canon. 

By age 10 with dad's help I was building Eico and Heathkit radios and record players. My first record was Meet the Beatles. Dad liked Jazz. 
It is a continuum from there. I do not have a favorite format. I listen to everything. I love glowing tubes and big hot class A amps. Anything that plays a record is fine by me. We have to keep them pressing records.
Buying FLAC files on line is the new thing and I am contemplating exactly how I'm going to set it up but that is a topic for another thread. 

Greetings and Salutations All,
Looscannon

@cleeds 

"If the pickup arm’s pivot angle is perpendicular to the offset"

What is a pivot angle and how can an angle be perpendicular to anything?  I fear you are in over your head.  Just as well that this matter be dropped.

looscannon

It seems there might be a problem with definitions here.
With any offset arm changing the VTA ...

Good point, and it is quite likely that you are correct. I suspected earlier in the thread that some here did not understand some of these definitions (such as VTA, SRA and azimuth) and so of course that's an obstacle to understanding.

I can't help those who don't understand the geometry of pivoted pickup arms. I can only suggest to them that - as a starting point - they listen to someone such as Wally Malewicz (RIP) explain. There is an introductory video here.

Azimuth can be measured, by the way, so it's silly for this dispute to continue.