Dear Jbcello, there is no such thing as a best VTA for a given cartridge. As the record companies never actually agreed on a reference cutting angle, there is a wide variation of optimum VTAs on the LPs we play.
Many seasoned collectors of LPs from the late 1950ies to our days do set their VTA according to label.
An example: a fairly modern Opus3 LP will need - say - a VTA which is slightly "bent forward" (tonearm base higher than headshell). If you have mounted your cartridge in a 9" tonearm, you will have to lower the base now by approximately 6 mm (1/4 inch) to meet the correct VTA for an old Mercury SR (and have to take into account that your effective length is now altered and you would have to re-align the tonearm/cartridge as you no longer are on the arc you originally aligned to).
Of course - each stylus sits in its cantilever in a certain angle. But there is no universal fixed reference on the LP to meet, as we face a wide varity of cutting angles.
So - this alignment has to be done by ear only. Its a direct interaction with the cutting angle on your records.
It depends on your records - not on the cartridge.
To fine tune, watch out for voice focus and ambient acoustic details.
Cheers,
Daniel
Many seasoned collectors of LPs from the late 1950ies to our days do set their VTA according to label.
An example: a fairly modern Opus3 LP will need - say - a VTA which is slightly "bent forward" (tonearm base higher than headshell). If you have mounted your cartridge in a 9" tonearm, you will have to lower the base now by approximately 6 mm (1/4 inch) to meet the correct VTA for an old Mercury SR (and have to take into account that your effective length is now altered and you would have to re-align the tonearm/cartridge as you no longer are on the arc you originally aligned to).
Of course - each stylus sits in its cantilever in a certain angle. But there is no universal fixed reference on the LP to meet, as we face a wide varity of cutting angles.
So - this alignment has to be done by ear only. Its a direct interaction with the cutting angle on your records.
It depends on your records - not on the cartridge.
To fine tune, watch out for voice focus and ambient acoustic details.
Cheers,
Daniel