Raul,
Just kidding about "madness". You're right about organization and discipline. The longer you do this the easier it gets. Record keeping makes it quick and practice makes your ears better. Like Dertonarm we usually adjust without even thinking.
Still, if we listened mostly to rock, R&B or other amplified music I doubt we'd bother. The nano-timing cues that VTA affects matter most for acoustic instruments and very skilled vocalists. Getting a harpsichord or mandolin right is impossible if VTA is off. Getting an electric guitar right, or at least close enough to boogie, is much easier. Alot of rock listeners just rock on, and that's probably best.
***
Axel wrote:
No joke, how on earth can you practice that with a more 'normal' arm I ask?
I'd be up to my eyeballs in wooden spacers and not talking in microns of up/down...
Good question and a true observation.
We first heard the effects of VTA fine tuning while using an OL Silver (Rega clone) with an aftermarket height adjuster. That was worse than SME, since we had to loosen the locking nut underneath the armboard for every adjustment. Micrometer precision was almost impossible, since there was no dial with finely spaced and numbered marks.
Yet we heard the difference when VTA happened to be just right and it began to annoy us when it was off. Thus we discovered one "non-negotiable" requirement for our next tonearm: on-the-fly height adjustment with easy and precise repeatability.
That eliminated pretty much everything but Graham, VPI, TriPlanar plus a few very costly linear trackers. We couldn't afford those, so at least the shopping was easy!
Good night!
