Why are modern arms so ugly?

Hi Doug,

That's a very good explanation of our mutual goal. I agree completely with what you wrote, but you left out how you begin the process to get the VTA/SRA approximate before you do the fine tuning by ear. I assume you use a loupe or magnification of some sort and look directly at the stylus/cantilever. Your eyes may be good enough, mine aren't.

My only point, which I guess was not made clearly enough, is this: I can't use my eyes alone and don't have the proper magnification devices so I get an approximate starting point by leveling my arm tube with a measuring device. My cartridge top is presumably flat and my SME fixed headshell is presumed to be flat (or close enough). This I believe gets me to a good starting point.

Perhaps I will invest in a USB microscope and take my table to my computer to start the cartridge set up in the future.

I understand your point and read no bias against the SME arm in your post, though you may secretly harbor such sentiments. The SME V does not have adjustable azimuth and its VTA screw is awkward and not repeatable, for instance ; )

'I'll be back' reminds me of some Austrian with an terrible
German accent. Only in the USA can such a person make a political carrer. Not to mention the former president.
Nandric (Threads | Answers | This Thread)

It's funny that you make a joke about him. There are a ton of Slavic people that live in Austria and Germany. A lot of them also call themselves Austrians, or Germans. He looks more Slavic than anything else. He even seems to think he is. He was even in a movie do to this. He might be one of your distant relatives. [http://www.fortunecity.com/bennyhills/leary/490/redheat.htm]

Peter,

Sorry for spouting theory and forgetting a few straightforward examples.

First I never use a magnifier or loupe for VTA/SRA, at least not any more.

For a ZYX I just make the ridge near the bottom of the cartridge body level. I know from experience that this will get me very close - on any tonearm.

For a Shelter I just make the cartridge body slightly tail down. I know from (less) experience that this will get me close - on any tonearm.

If I'm setting up an Ortofon A90 with Dan and you at Chris's house I waste 45mins trying without success to decipher and follow the instructions about adjusting SRA under magnification. ;) Then I come to my senses, level the cartridge frame by eye (30 seconds) and find that we're so close I can nail the sweet spot by ear on any LP in another 30 seconds. This worked on both the Durand Talea and the Kuzma Airline, easy as pie on both arms.

That last example is how I (should) begin with any unfamiliar cartridge. Fussing with magnifiers to nail SRA certainly works and is technically the most accurate way to start, but since one must fine tune by ear anyway it just isn't worth the time and expense, IME.

It's not that levelling the armtube is bad. It should get you *nearly* as close as levelling the cartridge body. It's just that people with less knowledge and experience than you read these threads and may get the wrong idea about what they're trying to adjust. Whether one's eyes are good enough to see the (obviously smaller) cartridge body vs. the armtube is of course an individual matter.

I think the latest arms look great, do you miss those "S" arms of the past? I had a Grado Reference arm, that was vintage and, that was ugly!

Hi Hifihvn, Yes you are right Schwazenegger is a typical
Slavic name. But regarding the accent you are wrong. All my relatives speak English with the BBC accent, not German accent. And those in Austria and Germany speak hochdeutsch.

Regards,