Parallel? How do you set the VTA?

A search for "tonearm spirit level" on ebay will likely provide you with what you are looking for. However, keep in mind that more often than not, a level is not level, and the spirit levels I am referring to on ebay have no means for adjustment except for sanding the bottom edge to true it up, whih I have not yet done on the one I recently received. I have been using woodworking brass gauge blocks with good success, although the card trick works as well.

1kitch,

This is precisely what I've been looking for! Thank you very much for this tip.

I always have a business card and credit card, I pull one out and run it vertical, cue down on the inner grooves, look which letter aligns to top of armtube near the headshell, do same at outer grooves, easy way to measure.

The top of the cartridge needs to be parallel to the record surface, not necessarily the tonearm wand.
Fortunately, the top of my cartridge is perpendicular to its' face. I used a small square block of wood (similar to dice) as a square and adjusted the VTA till the front was square to the record surface.

Millenium makes a gridded, transparent acrylic block for this purpose. It's admittedly expensive at $85 but remarkably convenient for establishing what's parallel and perpendicular to the record surface, with more precision than mere eyeballing. I use mine all the time; it's one of my favorite audio tools.

Here's a link: VTA block

I set the headshell parallel to the record using the block, establishing a frame of reference, then adjust by ear. My tonearms all have calibrated VTA adjustment, so standardizing the preferred setting above or below horizontal for each cartridge is pretty easy. If things get out of whack, I can quickly go back to horizontal and readjust by the predetermined amount. Good for azimuth, too.

Stacked business cards, etc., also work but they're seldom perfectly flat.