[watercourse]

Suggested reading.... http://www.vinylengine.com/turntable_forum/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=53152

Interestingly the complex behaviour of the shibata tip is discussed - the contact patch of the shibata is not strictly linear, it has a slight curve....

I have never seen a decent comprehensible summary of shibata behaviour with SRA/VTA...

I am uncertain whether that curve is an advantage or an achilles heel, it may be the main reason why designers went down the path of more sophisticated and more linear profiles...

David, VE is currently undergoing server maintenance, so the link doesn't work right now. What's the title of the thread?

[dlaloum]

More than one tracking angle - audio march 1981

[jimdgoulding]

Wayner's last post didn't strike me as disrespectful.  Fremer is the most published reviewer on the subject, but I doubt he would claim to be smarter than anyone else, particularly when the end result is mostly measured subjectively by the individual listener.  Am I off base with that?  92 degrees is his best recommendation.  Maybe he has made measurements, dunno, but SRA is gonna change anyway depending on the thickness of the record.  In my experiments, with my cartridge, 90 or 91 seemed to yield more beauty.  I'll be experimenting some more around mid week with my two epiliptical MC carts and I'll try 92 degrees, again, as best I can see the difference.  Then, I'll listen and evaluate more.

[Quiet Earth]

+1 Jim. Read the reviews, the info, etc., and then try it for yourself and make up your own mind. Don't take it too seriously. Enjoy! 

Neo,
I liked your comment about parallax error, but I didn't understand why you think Roy Gandy is deaf. He has probably done more good for the vinyl induststry than many others. Did I miss something? Maybe it's an inside joke.

[neobop]

+1 Jim. Read the reviews, the info, etc., and then try it for yourself and make up your own mind. Don't take it too seriously. Enjoy! 

Neo,
I liked your comment about parallax error, but I didn't understand why you think Roy Gandy is deaf. He has probably done more good for the vinyl induststry than many others. Did I miss something? Maybe it's an inside joke.

IMO Gandy's "contribution" is a two edged sword.  There's a whole cottage industry built around upgrading Rega tonearms. 
Why do they have no provision for arm height adjustment, other than shims under the base? 
Why are they wired incorrectly without a proper ground wire?
We're talking about the basics, not some part like upgrading the stub or the counterweight to one that's underslung.

The answer to the second question: There's no excuse for improper wiring when it would cost little or nothing more to do it right in the first place.

As to the first: It's well documented that Gandy thinks arm height makes little or no difference, hence the shims.  I can't think of a more inconvenient way to adjust VTA/SRA.  The comment that he's deaf doesn't mean that he literally can't hear.  It's an expression describing someone who can't hear an obvious difference. 
neo

[watercourse]

Completely agree w Neo re: Gandy, VTA, and stock Rega arm issues. I think he is making products for a certain segment of the turntable-buying population, and so his products are self-limiting in terms of completely satisfying a larger audience.

As a former Rega owner, you can't keep any of his models stock without either 1) convincing yourself that Gandy is right or mostly right, or 2) experimenting for yourself and finding out he is wrong, and going down the mod route (not saying this is a bad way to go).

Sure, Gandy thinks you can adjust VTF and achieve similar results to VTA adjustment. But if you buy into this, are you really the rigorous type that can endure the numerous observations and trials necessary to make up your mind for yourself? On the other hand, you will quickly see the limitations of Rega's VTF and bias system if you attempt to adjust for VTA in this manner. You'll need other tools to get the job done right.

And so it goes for the wiring, VTA, plinth damping and isolation, bearings, subplatters, platters, and mats. Not to mention carts. But you can achieve better results modding than staying with stock Rega tables.

Anyhow, back to the subject: I think using your ears is best too, all other tools help you rough-in to the final settings. Again, being a more set and forget type, I aim for a good average VTA and just suffer with the reduced SQ of the outliers.

[Quiet Earth]

It's well documented that Gandy thinks arm height makes little or no difference, hence the shims.

Ok, that makes sense. Thanks for the answer. I honestly didn't know that. I don't own any Rega products, or know much about the company either. 

I do know that they bring a lot of people into the hobby, which is a good thing IMO. I own an arm which is based on one of the older Regas, but it has VTA/SRA adjustment capability and correct wiring.  It's very easy to adjust the VTA, and yes, it makes a difference.

Anyway, thanks for the clarification guys.