VTAF

JoshK · « **on:** 19 Oct 2004, 07:24 pm »

Have you guys seen this product?

VTAF on a'gon

VTA on the fly for $99. Very cool. Not as sexy as Teres' VTA on the fly adj'r but half the price!

mgalusha · « **Reply #1 on:** 19 Oct 2004, 08:43 pm »

I saw these at RMAF and they looked pretty sweet. I grabbed the literature and if I decide to go with a Rega arm I'm going to pick one up.

dogberry · « **Reply #2 on:** 19 Oct 2004, 09:08 pm »

How is it different from this?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=48648&item=5725009100&rd=1

mgalusha · « **Reply #3 on:** 20 Oct 2004, 02:24 am »

I'd say quite a bit as the VTAF allows adjustment on the fly while a record is playing. In addition it has some guides to keep the arm from rotating and probably screwing up your cartridge alignment. Not sure if the bearings on are the centerline of the mount on a Rega arm, if so it probably won't hose up the alignment.

Tonto Yoder · « **Reply #4 on:** 20 Oct 2004, 11:02 am »

I've never seen any on-the-fly adjusters in person, but I just can't imagine fiddling with the base of the tonearm while a stylus is in the groove. Seems like the adjuster would have to be machined so perfectly that the cost would be higher. (And even if the adjuster worked perfectly, fumbling fingers and middle-aged eyesight would intimidate me.)

I've heard of one Goldmund TT that offered REMOTE VTA adjustment, but it was expensive enough to allow for sophisticated engineering (and the remote feature would rule out fumbling fingers/eyesight).

JoshK · « **Reply #5 on:** 20 Oct 2004, 12:53 pm »

I have the other kind of VTA adjuster and it is far from easy or convenient. You would not want to use this kind of VTA adjuster for readjusting between records, just too difficult to deal with.

I think the main advantage of this VTAF is that you can adjust the VTA for different vinyl thickness. My idea for how to use this VTA is to set it up for regular thickness vinyl and once you get it totally dialed in make a mark on the wheel and then on the armboard lined up with the mark on the wheel. This sets your baseline VTA, then take out a 180g LP and adjust it to that and then make a mark on the wheel that lines up with the mark on the armboard. Do the same for 150g vinyl and any other common thickness. Now you would have settings for each thickness of vinyl so adjusting to the appropriate VTA would be as easy as changing the record.

Tonto Yoder · « **Reply #6 on:** 20 Oct 2004, 02:55 pm »

Josh,
my experience mirrors yours somewhat. I have a Rega arm, so I'd like some easy means of adjusting VTA. I had one of the Incognito adjusters, but discovered it would entail tightening/untightening the screw underneath the plinth to make adjustments. My current Nottingham TT has the arm pods that allow VTA adjustment much more easily, but it's still hard to make little micro-adjustments with any finesse.

lcrim · « **Reply #7 on:** 22 Oct 2004, 04:59 pm »

I realize I'm going to sound like you know who but, with the Technics 1200, VTA adjustment is simple and can be done on the fly, albeit very carefully. I usually lift the tonearm and change VTA settings and then drop it to listen for a bit, then lock it off when I'm satisfied.
On my SME arm, VTA adjustment is as medieval as the Rega.
To be frank about it, I've never heard the dramatic differences that are claimed by guys over on the Asylum.