VTA and rotten eyesight on the cheap...

[McIntosh]

My near vision sucks. I have tried a bunch of stuff to set VTA and never felt comfy with it.

Went to the computer, opened a new Word doc, set the page to landscape, and held down the '=' sign.

Folded it with a ruler lined up along the lines (and my glasses :D ) into a tall pyramid (or upside down cone), with the base of the pyramid about an inch and a half wide.

Slapped on a old album, set the needle down about halfway into the album and put the "pyramid" behind and along the tonearm.

Man, what a visual aid. Creates a great starting point for me. Turns out what I thought was level was way off.

A piece of paper and a bunch of
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The double line really helps with the visual.

Just thought if there were any other geezers out there who's arms aren't long enough for reading anymore....

[Vinyl-Addict]

3 x 5 cards work as well. Of course that's assuming the armtube isn't tapered.

[LeeS]

Very interesting...may try this soon. I've just been using eyesight.

[Ski Bum]

McIntosh, that's a clever idea for finding a starting position. But remember -- you still have to listen to adjust the position to get the best sound.

[McIntosh]

you still have to listen to adjust the position to get the best sound.

Yeah I know, but it is a great place to start !

[chosenhandle]

I use a small depth gauge. It allows me to easily measure the height from the LP to armtube anywhere along the length of the tonearm. I pretty much know what the value from front to back needs to be. I dial it in further by listening.