DaVinci tonearm and azymuth

Most arms are designed to dissipate and/or transfer vibrational energy so that little is reflected back to the cartridge. The first step in that transfer is the interface between the cartridge and the headshell. Spacers would probably reduce the effectiveness of that transfer. So, once again we are talking about tradeoffs if shims or other spacers are used for azimuth correction.

Istanbulu,

Your link to the Mint site raises another consideration -- whether azimuth should be set to optimize electrical performance or to physically align the stylus perpendicular to the record surface. Imperfections built into the alignment of the stylus with the generating element of the cartridge may mean that both cannot be optimized at one setting.

I personally align my cartridge optically, as per the Mint site because I am more concerned with minimizing wear/damage to the stylus and to my records than getting the last iota of performance out of a cartridge. I use a pair of high quality magnifying glasses for that purpose.