SRA or VTA After Cartridge Breakin


So after 310 hours I am sure my suspension on my cartridge is broken in, so my question is does the SRA or VTA change once the suspension on a cartridge is broken in? If so in which direction, such as is the rear of the the tonearm raised or lowered by this suspension break in?
jsman
Yes it changes but which way you go depends. If it sounds better higher go higher. And vice versa.
Well what I meant was I think I have lost some of the higher frequency's, so in that case I should raise the rear of the tonearm correct?
This is an age old debate. The real question would be, does the suspension "sag" as the cartridge wears. If it does you would raise the rear of the tonearm to correct it. I have never seen this happen in a measurable way. I have seen MC cartridges collapse because the tension wire let go and that is unmistakable. 

This may be another case of lay instinct running away with itself. Complex mechanical devices like automobile engines do break in but cartridges do not even have any bearings just a rubber damper of some sort. In all probability cartridges do not break in they just wear out. There is a good argument that they sound best when new and without any stylus wear.

Sensory adaptation is an important physiologic process   https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3501690/
A lot of what people think is "break in" is really sensory adaptation.


Dear @mijostyn :  Agree to disagree a little. Yes, sensory adaptation is the name of the game on several audio issues like comparison between digital vs analog or SS vs tubes or MM vs LOMC and the like.

Now, a new cartridge has its suspension " virgen " and after some playing hours that suspension settle down a little and that's why we have to make a fine tunning cartridge/tonearm parameters..

I own 4-5 VDH Colibri cartridges and the designer always gives something that where I have first hand experiences and is that after around 300 hour playing the Colibri we send free of charge ( only shipping. ) to VDH for they make a fine tunning overall cartridge and every time I did it and not for that " sensory adaptation " or by the hope that things should be better always the Colibri performs really better and I have a overall bullet proof self tests to corroborate it.

The OP only have to make a chechk up in his cartridge of all the alignment cartridge/tonearm parameters and for the VTA it's only to make tests raising and lowering the tonearm till by his ears he find out what he likes the more and that's all.

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.
Thanks guys for the replies, I am gonna try raising the rear of the arm first today and see where it lands sound wise...

Well what I meant was I think I have lost some of the higher frequency's, so in that case I should raise the rear of the tonearm correct?

Correct. Two very important things to keep in mind. First, and foremost, the closer you get to ideal VTA the more important it is that your adjustments be extremely micro. 1mm is macro. .1mm is moderate. The difference between perfect and close is more like .01mm. So micro adjustments.

The other thing to keep in mind, the raise the arm brighter/lower warmer is a very crude way of looking at it. As you get within that last .1mm there will be almost no difference in tone. Instead you are going for focus and a perfect balance between attack, development, and decay. What you will notice is raising slightly emphasizes attack. You hear the guitar string being plucked, and hear the difference between a finger nail and a pick. Lowering slightly emphasizes development, and you hear the difference between the fundamental note of the string and the resonant body of the guitar. Something like that.
So I checked the VTF and it was more than when I last set it, form 1.445 to 1.484. I reset it and then raised the rear of the arm and found what I was looking for, reset the VTF done for now...

Millercarbon, that is a brilliant description. I am going to go play with VTA adjustments right now!