VTA adjustment for VPI 10.5 tonearm

VTA is not as important as proper VTF. Make the arm horizontal first. I do this by taking an index card, folding it exactly in half so that the blue lines are horizontal. I now have a tent/guage..so that if I get way down to avoid parralax errors, I can make sure the arm is absolutely horizontal. I know it's a pain to continually adjust the 10.5i for VTF, however, suck it up and there will be a magic downward force that will be better than any other. Once you have the best possible sound from VTF (make sure that azimuth is set correctly..if you are unsure ask) then you can fool around with VTA. I found for my cartridge, it should just be very slightly down in the back. Also, experiment with damping. Just use 1 or 2 drops of the oil at a time. The sound will get better and better, and then one more drop, and it gets a bit worse. Use a toothpick or Q-tip and take out that drop. Also, the rim drive should make contact on the silver "land" portion of the platter. Do you have the soft rubber feet for the motor assembly?... Do not use the metal or hard rubber feet.

oops - forgot something on my post above.... For the best sound don't install/use the anti-skate gizmo.

Here I am again....by the way...85, 60,42, means nothing. All those figures are relative to your particular setup. When you spin the dial around 360 degrees you are back to the same number, but with a different VTA.

Powerdoctor..the new VPI feet for the rim drive are very clearly soft. I found this to be very important for the rim drive to operate at its best (I'm sure next week there will be something to make it better).. anyway, the felt under the harder rubber, or metal feet work to some degree, but if you have a rim drive, I advise you to ask VPI for the new soft feet. There is a new "rubber" ring for the rim drive coming soon.

By the way...my point about the VTF setup is this. For each cartridge, there is one "best" VTF. I believe that tracking force is different for every single cartridge. The manufacturer might specify 1.5-2.5 grams, however, within that range, there is one and only one perfect tracking force for that cartridge. A VTF scale is not needed except to be sure that you are in the manufacturer's range, however, experimenting by ear by adding or reducing SLIGHTLY the VTF will reveal that magic spot. There are some arms (VPI et al) that once you get that magic spot, you have to readjust other settings. I can't tell you enough that if you want to know the real magic hidden in those groves, you can find it with this very careful setup.

Hi Sonofjim... I use nothing for anti-skate at all...not even the Twist (Chubby Checker notwithstanding). I know that VPI arms can be a pain to adjust, but if you are inquisitive..just detach your monofilament to detect any difference. If you hear no difference why use it?? Then remove it from the arm, listen carefully, and I think you will hear a cleaner, clearer presentation.