Raising the pivot end of the arm (higher VTA) will thin out the sound (less bass, emphasize the treble) and give it more apparent detail. If you are trying to lessen surface noise, try lowering the arm. Go too far down and the sound becomes lifeless and dull. Even a small change can be quite significant.
If your arm does not have a guage or a dial to make incremental changes and repeatable settings easy, try supporting the arm on something like a stack of cards. That way, you can lower the arm by just removing cards one at a time.
If your arm does not have a guage or a dial to make incremental changes and repeatable settings easy, try supporting the arm on something like a stack of cards. That way, you can lower the arm by just removing cards one at a time.