Any of you experiment with optimal VTA for Benz Micro Cartridges

@prof  That looks like a very nice phono stage to go with a killer turntable and cart!  The other guys nailed it on what you should look for/do.  Congrats either way!

Thanks for the optimistic comments, audiom3.  Makes me excited to finally listen to my turntable...sometime soon once I've re-done my rack to accommodate it.

For years, playing vinyl now and then, I've used an older micro seiki dd-40 turntable given to me by my father-in-law.  It sounded great.  But the turntable and cartridge were both around 37 years old or so, and since I was finding myself more heavily into vinyl I figured time to upgrade to a modern table.  It was only when I researched selling my Micro Seiki that I discovered it was such a venerated old table.  But I had already committed to buying my new one.  Plus I wanted to upgrade from my cheap, very old Rotel phono stage a pal had given me decades ago.

I am loving buying lots of vinyl again (aside from my bank account)  but at the same time I didn't want to make the turntable part of my system in to a new hobby itself.  I didn't want to buy low, and then wonder what I could get if I spent more, and go through the upgrading turntable, cartridges, etc.  I was willing to throw the top amount of money I'd be willing to spend on a turntable at the issue the first time and be done with it.

I was first focused on the VPI Prime Signature Rosewood turntable.  I'm an absolute sucker for audio jewlery aesthetics and that table is a beauty.

But then a friend pointed me to the Transrotor Fat Bob being sold locally - quite a rare item to come for sale, especially nearby, no shipping involved.   It was an as-new item, barely used, came with 12" Transrotor arm, additional external motor control (usually extra) AND the over $3,000 Micro Benz cartridge thrown in.  That's a value of around $15,000 CDN and I could get all that for even less than I'd pay for the VPI new, and the VPI wouldn't even come with a cartridge!  That was a deal I couldn't pass up.  So, hear I am, excited to hear the new beastie in my home.  I'm sure I'll enjoy the sound and knowing I got as much (more actually) turntable as I'd ever want to throw money at, I'll not be second guessing and wanting to upgrade.  I'm done.

(Unless for some reason the sound sucks...)

I have always liked the sound of the benz cartridges with a little negative VTA

tzh21y

I have always liked the sound of the benz cartridges with a little negative VTA

There is no such thing as "negative VTA." VTA is typically in the range of 15 to 20 degrees. Please see this graphic for a clear depiction of VTA.

What I meant is the tonearm is not parallel but is lower towards the counterweight