Stylus Rake Angle

I can't speak to the Benz cartridge specifically, but the general rule of thumb for adjusting VTA is start with the arm in the horizontal position and go from there. It's worked for every cartridge I've ever used. It is possible that Benz may have some specific quirk in design that requires a different method, but that is something your Benz documentation should make clear.

Sorry to slightly hijack this thread. My problem is that I cannot reliably move my Dino microscope to where I need to in order to take a photo. I use a carbon fiber tripod and adjustable metal arm (Photek The eXtender, 38" Telescopic Horizontal Tripod Arm with Ball Head). To the Photek I attach the steel cylinder also supplied by Dino. All this equipment is steady and precise. The problem comes now with the flexing plastic cradle that comes with the Dino which I use to mount to the steel cylinder. Despite hours of trying to adjust I cannot get a clear or properly positioned shot. I wish there was a metal cradle available.

In general, starting with the arm perfectly horzontal, then adjusting it up and down while listening is the way to go.

My problem is that I cannot reliably move my Dino microscope to where I need to in order to take a photo. ... Despite hours of trying to adjust I cannot get a clear or properly positioned shot.

Actually, your problem is that you (and the OP, and Fremer, and others) are wasting hours on a pointless exercise when you could be listening to music.

The number of angels that can dance on the point of a stylus is of greater musical significance than figuring out how to precisely dial in 92 degrees (or any other number) of SRA. That is an utter waste of time and resources. As others have pointed out, 92 degrees may or may not be correct for any particular record. Even if you achieve it you'll have to fine tune by ear, since the cutting stylus may or may not have been set at 92 degrees. There was never any standard for SRA. 92 degrees is just somebody's ballpark average guess, so futzing endlessly to achieve it is nonsensical.

Further, even if you did achieve 92 degrees for one record *and* it turned out to be perfect for that record, it will certainly be incorrect for every other record. You'll have to fine tune again, so why did you waste so much time dialling in that arbitrary number?

Set your cartridge body or tonearm parallel by eye. This should take about 15 seconds. Adjust from there while listening, but only to the extent your ears tell you is necessary. This should take the rest of your life and will be far more satisfying. You may even get to dance with some of those angels, which would be heaven compared to the hell you're putting yourselves through to no earthly purpose.

Harry and Peter got it right.

Doug Deacon (as always) offers great advice.

I would allow that some people are more comfortable with measurements, and if that makes you happy and improves your listening experience; then by all means go for it. Please note the the paper cited by Mikey indicates that the optimal SRA lies within a range of ~4 degrees with 92 degrees representating the approximate mid point of the range.

Since the cartridge in question is my stereo reference, I'd add my agreement that the cantilever/tip are difficult to visualize and that effort spent trying to achieve a precise 92 degree SRA is likely futile. You can achieve great results with this cartridge by dialing it in by ear. On my Telos tonearm, the tail of the arm is up a bit from horizonatal and the VTF is best at 1.93-1.94 gm. Attention to azimuth will yield great sonic benefits.

I find it useful to keep a log while dialing in a cartridge setup, changing only one parameter at a time. Also remember that you will need to go past 'optimal' (i.e. until the sound degrades) to confirm best set up.

I try and find the best compromise for VTA/SRA and do not adjust with every record. I also recheck my set up at the end of each month.

Hope this helps.