rega 3 vta

rob

rob

SCHMOOOOKIN
Joined
Aug 21, 2003
Messages
640
Reaction score
0
Location
cardiff.
if im not mistaken the vta is the angle of the cartridge as it rests on the record being adjusted by raising or lowering the arm from its base. the question is, when i bought my rega it had a rega cartridge on there , although one of the cheaper ones i would expect the vta to be correct. i read somewhere that the top of the rb300 had to be perfectly horizontal with the record it was resting on. it wasent.and that made me dubious about the information i was given. i dident mind cos it wasent out by very much. ive since put an audiotechnica (cheep) cartridge as the regas stylus wes buggered and now the angle of the arm is sloping a lot more than it did before. so do i need a vta adjuster and if so how do i know when ive got it right? should the top of the arm and the record be parallel. i know its up to how it sounds whilst adjusting as opposed to any calculated guess and there will be variants with different cartridges ( i think the standard is 17 mm high) but what do i aim for as a guide?


cheers,


Rob,
 
Originally posted by bottleneck
you're going to get some real experts along in a minute Rob. There's them that knows more than I knows!

One good place to start is in the vinyl special edition of hifi world - I think it is this month or last month.. you might have to get a back issue.

Its got a guide to the basics bit in it. I might even give you my copy if Im feeling nice. Hifi+ did a review of phono stages recently too, which Im going to badger you about till you try one! ;)

Okay,, anyway, the arm should be parallel to the surface of the record.

If it is, then when you screw the cartridge onto the flat and level headshell, that will be parallel too. Given you've got a rega, theres no chance the headshell will be misaligned, as its all one big casting.

Have you got some scales to make sure the weight on the back of the arm is set correctly? thats very important too (tracking weight). ..

Do you know your cartridges reccomended tracking weight? Try their website if no.

Theres another 2 little tests to go, but I'll let someone else have a go.

Cheers
Chris
Click to expand...
 
Hi Rob

OriginLive have a fair amount of info on Rega arms and setup --

http://www.tonearm.co.uk/tonearm-information.htm

i think youll probably find the info you need there.
If the arm slopes down from the cart end to the wieght end then you need to use a VTA adjuster to bring the arm mount point up, conversly if the arm slopes down from the wieght to the cart then the arm needs to be lowered. Lowering the arm can be achieved by puting a shim between the cart and headshell, effectivly makeing the cart height greater and so leveling the arm. The top surface of the arm should be roughly parallel with the record surface

hth
 
thanx guys
looks like i need a vta adjuster.

any one ever tried washers to lift the arm up?

im actually thinking rubber washers as a form of extra isolation.
 
Hi Rob,

.I have used lots of different AT's on the Rega arms including the 95e and 110,and they are only slightly deeper than the Rega cartridges.
I find the best results are with the arm sloping downwards towards the pillar by roughly 3-5mm.
If you do need to jack the arm up then the only way to do it is use the proper stainless steel washer's from Rega.

Cheers,
Paul.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
looking at it it is sloping towords the base by about 3-5 mm. the head shell looks to be almost parallel.i suppose the only way to be sure is to use a threaded vta and adjust slightly, listen and so on until it sounds right.
bugger.
just looked at the prices and 29 squids is about the cheapest.
does it ever end..........
 

Latest posts

Back
Top