What tonearms would you like to listen to or read about?

[Dre_J]

This time it's tonearms...

Keeping with the approach I used to start a cartridge and phonostage discussion:

What tonearms available today have piqued your interests and you would like to listen to or read more about?




Dre

[Rob]

the Schröder that thrax and Peter Ledermann are building independant of each other...still thinking....bear with me, i'm on my 4th glass of vino

[Dre_J]

Talked to Frank (and listened with him) about the CB in the past. Interesting arm.

[Rob]

this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4xiZDia4D0

that accent takes me right to Bruno (aka Sacha baron Cohen )

[Dre_J]

I should (could) have ...

[Guest]

This might not be a fair question, but a list of the top 10 'arms, (in your opinion) would be v. interesting.

[Dre_J]

Hmm, sounds like a new thread topic.

[ashandger]

Vertere Referece

[Quint]

I'd like to hear that SAT arm one day, but I don't run with anyone likely to spend 30k on a tonearm, so maybe I'll only be able to hear it at a show.

[Per Sundell]

Triplanars are interesting. Notts Anna 12". Simon Yorke. Durand Kairos.

[dan31]

The Durand Kairos was a contender when I was looking for a new table/arm. I would like to read a review from Dre.

[jonathanb]

I'd love to see a comparison of the Thales Simplicity II arm with the new KL Audio pivoting tangential arm(s).

[MylesBAstor]

Because I am a glutton for punishment: Bergmann Magne air bearing

A little more traditional: the new DaVinci Virtu arm.

I've had the SAT and suggest/hope all vinyl lovers get a chance to hear the arm. It goes a long way towards showing the issue with analog is not so much the medium as the playback.

[JCOConnell]

Since my current arm exceeds the capability of my table and cart, I'm not really interested. I'll wait till you post a thread on tables to get specific.

[Dre_J]

That is not my experience with the Aries and 2.2 'arm. I've replaced the 2.2 with Phantoms on the Aries and it was a significant improvement in solidity and just about everything else.

[JCOConnell]

that's interesting, I didn't think my table was good enough to warrant an upgrade in arm. From what I have learned, the most important component is the table, then the arm, then the cart.

[Billy Shears]

Vertere Referece

+1
Consider yourself awesome if you can follow his technical description of the tonearm ;-)

As for reading a Review about the new 30K super arms, I would like to know how much better they are then, for instance a Kuzma 4point

[Rob]

I can follow along just fine when you consider the design tradeoffs and lengths he went through you have to ask yourself why not chuck it all in for a linear tracker? (I use and enjoy both types of arms, btw) I'm an admirer of Touraj's designs having owned/used a number of pieces from his Roksan days, they were deceptively simply and always musical.

[PeterA]

I would be very interested in reading about the SME V-12 and specifically how it differs from the vintage 3012R arms. I own the V-12 on a Model 30/12 but I have not read a review of the arm isolated on different tables and in comparison to other arms. I did do a direct comparison between the V-12 and the standard SME V. I prefer the V-12.

I would also like to read more about the Durand arms. I've really only read the stuff that MikeL writes about his own system.

[Dre_J]

Have you considered contacting David (if he has one available) to look into the possibility of getting one of the 3012R 'arms and comparing this yourself?

It seems to be a specific interest for you that could best be served by trying in your own system since you already have everything except the 3012R.

I would suggest this route would more fully satisfy your curiosity if you are really interested in replacing/augmenting your V-12 with the 3012R.

[PeterA]

Thanks Dre_J. I have had a few exchanges with David on this very matter. Unfortunately, my Model 30/12 can not accommodate the 3012R arm. The counterweight would get caught up in the suspension tower. That is precisely why I would like to read about a direct comparison of these two arms on the same non-SME turntable. I think David has only heard the 9" SME V, and not the V-12. I don't know under what circumstances he evaluated the SME V or if he directly compared it to a 3012R on the same turntable. Someone once told me that the 9" V and 12" V-12 are completely different designs, but I owned both and directly compared them. To my eyes, one is just 3" longer than the other. They sound very different, though. I have never heard a 3012R.

[Dre_J]

So this is more of an academic exercise in curiosity rather than looking for a possible replacement since the 3012R won't fit on your SME 'table. I understand now.

[PeterA]

That's correct, Dre. You asked about tonearms that we would like to listen to or read about. I guess you could say I would like to listen to the 3012R in a familiar system, not my own, because I can't. I would like to read about my V-12 arm because there are few reviews, but I listen to it daily. And I would like to read about a direct comparison of the two arms from someone who has listened to them both in the same system, I suppose as an academic exercise in case I ever replace my turntable, or just to know how the SME sound of their 12" has evolved. I enjoy reading about and listening to tonearms in general, in part because of their mechanical nature.

[Dre_J]

I understand what you were saying. Initially, I had thought you were interested in adding the arm to your current setup. That was the reason for my more thorough evaluation suggestion. After you mentioned it would not fit you current 'table, I realized it was more for reading about the arm in general like most of the responses. I think we are on the same page now.

[Ki Choi]

In continuation of possibility of reviewing SME 3012R tonearm, I would also like to know how it compares to other state-of-art tonearms. I've been drinking ddK Koolaid for a while and have been happy with the way ~$2K 3012Rs perform at relatively low cost compared to other $10K+ tonearms (although I haven't really had the pleasure of installing other mega bucks tonearms on my turntables).