Choosing a Tonearm—How?

[ACHiPo]

Hi,
I have started looking for another tonearm.  My question is how to choose?  I’m leaning toward a Triplanar or Glanz, but a SME 3012R or FR vintage tonearm is also interesting. I’ve always lusted for a Kuzma 4 point as well.  How to decide?

[Adelmo]

Hi,

first I would consider which cart I shall use with it in order to have a good resonance match.If I am not wrong Glanz is for low compliance cart and the look is a bit similar to a Jelco SA 750 L. Price for the detachable shell over 400 Euro!.
Are u looking to swat frequently cart or not. If yes the removal Head Shell is a leading point, but not possible for this SME and Kuzma as well.
Effective length also, shall u stick to a 9 Inch or something different?
What goals are you planning to achieve with this new TA and what is the present TA and TT u are using now?
Do you have any space/distance limitation in your TT or not?
Shall it replace the present TA or just add one more to your TT?
In which TT shall be installed this new TA?
Budget also is important.
Look should also match the TT where shall be installed I think.

Good luck for the purchase.

Best regards

Adelmo

[stevieg]

Don't forget that you will be handling the tonearm. You should look for an arm that is easy and pleasant to use for you. SQ is obviously important but as long as the arm is not seriously flawed  it is a matter of presentation.
Cheers Steve

[tomatamot]

Hi,
I have started looking for another tonearm.  My question is how to choose?  I’m leaning toward a Triplanar or Glanz, but a SME 3012R or FR vintage tonearm is also interesting. I’ve always lusted for a Kuzma 4 point as well.  How to decide?

Well let Fremer decide it for you:

https://www.stereophile.com/content/kuzma-4point-tonearm

[tomatamot]

I have heard and seen this one at a member at his home:

http://www.vivaudiolab.com/Rigid_Float.html

[SUPATRAC]

I’ve always lusted for a Kuzma 4 point as well.  How to decide?

I used to lust after a Kuzma 4point. Cured.

[Tomcat1969]

I used to lust after a Kuzma 4point. Cured.

Funny, I was just thinking about that Richard.

[wer]

I have heard and seen this one at a member at his home:

http://www.vivaudiolab.com/Rigid_Float.html

Sorry Hans, but i would not buy a straight tonearm. They say

"You may ask “What about trucking error?” , and the answer is, “The trucking error is a little bigger, but the sound is much better.” You can hear no distortion even with 7” model."

Assuming they mean tracking error, it is not a little bigger, but a fair bit bigger. Maybe Anthony has the distortion figures for the 7" arm - they may not be audible to them, but surely they ae significant and measurable.

[tomatamot]

Werner, ask Jean-Lo he is the one with these arm on his Gerrard 301.

[SUPATRAC]

The geometry of straight and s-shaped or curved arms is the same. The only difference is that the straight arm weighs less given an otherwise equal construction because it contains less material. A straight line is the shortest distance between any two points.

Straight arms are more rigid for any given weight. This is the principle reason why I made my arm straight - I wanted it to be compatible with the widest range of cartridges including those with very high compliance. You can easily add weight for the sake of stiffer cartridge suspensions. What's hard is taking it away. Straight arms are just better engineered.

While the tracing error of a 7" arm is worse than a 9" arm, it is a small discrepancy, and the rigidity is higher and the inertia is lower for a given construction cross-section. A 7" arm which weighs the same as a 12" arm can be much stiffer. Or it can weigh less for the benefit of high compliance cartridges. What you lose on the strings you make up on the roundabouts.

This said, I have supplied arms from 9" to 13". Compatibility with common geometries and arm-boards is valuable.

[wenig watt]

The Rigid Float has no offset.The distortions from this are considerably higher. The distortions from this are considerably higher. Nevertheless, some people are very enthusiastic about the sound. I have tried a few things with and without offset and have not come to a clear better/worse result. The differences in sound with vinyl tracking are great. Pickup, tonearm, turntable...
The Kuszma is impressive, but probably doesn't sound better than a Blackbird. But it costs many times more.

Best regards

Arndt

[ACHiPo]

Hi,

first I would consider which cart I shall use with it in order to have a good resonance match.If I am not wrong Glanz is for low compliance cart and the look is a bit similar to a Jelco SA 750 L. Price for the detachable shell over 400 Euro!.
Are u looking to swat frequently cart or not. If yes the removal Head Shell is a leading point, but not possible for this SME and Kuzma as well.
Effective length also, shall u stick to a 9 Inch or something different?
What goals are you planning to achieve with this new TA and what is the present TA and TT u are using now?
Do you have any space/distance limitation in your TT or not?
Shall it replace the present TA or just add one more to your TT?
In which TT shall be installed this new TA?
Budget also is important.
Look should also match the TT where shall be installed I think.

Good luck for the purchase.

Best regards

Adelmo

@Adelmo this is a great list!  Thanks!

I don’t plan to swap cartridges often/much—this will be a third arm to complement a Pioneer PA70 high mass arm with a Miyajima Zero mono cartridge, a Trans-Fi Terminator with a Soundsmith Hyperion.  I will try the Hyperion on the new arm as hopefully it will be a step up from the already amazing Terminator. Other cartridges in my stable include a London Reference, Lyra Delos, Lyra Kleos, Fidelity Research FR6E, Shure V15 with Jico SAS, and a few other decent MM carts.  I expect my primary daily carts to be the Hyperion and Reference and Zero.

I favor longer arms, so 12” - 14”.

All three tonearms will be installed on a new-to-me Technics SP10R mounted in a Acoustistand plinth with 3 arm boards.


People I trust swear by Kuzma, Glanz, and Triplanar, with the nod going to Triplanar as the closest to the source based on playing back records recorded and mastered by the same person.  It also got good marks for ease of set up.  Of course the SME 3012R has a loyal following and is said to present the most natural sound, again by people with ears I trust.

[ACHiPo]

I have heard and seen this one at a member at his home:

http://www.vivaudiolab.com/Rigid_Float.html

I saw that model listed for sale with raves that it was better than all kinds of top tonearms.  I didn’t give it much credence because it was an ad, but as it was designed for a Tech Force it much be pretty good.  I also lean toward gimble mounts rather than unipivot, although I had a WTT Reference that was an amazing deck.

What was your experience with the rigid float?  I see Werner’s concern and must say I tend to agree on first look it seems like geometry distortion would be a problem

[ACHiPo]

I used to lust after a Kuzma 4point. Cured.

And???  Any regrets?  What was your decision process?  9” or 14”?

[Adelmo]

@Adelmo this is a great list!  Thanks!

I don’t plan to swap cartridges often/much—this will be a third arm to complement a Pioneer PA70 high mass arm with a Miyajima Zero mono cartridge, a Trans-Fi Terminator with a Soundsmith Hyperion.  I will try the Hyperion on the new arm as hopefully it will be a step up from the already amazing Terminator. Other cartridges in my stable include a London Reference, Lyra Delos, Lyra Kleos, Fidelity Research FR6E, Shure V15 with Jico SAS, and a few other decent MM carts.  I expect my primary daily carts to be the Hyperion and Reference and Zero.

I favor longer arms, so 12” - 14”.

All three tonearms will be installed on a new-to-me Technics SP10R mounted in a Acoustistand plinth with 3 arm boards.


People I trust swear by Kuzma, Glanz, and Triplanar, with the nod going to Triplanar as the closest to the source based on playing back records recorded and mastered by the same person.  It also got good marks for ease of set up.  Of course the SME 3012R has a loyal following and is said to present the most natural sound, again by people with ears I trust.

Hi,
https://www.stereophile.com/content/analog-corner-273-soundsmith-hyperion-phono-cartridge-audioquest-ac-power-products




Other review : For this review I used the Nottingham Analogue Dais turntable, fited with a Jelco SA 750 EB 10 inch tonearm. The EAR 324 phonostage fed an Audio Research Ref 3 preamplifier. Power was provided by a Crown K2 for the bass and a Meridian 559 for the mid-range and tweeters. Also a pair of Tannoy ST-200 supertweeters were also in use.


Best rgds

Adelmo