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Supatrac: the world's best tonearm?

It doesn’t really matter as there will always be those that have a preference for aspects of the performance that tick their boxes.

There are lots that don’t get the whole tune/timing thing and perceive A&B as largely similar.

And then there are people who simply buy what gets a good review.

Lots of people with fingers crossed and wallets poised if the Supa turns out to be B
 
It seems to me that since the price difference is €84,000, or about 2,750%, the Blackbird should thrive whichever file it is.

I don't agree with David that file B is "all over the place". It's still good even if you are one of the people who does feel that timing and note sequences make a little more sense with A.

Don't forget that we're also hearing a $4500 cartridge against a $14,000 cartridge.
 
One thing I’m surprised no one has picked up on yet is the files look different. I’ve no opinion on sound (iPad), and if I had I’d not post as I don’t do reviews, but clicking through to Soundcloud and you can see differences.

Some of this will be down to Michael Fremer, he is notoriously bad at level-matching, so the median and peak levels are different, but there is more to be seen than that even in the very rough Soundcloud graphic representation of the wave file. I don’t know if he has enabled downloads. If so it might be interesting to actually compare stuff in an editor such as Audacity and try and figure out what is additive, subtractive etc.
 
Imagine my suspense when Michael Fremer said the review would be out in "a few days" and then it took over three weeks! I bought two Rega decks with money I hadn't received and had to pick them up the night before the first day of the Bristol show and work through the night on them. Cash flow is a dark art.

But I've had customers/reviewers who have been incredibly patient and waited many months for an arm, including Michael Fremer, so I had to bite my tongue. For some reason, probably because I want to please customers, I seem to be reliably optimistic about how long it takes to make arms, and that could end up not pleasing them. All I can say is I'm working very very hard, and constantly looking for ways to get quicker, but making the arms, especially the tubes, takes a degree of craft and is labour-intensive.
 
@sonddek
Richard as an ex manufacturing systems engineer would you like me to come up and review your processes? I may be able spot some easy wins for you and also a few jigging opportunities. Being close to something sometimes means you can't always see the wood for the trees.
 
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Richard, that thundering noise you hear in the distance is the sound of inbound orders. Expectation management is key and it may help to put the lead time on your website.

If working capital might become an issue perhaps consider crowd funding, I for one would be happy to invest in your future success.
 
I just listened to "A" -the top one- and was having difficulty grasping the musical message the band was trying to convey, then I listened to "B" and the musical message -or the tune- made sense to me instantly.
 
tpetsch said:
I just listened to "A" -the top one- and was having difficulty grasping the musical message the band was trying to convey, then I listened to "B" and the musical message -or the tune- made sense to me instantly.
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I often wonder whether listening to a piece of music the second time can ever be the same as the first time. Like sex. Even the nth and n+1th time can disappoint.
 
Listening on my 27" iMac's speakers on Safari I have a slight preference for 'B', it is 'clearer'. I played some sections one after another. If B is the pricey one, is the difference between them worth $75K? Hell no!

First hearing for this track. Would I feel differently if I played both again? Maybe.
 
sonddek said:
I often wonder whether listening to a piece of music the second time can ever be the same as the first time. Like sex. Even the nth and n+1th time can disappoint.
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I've been doing these types of A/B's as long as I can remember, 40 plus years starting in that Linn/Naim shop I once visited then actually worked at on and off for 20 or so years. ...It doesn't matter which one I heard first, I agree with those that think "A" is a bit of a mess tune wise in this particular A/B. Sure "A" may have some sort of sonic qualities that people may latch on to but I'm only interested in the tune. Give me the tune first and then you can build upon it while maintaining that fundamental quality, but once the tune is lost I immediately loose interest.
 
sonddek said:
I often wonder whether listening to a piece of music the second time can ever be the same as the first time. Like sex. Even the nth and n+1th time can disappoint.
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Whatever about the Blackbird, the rubber underwear changed all that for me. Much easier to set up as well. -:)
.
 
sonddek said:
I often wonder whether listening to a piece of music the second time can ever be the same as the first time. Like sex. Even the nth and n+1th time can disappoint.
Click to expand...
I remember the first time I heard 'Grace' by Jeff Buckley, listened to on a very cheap and cheerful system. Not everybody's cuppa I know, but I was stunned. There are times when the timing and the music trump the quality of the system. For me, this was one of them.
 
Yes, he has posted that he will do new recordings with the same Atlas cartridge on both the Supatrac arm and the SAT arm. Looking forward to hearing the that!
 
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