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Tiger Paw Javelin Tone Arm

E

echann

pfm Member
As an Aro user, this is an interesting new arm. Looking forward to some reviews / feedback on how it sounds.

Tiger_Paw_Javelin.png


https://www.tiger-paw.com/javelin-tone-arm
 
I’m very much looking forward to hearing the one I’ve been promised in my system ;). I do know a great deal of work has gone into this - more than the Aro like looks may lead you to believe.

(That finger lift looks just like the one SME fit to the V ;))
 
SQ, no the bearing holder is a different design, but it is does feature a damping option. It doesn't really show in the photo but there is a small radius on the cable routing aperture, however the wire doesn't really touch the edges as it goes straight down and not across the edges. The plug is accessed from beneath the deck via the LP12 corner access hole, there are more explanations about why we chose this solution on the website.
 
First time I’ve seen any pictures of this arm and I must say I’m impressed. All the old issues associated with the Aro look to have been addressed and in a sympathetic manner without being a copy or losing the strengths of the design.
 
It certainly looks like a properly engineered item. As it should at the price, of course, which is reasonable by the standards of this kind of thing but nevertheless a substantial sum of money for a premium quality item. Good work TPA, I hope it sounds as good as it looks and you sell lots.
 
As a potential user who doesn't know the technicalities of manufacture and materials, my first question is; what justifies it being 3 times the price of a Roksan Nima?
 
If it combines the 'boogie' factor of the Ittok and the detail retrieval of the ARO I'd better start saving up!
 
Elephantears said:
As a potential user who doesn't know the technicalities of manufacture and materials, my first question is; what justifies it being 3 times the price of a Roksan Nima?
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Difficult to explain without direct reference to the technicalities of manufacture and materials. One example I would cite (as the designer told me) is that the arm tube is an interference fit, requiring no glue, to the bearing housing and headshell - this is much more difficult to achieve than a glued fit. Also, the headshell is milled from solid whereas the Nima is simply an acrylic plate. I'm not knocking the Nima but it is clearly production engineered down to a price.
 
Ok, but now a much more difficult question. What can justify it being more expensive than a Morch DP6. I can clearly see the exquisite level of craft and technical detail that has gone in to the production of the Morch, and I've heard how that translates into superb performance with different cartridges. That is around £1600.
 
Elephantears said:
Ok, but now a much more difficult question. What can justify it being more expensive than a Morch DP6. I can clearly see the exquisite level of craft and technical detail that has gone in to the production of the Morch, and I've heard how that translates into superb performance with different cartridges. That is around £1600.
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I would say the level of design and qualty of finish is equal on the Javelin, in fact I prefer it to the rather 'bling' standard finish on the DP6.
No one is forcing you to buy one either!
 
Price can also be influenced by expected sales level (to recover development and investment costs), distribution method, packaging bla bla. And then price can be influenced by thinking 'what can I get for it?' and 'what do serious buyers expect to pay for something like this?'. Pricing too low can also influence perception about where it belongs against, real or perceived, competition.
 
Looks very nice. Anyone looking at an Akurate level LP12 will surely have to give this a serious listen when a new Akito is £1630!
 
Points taken about pricing, but I can assure you that there is a huge amount of time that goes in to assembling each one. Of course we may not be doing it in a particularly efficient way, and times like this I have great respect for companies like Rega who turn production processes in to an art form. All I can say is that several of our dealers have said "it's too cheap" in comparison to what they have available. And having now built around 20, I'm beginning to wonder that myself. I haven't figured out precisely how long it takes to assemble each one, as I do the sub assemblies in batches etc, but it's longer and more involved than I expected.

I guess the only way one can determine value is to have a listen at one of our dealers at some point, compare it to what you're currently using and determine a) whether you like what it does, and b) whether it's worth the investment. However, I can assure you that a great deal of time and effort has gone in to creating it.
 
Well, I'm an Naim Aro fan; in fact that would be an understatement, because I have two of them! I'm not a fan of the Nima to be honest and when I looked at the photograph of the Javelin in the opening post, I immediately took it to be a straight Aro rip. However, I just read what I assumed to be salesman spiel on the Tigerpaw site and I can see that a lot of thought has been put into the design; there is no doubt tough, where the inspiration came from.
 
wylton said:
Well, I'm an Naim Aro fan; in fact that would be an understatement, because I have two of them! I'm not a fan of the Nima to be honest and when I looked at the photograph of the Javelin in the opening post, I immediately took it to be a straight Aro rip. However, I just read what I assumed to be salesman spiel on the Tigerpaw site and I can see that a lot of thought has been put into the design; there is no doubt tough, where the inspiration came from.
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Very much so. That is very much the point, perhaps this is the spiritual successor to what may have happened with the Aro if they'd updated it in the same way that Linn have done with their arms.
 
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