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Sideways Uni-Pivot Arm, SUPATRAC Blackbird, formerly "Ekos Killer (Price?)"

sonddek

Trade: SUPATRAC
How much would people be prepared to pay for an arm which outperforms Ekos SE and Well Tempered Ltd?

Is there a general perception that expensive tonearms are near optimum?
 
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The number of people who have used an Ekos, and a Well Tempered, and been able to compare to even just one AN Other top-flight tonearm, is going to be a pretty small sample group.
 
Well if the arm were equally well finished and produced by a company with reliable long term support, I’d happily pay a similar sum as the Ekos or even more if it were a significant improvement.
 
I have no doubt. No slight intended.

I was just making an unbiased observation as I have used nothing mentioned thus far. I was also highlighting the fact that it is all opinion and in same cases, based on not much fact/listening.
 
I think there’s likely always some room for development and the best can always be improved.

OP what is this mystery arm?
 
Well if the arm were equally well finished and produced by a company with reliable long term support, I’d happily pay a similar sum as the Ekos or even more if it were a significant improvement.
DAF trucks are reliable with good strong engines and superb mechanical backup, but as a driving experience? Na. Merc or Volvo please.
 
Well if the arm were equally well finished and produced by a company with reliable long term support, I’d happily pay a similar sum as the Ekos or even more if it were a significant improvement.
To be fair, I’ve had every version of the Ekos with the exception of the latest version of the Ekos SE, I rate them extremely highly, but you stand a much higher chance of getting any Audio Origami arm serviced by Audio Origami than getting an Ekos or Ekos 2 serviced by Linn... by all accounts, Audio Origami are the go to guys for repairs and servicing on old Linn arms.
 
I’m very happy with my PU7. No complaints with fit n finish and support appears to be stellar. I had a SME V which is quite some piece of tech engineering but I didn’t love it enough, the PU7 brought a grin when it hit the groove so it stayed and the SME V went.
 
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Oops jut read title again and it was Killer Price... must get some new glasses
 
Thanks for your input chaps. All noted.

I have compared this arm against an Ekos II. In my opinion it knocks it into a cocked hat. The difference is energy, scale, soundstage, control of excess during difficult peaks, for example in opera crescendos, separation of instruments, timing and the overall impression of real performers doing something worthwhile. I would like to try it against the arms which I suspect it is gunning for, namely Graham, Kuzma 4point, and SAT. I would be interested in meeting people who use high end arms to make careful comparisons.

Some of you may remember that I found a couple of Garrard 301s and built solid plinths for them. The problem of providing them with arms commensurate with their true potential festered for many years, but lockdown brought the opportunity to solve this problem from first principles. More will come of this but I'm weighing up how to proceed with this project.

I will say that I'm hearing a standard of vinyl reproduction which I have never experienced before. Right now I'm listening to an old AT95 on the mystery arm and Garrard 301 and it is... ...better than satisfactory.

I have reached the conclusion that arm designs are flawed, even the 4point, and that no arm design takes seriously the problem of oscillating stylus drag in the time axis.
 
Pricing audio equipment is more of a marketing art than a science and probably doesn't relate to performance at all. I was involved in developing a small speaker in the late '80s but although the performance was amazing we couldn't get production costs to our target, and we'd have had to retail the speaker at around £650. We decided that no-one would pay that for a small stand mount / bookshelf speaker no matter how good it was. Six months later Acoustic Energy released the AE1 at £700, and we all know what happened...
 


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