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Your Tone Arm History @ an arm which aesthetically you would love or have

Surprised so few talk about the Nott An products. I've an Omega Point Silver, I prefer it to the Ittok I owned. Both on LP 12. I'm keeping it, it's one of the few end points in my system.


I still have an Omega Point stored away. It’s been on several turntables and always acquitted itself well. It may be destined for a Lenco in the not too distant future. I also have a Space Arm, an early fat tube arm that resides on my Empire 598. I had to do a bit of machining to get it to fit the Empire sub chassis but the combination sounds absolutely first class with a Benz Wood.
 
Kuzma S 12 uni.
Sme v
Kuzma s 9 uni
Naim aro
Rega rb 700
Sme 3009
linn ittok
Some project tat.
Sme v
Technics 1210 arm
 
whatever came on a Nicro Seiki DD24s 1981 to 1988
Rega RB300 1988, still have it but haven’t used it since getting
Naim Aro 2009, I still have this to but relegated to mono duties after the arrival of
Schröder Reference 2018.

Something at least as good but less finicky, but I don’t know what would fit that requirement.
 
774lc (unbranded, on qdeck)
LV-V
Rb250
G707
Proper 774
AS-202
Hadcock 242 (or 282, can’t remember)
Sony PUA something (just because I like it’s Looks)
Rabco linear tracker on HK ST7
Various Lenco 75 tat
Lenco 70 arm (surprisingly better than what came later)

best so far is the 774. need to decide whether to fit Hadcock or Sony onto my TD124, which I’m slowly getting ready to finally commission.

ETA: LV-V :)
 
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I never quite took to the original 774. I’ve had two of them on several different tables and I couldn’t hear what all the fuss was about. I did however build my own twelve inch arm based on the 774 bearing arrangement but without damping and I’m very happy with its performance. Some of you have heard it so I know it’s not a duffer :)
 
I’ve never used the damping on mine, and have also considered converting it to 12“ - quite easy to DIY I think
 
I like these threads, never much one for change me:

Naim ARO c.1991
Naim ARO with TP sKale c.2019
The End.

EDIT: have always been fascinated by parallel trackers but not for the looks!

I have been thinking about the sKale for my Aro - do you feel it gave a tangible improvement?
 
I have been thinking about the sKale for my Aro - do you feel it gave a tangible improvement?
I do, I think partially because I struggled to get azimuth correct with the standard weight where it always seemed to be right up against the body, with the sKale you can really fine tune it much easier with more range (though you have to be careful as you can also inadvertently mess with VTF!). Then there is the benefit with the additional weight sections you can get it closer to the pivot and that the offset shape that gets you the azimuth adjustment also places the centre of weight lower. So three improvements in one. Such a shame TP isn't active anymore.

EDIT: but then, when you ask almost anybody what they think of something they have bought they initially say it is marvelous, so perhaps best to try it yourself and see, if you can get hold of one, downsides: hard to get, still fiddly adjusting anything on an ARO, slightly unnerving getting it on the stub as the rubber O rings are a really snug fit ...
 
Not been back here for a couple of weeks but picking up on this…
I have a sKale for my Aro too. the three O rings are tight on the stub but not so tight in their grooves in the sKale. I found that the best dynamics relied on them being centred in their grooves, achieved by rotating the sKale back and forth a few times before setting azimuth. Moving the O rings on the stub tended to be in rather large jumps making fine VTF adjustment a seiries of overshoots until you lucked onto the right settling. The Schröder has a fine adjuster threaded into its counterweight and I’ve considered trying to fit something similar to the sKale.

The Schröder counterweight has a grub screw to secure it to the stub but the screw appears to press on a polymer sleve rather than the shaft itself. This grub screw needs to be barely tight enough to secure the weight if I’m going to get an SPU Royal N to play rock n roll with any enthusiasm, as does the screw securing the cartridge mounting plate to the arm. This is an example of the finickiness I mentioned earlier, the most sensitive torque driver isn’t of any help either, I tried that, it’s down to listening and the angle of an allen key.
 
Had a lot of good arms - SME IV, Origin Live Conqueror, Rega RB1000, Nottingham Ace Anna and now the Phonomac AT-1120 mk6 (I think). All have a great deal to offer but they cannot be considered adrift of cartridge choice nor turntable compatibility. For example, the Conqueror was so heavy it really was unsuited to a suspended deck.
 
Owned these arms:

Clearaudio Souther TQ-1
Hadcock 242SE
Alphason Xenon
Rega RB 250/300/900 Audio origami fettled etc
Michell Technoarm
Linn Ittok LV11
Linn Akito 2/B
Linn Akito
Helius Orion Mk3
Helius Aureus
Breuer Type 5 x2
Sumiko MDC 800
Audio Origami PU7
Syrinx PU2
Syrinx PU3
Mission 774SM
Moerch DP6
Moerch UP-4
Fidelity Research FR 64 FX
Fidelity Research FR 64S
Audio Note AN-S1
Wilson Benesch ACT 2
SME 1V
Logic Datum 2
Nottingham Ace Anna x2
.....lots more I can't remember

Now have these:

Mission Mechanic x2
Zeta
Naim Aro
Linn Ittok LV3 Mk2
Sony PUA 1600
Audio Note Arm 3 MK1 (Rega based)
Funk Firm F.XR2
Fidelity Research FR-24 MK2
Audio Note Arm3 Mk1 (Rega based)
Lenco P77 x2
Linn Akito MK1 Audio Origami fettled etc
And a few more I have to find


I would like to try these:

Graham Phantom B44
Brinkmann 10.5
 
Owned these arms:

Clearaudio Souther TQ-1
Hadcock 242SE
Alphason Xenon
Rega RB 250/300/900 Audio origami fettled etc
Michell Technoarm
Linn Ittok LV11
Linn Akito 2/B
Linn Akito
Helius Orion Mk3
Helius Aureus
Breuer Type 5 x2
Sumiko MDC 800
Audio Origami PU7
Syrinx PU2
Syrinx PU3
Mission 774SM
Moerch DP6
Moerch UP-4
Fidelity Research FR 64 FX
Fidelity Research FR 64S
Audio Note AN-S1
Wilson Benesch ACT 2
SME 1V
Logic Datum 2
Nottingham Ace Anna x2
.....lots more I can't remember

Now have these:

Mission Mechanic x2
Zeta
Naim Aro
Linn Ittok LV3 Mk2
Sony PUA 1600
Audio Note Arm 3 MK1 (Rega based)
Funk Firm F.XR2
Fidelity Research FR-24 MK2
Audio Note Arm3 Mk1 (Rega based)
Lenco P77 x2
Linn Akito MK1 Audio Origami fettled etc
And a few more I have to find


I would like to try these:

Graham Phantom B44
Brinkmann 10.5
That’s a lot of arms. Curious as to how you’d rate the Funk: it’s what I use and I’ve no desire to change, but I’ve never heard anything else in that price range to compare it to.
 
I think the Funk F.XR 2 is a terrific tonearm and really performs great, I had mine rewired with Helius silver tonearm wire and a 5 pin DIN plug so I could use better/different tonearm cables and never regretted it. The sound seems to seems to quite dynamic, subtle and very satisfying, I like it a lot but the Mission Mechanic has the edge and that too has been silver rewired by Audio Origami.

I had a couple of these Funk arms but sold the red version and kept the black one and think it's a bit fiddly to set up initially but like most things in life you can get used to it with practice, a bit like setting up cartridges carefully of course.
 
Linn LV-V
Linn LVX
Rega RB250
Linn Ittok LVII
Naim ARO
Linn Ittok LVII

Can’t see me moving on from the latest Ittok. Just makes me want to put a record on.
There is so much to be said for this. The 'best' equipment is surely the one that gets the most use.

I miss my silver TikTok, I traded it for in for black Ekos 2, which to my eyes is bland in comparison. The silver Tiktok was the pinnacle when I started looking at Linns early 80s: LP12/Ittok/Karma. I have never really forgotten that look, though I never owned that combo.
 
Not a huge variety
Rega rb250
Rb600
Rb1000
Linn Akito
Kuzma stogi
Hadcock 242
Nottingham analogue Anna
Whatever thorens had supplied/ fitted to td180, td160
First table AR eb101, I think it was a Acos (s shape) of some form.
Brinkmann 10.5
Fave was Wheaton tri planar mk vi 10.5 my non hifi friend thought looked like a mini gun carriage and liked sound, it’s virtually only bit of hifi kit he ever noticed.

saving up for change back to Tri planar, love sound, miss on the fly Vta adjustment.
I know whole diff can of worms!
 


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