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Dream deck?

I’d argue it was exponentially more logical than say Naim making it impossible to align any cartridge other than a Trioka or Karma correctly with their tonearm unless it coincidentally had exactly the same mount to tip distance!

I was talking to someone about that a few years ago and they said Naim did that because it was easy to do. Making two slots accurately is much harder than drilling two holes. If you think about it, a unipivot is about the simplest arm you can make.
 
Yes, but he lists things which also effect the sound, tightness of bolts etc, but Rega advise care over these things. So if they matter so should VTA? They can't have it both ways.
The problem is that vta needs adjusting for each record to actually be correct and bearing in my mind the ambient temperature and any changes that might have been made to vtf. Linn, Roksan, Naim, Kuzma, Helius, SME etc all offer the facility via set screws or the like (I'm aware the SME V offers a more elegant mechanism). In practice, most people set their deck up once and forget it, not worry every time they change to a thinner pice of vinyl or turn the thermostat up, making the last setting wrong.
 
Everyone keeps saying that the VTA on a Rega turntable will be 'correct' with a Rega cartridge and wrong with others. So... stick your hand up if you've actually checked that?
 
The whole ‘Linn tight’ thing was bollocks, a group of idiot dealers and a few magazines who didn’t have the slightest grasp of engineering principle or physics. A lot of good kit was broken by idiots in those days.

Exactly. I've seen cartridge bodies bowed due to excess tightening force...
 
I was talking to someone about that a few years ago and they said Naim did that because it was easy to do. Making two slots accurately is much harder than drilling two holes. If you think about it, a unipivot is about the simplest arm you can make.

Whoever you were talking to clearly doesn't have a clue about fabrication then! Shall I offer my opinion on brain surgery? :rolleyes:
 
Slots are easy to do on any milling machine. I did that in my first year, first term of mechanics.

And we didn’t have CNC machines back then.

But Naim should have done slots really, or used an SME-like adjustment.
I can’t imagine the number of misaligned cartridges in the ARO (which was a French design by the way).
 
I suppose a mythical dream deck would automatically adjust its VTF & Height?

It illustrates why people think sod this, I am buying a streamer;)
 
But Naim should have done slots really, or used an SME-like adjustment.
I can’t imagine the number of misaligned cartridges in the ARO (which was a French design by the way).

It was a ridiculous design and spoilt an otherwise pretty decent arm. Given the absolute dominance of Linn/Naim/Bada at the time I think the intent was to lock cartridge choice to in house designs fitted by ‘approved’ dealers. If every single aspect had been followed they’d likely get alignment within a mm or so, but this means the arm board has to be fitted to the subchassis in *exactly* the right place to obtain the correct pivot to spindle distance. If not everything is out. There was a Linn tool for this (though it may have been Linn arm specific) but I’ve certainly seen dealers fit arms without it.

PS I’ve aligned an Aro by moving the arm-board by now, i.e. a two point protractor, the three arm board screws slackened of a little, and then a painstaking process of checking alignment, nudging, checking alignment again until it is ok, then tighten the screws without moving anything. A totally crap and frustrating way of doing things, but you have to work with the tools you have! It made me never want to own an Aro!
 
Adjusting VTA and azimuth is an arm issue rather than a deck issue. I can adjust both on the fly with my Reed tonearm.
 
It was a ridiculous design and spoilt an otherwise pretty decent arm. Given the absolute dominance of Linn/Naim/Bada at the time I think the intent was to lock cartridge choice to in house designs fitted by ‘approved’ dealers. If every single aspect had been followed they’d likely get alignment within a mm or so, but this means the arm board has to be fitted to the subchassis in *exactly* the right place to obtain the correct pivot to spindle distance. If not everything is out. There was a Linn tool for this (though it may have been Linn arm specific) but I’ve certainly seen dealers fit arms without it.

PS I’ve aligned an Aro by moving the arm-board by now, i.e. a two point protractor, the three arm board screws slackened of a little, and then a painstaking process of checking alignment, nudging, checking alignment again until it is ok, then tighten the screws without moving anything. A totally crap and frustrating way of doing things, but you have to work with the tools you have! It made me never want to own an Aro!

I have two Aro's, but I agree with the above. It's not beyond the wit of man though, to design an arm-board to allow adjustment (my 401 has such a mount), but I agree that Naim should have taken care of it. I can't help wondering how much it was down to them not trusting their dealers to be able set the thing up - no overhang to adjust; I certainly don’t buy that it was for sound quality reasons.
 
Adjusting VTA and azimuth is an arm issue rather than a deck issue. I can adjust both on the fly with my Reed tonearm.

Didn't know about VTA adjust on the fly with Reed (3P?) I've read that azimuth adjustment is beneficial to unipivot arms, but I really cannot see why; in fact, conversely, I can see why it might be useful for gimballed arms. In 45 years of good arms (Linn LV, Artemiz, SME V, 12 PU7 and Ace Anna) I've yet to adjust azimuth. The only check I know is the mirror on the platter one, which at least goes some way to determine the horizontal and vertical position of a cantilever/cart. when stationary.

I am toying with getting a 12" Reed 3P as its mass is a reasonable 19g (heavier than my 12" Ace Anna) and it's a lovely looking and functional arm but I'm currently undecided, as a more massy (gimballed) arm may be a better bet.
 
Didn't know about VTA adjust on the fly with Reed (3P?) I've read that azimuth adjustment is beneficial to unipivot arms, but I really cannot see why; in fact, conversely, I can see why it might be useful for gimballed arms. In 45 years of good arms (Linn LV, Artemiz, SME V, 12 PU7 and Ace Anna) I've yet to adjust azimuth. The only check I know is the mirror on the platter one, which at least goes some way to determine the horizontal and vertical position of a cantilever/cart. when stationary.

I am toying with getting a 12" Reed 3P as its mass is a reasonable 19g (heavier than my 12" Ace Anna) and it's a lovely looking and functional arm but I'm currently undecided, as a more massy (gimballed) arm may be a better bet.

When this Covid caper has reduced you are welcome to listen to my Reed 3p with a Dynavector xv 1t currently in use.
 
The whole ‘Linn tight’ thing was bollocks, a group of idiot dealers and a few magazines who didn’t have the slightest grasp of engineering principle or physics. A lot of good kit was broken by idiots in those days.

Don't I know it - I had an Asak broken in half by a dealer!
 


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