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which tonearm is the most pleasing to use?

Contrary to CODA II's findings, my recent Ace Anna 12" looks anything BUT clunky. Matter-of-fact, clean, almost svelte. A doddle to use, and (almost) proof against Parkinson's disease.

Conversely, the SME Five-twelve somehow looks just too long; maybe that's the tapering effect that works on the Five but not so well here.

However, beauty is in the eyes...........
 
Smile? No question my Dynavector 507, Mk. II. I’m fond of my SME and Graham but the “steam shovel”, especially kitted with an EMT XSD-15, is fun to cue.
 
I vote for any of the Well Tempered arms, the silcone damping makes handling the arm so secure, it would be practically impossible to damage the stylus.

As I prefer to hand cue, the lack of a lifter doesn't bother me, they rarely work properly anyway.
 
i hate to setup and use anything without bearings, from stogi s via shroeder to WTA.

shame they all sound superior. so i have to deal with stogi s on daily basis
 
I like my Grace G-660P. It's extremely minimal - one adjustment and no automation whatsoever - but the machining is exquisite and it's rock solid.
 
SME V is idiot proof, adjustment could not be simpler and it's a delight to hand cue with the finger lift fitted. It's all you ever need.......
 
To boringly echo Klyde, I do miss the Aro, but there's just something about the sheer functionality of the RB1000, and quite a lot of aesthetic appeal, that I love.
 
sq225917 said:
I use a V regularly and it's the dullest piece of kit in the world, it just sits there are does its thing, gets to the end of the record then you bring it back again- there's no romance ;-)
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That is precisely what I like about the SME V and the 9" and 12" Ittoks.
The Technoarm comes close too. I really disliked the SME 3009, the Hadcock and the Sony 293 tonearms - all twiddly bits and seemed so fragile too.
 
I've used an Ekos for years without any difficulty. However, recently I've got used to the well tempered amadeus arm, and I love it. You can feel the goo trying to keep the arm steady as you cue it, and it's reassuring. The arm has no tendency to jump off a shaky hand. Because you cue by supporting the arm near the pivot you don't haveto move it far so it feels quick and efficient. You can just about adjust arm height, azimuth, overhang and damping while playing a record.

The Technics SL1200 arm allows you easily to adjust vta while playing a record.
 
For amusement factor it's hard to beat the Vestigial.

Add quality and lots of mass to that formula and you get the Dynavector, which is lots of fun to use.
 
Another vote for the RB1000. A It looks gorgeous, handles beautifully and sounds like a million dollars - a true masterpiece of hand selection and engineering.
 
Ease of use, SME all the way. However the PU7 & Notts Ace Anna sound so much better.
Worst for ease of use, set up & build quality, Hadcock.

Simon.
 
Nothing particularly to do with sound quality but there's something deeply satisfying about planting (manually) an SPU housed in the big old headshell, tracking at 3-4 grams, mounted in a 12" J shaped arm onto a nice slab of classical or Jazz vinyl. The Jelco 750L I have fulfills the requirement but a 3012, FR66, or Schick would give the same effect.
 
SME IV is the nicest arm I've ever personally used, (never had my hands on a V). Very easy to set up and no need to adjust it ever again. Just the feel of the engineering and precision of queuing etc, (no need for a finger lift), are what does it for me.
 
pure sound said:
Nothing particularly to do with sound quality but there's something deeply satisfying about planting (manually) an SPU housed in the big old headshell, tracking at 3-4 grams, mounted in a 12" J shaped arm onto a nice slab of classical or Jazz vinyl.
Click to expand...

Ouch. That combo would always just give me the fear that I'm destroying my records at an unnecessary rate, however irrational that fear might be.
 
this does seem to be the clear leader in the view of the majority

seriesvbig.jpg


but looking at it I still come back to what I said at the top: I just can't see myself enjoying using that.

By any objective assessment I'm happy to believe that it's a very fine arm indeed, but that's not the same thing.

Question: if it were a camera, what camera would it be?

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Just to add that I've nothing against SME as such, I think this looks rather good in fact:

seriesm2big.jpg
 
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