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Audio Craft AC-4400 and related AC tonearms

I have so many Audio Craft headshells that i start thinking about Audio Craft tonearms.
Something like the Audio Craft AC-4400 silver color with removable armwands.
Must be a high quality tonearm, Japanese classics. The problem is that i’ve never tried them.
Anyone can comment? Would be nice to read more opinions.

Here is a picture of the AC-4400: https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/oNcAAOSw0HVWADXg/s-l1600.jpg

There is also AC-3300 model: https://www.vinylengine.com/library/audiocraft-ultracraft/ac-3300.shtml

128x128chakster
dgarretson
2,608 posts
 
It's a fabled tonearm.
invictus005
597 posts
 
They're unipivot. You want to mess with that? These are the tonearms that Graham fraudulently ripped off.
chakster's avatar
chakster OP
6,144 posts
 
But what's the difference between AC-3000 vs. AC3300 and AC-4000 vs. 4400 ? This is where i'm lost.  
lewm
13,419 posts
 
Thanks, invictus. I never appreciated the obvious similarity between the graham design and audiocraft tonearms. Seems the latter are quite advanced.

sampsa55
73 posts
 
Some notes, possibly obvious:
- AC3300 & AC4400 are later, more advanced models that command much higher prices (~3-5x) on the used market. I think they were manufactured until the early 2000s. 
- AC3000 & AC4000 are unipivots and AC3300 & AC4400 are "double point support", but I haven't seen one in detail, so I'm not sure what exactly that means.
- AC3300 & AC4400 have VTA on the fly, I believe, but the other features are similar. They all have adjustable silicon oil damping.

[Purely subjective assessment made with a limited number of cartridges and not in a fully controlled or blinded setting:] I have AC3000 & AC4000 and quite like them. They have an open, easy, refined sound compared for instance to FR64s which has a solid, full-bodied sound. I like having both and use AC4000 for chamber & choral music and FR64s for orchestral & jazz.


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