Linear tracking turntables, whatever happened?

Prof
I did not want to really comment as the dedication is to be admired for sure.
But if air bearing is the only real way to make a linear tracker work at its best then it absolutely is not for myself either!
However that is not to detract from the concept or to those who do have the dedication and conviction to see it through to the end.
Just not my cup of tea though.

I really don't get it.  Air bearing arms are not hard to set up at all (as long as you have a good design that is fully adjustable) and running them is not complicated, either.  There is virtually no maintenance required after the initial setup with the exception of changing the air filter every few years (or sooner depending on how often you use it).  Most people work much harder switching amps, cables, tubes, etc.

Not much demand for it these days apparently, though I tend to agree linear tacking is a very desirable approach in theory for tracking a record but it has to be realized well in a product that people have good reason to buy. Although turntables have achieved more of a presence of late than for many years prior, it is still a relatively small and very competitive niche market it seems compared to when linear tracking models reached their peak (still a very small niche even then).

I’d even go so far to say that handling a tonearm manually is one of things that people associate with vinyl and contributes to its appeal for many.

Dear Millercarbon, Thank you for "telling it like it is".  I've never heard those gaudy products all together in one system, but I can imagine that I might agree with you, if I were to audition that system.  However, let's do keep in mind that the Clearaudio turntable uses a Souther-type tonearm, described by me in an earlier post.  In fact, I think Clearaudio bought the patent rights from Souther in order to incorporate his ideas into their products.  In my opinion (and I stress that this is ONLY an opinion), the Souther design, where the cartridge is carried on what amounts to only a headshell which rides in a gravity-dependent fashion on a rail strung across the LP surface, has many issues.  Not the least of which is that any irregularity in the LP surface has a large effect upon VTA, due to the very short distance between the stylus and the headshell pivot point.  My point is that I would not throw the SL tracking baby out with the Clearaudio bath water.  SL tracking done well does have merit.  I think air bearing is the way to go, but like many others who joined this thread, I chose not to bother with the air pumps, filters, and noise that come with air bearing tonearms.  I do recognize that by choosing to use only pivoted tonearms, I am accepting one set of problems for another.

Ketchup
It was not really the setup of an air bearing arm I was referring to.
But more over all the attendant hardware, lines, pumps, etc and the noise however slight from a pump( unless you can set the pump up in another area?).
Just my choice , which is why I started this thread as I am intrigued by the concept of linear tracking but sans air setup.