Linear tracking vs. Pivoted tracking tone arms.

Lou, you don't have to run. It's true that Rega arms are made cheep and have an alarm wire in the arm tube but they work well. The first goal of arm is to track properly. The sonical performance more depends on turntable and cartridge rather than on arm unless it's realy expencive high-tech arm.
On that reason I've decided to pass on SME arms and wait until I'll be able to hook up myself with Graham...

a couple of points to consider- while it is true that linear designs are technically superior in reducing tracking errors than a pivoted arm,they also tend to be more complex to fully implement,are generally less reliable and typically more expensive to produce than a pivoted design.The reason pivoted arms permeate the market is that they can produce excellent results reliably and at reasonable cost.Success with a pivoted design is closely tied to the skill and accuracy of setup and if tracking errors are heard ,it is far more likely that those are from inadequate cartridge installation, less than precise alignment and deficiencies of the cartridge itself.
for lou-not a blast but to call the Rega arms lo-fi is a mistake.It is the most successful tonearm in its category for good reason: it plays music well and offers exceptional value.The reason that there are so few tonearms available at its pricepoints is because its superiority effectively crushed nearly all the competition for nearly 2 decades.The VTA issue is the result of Rega's long standing belief that stability and rigidity are more important than convenience.You may choose to agree with this stance or not.The downside is that this approach of using machined spacers to accomodate varying cartridge heights and VTA results in fairly large steps. The rigid nature of this approach,while paying off in musical and sonic benefits is less than adequate for use with certain fineline profile stylus profiles and there fore will limit the number of optimal cartridge choices.Obviously the Rega cartridges will perform ideally in the Rega arms as will less VTA fussy
units such as the Dynavectors.The aftermarket VTA adjusters should go a long ways to addressing the more VTA persnickety cartridge options.

My experience owning an ET2/Sota Cosmos and later a Versa Dynamics 1.0, convinced me early on that there is certain 'rightness' inherent in linear trackers that seems to be absent with every pivoted arm i've ever tried or heard. My current reference (Versa 2.5) lives in my buddy's system. And 15-yrs since it's inception, it still handily smokes (sonically) all the latest and greatest 'tables and arms (pivoted) that we've compared it to...It's a damn shame John Bicht ain't in the TT business any longer.

Ok, I have been had, Caterham1700 tossed in a hook that I have to nibble at....

"The reason that there are so few tonearms available at its price points is because its superiority effectively crushed nearly all the competition for nearly 2 decades."

Superiority in marketing? The best selling product, even at a particular price point, rarely is the best product you know! I am sure some others lacked in resources and not in quality, which is where I believe the Rega's are lacking.

I find their argument a hoot too. Better to use a lesser grade cartridge which can never extract from the grove what information is there so that you can have a false sense of superior rigidity! Sounds like an add targeted toward folks in need of Viagra to me.....

No, better to use a superior cartridge and an arm that can, pretty much, infinitely adjust to accommodate it. I’ll pick up a Rega if I need a back, or lower section, scratcher…. Then again, we all know about opinions, and mine like all others, should be seen through that filter….

LBO, the Pioneer PL-800 linear tracking has been talked about as a classic in European audio forums. You might be able to get a used one in eBay if that's what youre into.

As for the Regas--once more--it's a great sounding name!!!

I solved the 'rigidity' problem in my Technics 1200 by placing a Bob Regal Foot to the left of the tonearm pivot(teak side down)and to the rear of the platter. It is absorbing vibrations which would otherwise travel down the tonearm tube and get magnified at the stylus tip. The improvement is so drammatic it seems I have purchased a new TT!!! And I still have continuous VTA adjustment.