Why is the price of new tonearms so high

Henry! your call I guess.
Good German Bier, Wurst, und Brezel :-)
A.

Unfortunately most do not understand what they "hear", so most discussions are not worth the time.
Most want to believe in something, in something modern, in something expensive, to a "Guide" or whatever. But it is so simple, go out, buy those units, compare them with records before Reissues became a "Standard".
I have those Arms and I did. Others too. It is is normal, some will never get it. NEVER. Not in this life, nor the next. That is normal.
When you don't hear the difference, fine, when you hear a difference, fine, too.
When you need to spend a lot of money, because you feel better that you can afford something the other one can't, fine too. Most do that. That's for most a kind of satisfaction, for showing others "look, I am the greatest music LOVER..."this is the normal business.
It is not necessary to change the world, but sometimes - not always - it can be interesting to go a different route, Hardware is for most a kind of Altar, a secret, a Holy Grail...they pray to it, they want it to look nice, expensive, important etc.
But when this is over and the needle touches the groove...then a new chapter starts....:-)

Hi Rumpel Stiltskin :-)
now, how can we apply these Roman gutter constructions to the price of new tonearms?
Did they have their resonances sorted, when flushing?

Couldn't we perhaps get some Roman tonearms and have that issue evaluated?

I'm thinking,
Axel

Dear Daniel: +++++ " Raul doesn't like their sound in his 10+ years memory ? " +++++

I sold my last FR-64 last year. I appreciate that don't post nothing that you are not totaly sure, especially when you are refering to me.

Everyone knows that you have " interest " in mantain the FR tonearms and that's why you made/make statements on them out of reality. Of course that the low know-how of the people help you to go on .

I repeat again: Mr. Ikeda was/is a very good cartridge designer and we can see through its cartridges where he puts his knowledge: FR-702 or the Ikeda REX9 type but IMHO and with respect to him his FR-64/66 are a plain so so tonearms that has nothing especial and that has nothing to talk about other that is a high resonant device due to the build material and construction that he choose to use, these facts you can change it only because you want to preserve the false " myth " on these almost mediocre tonearms.

That you and your friends like high distortions on what you hear or that you are already accustom/equalized to that " heavy " distortions can't mean that that almost mediocre tonearms can convert it in good tonearms, no way Sir.

This is not only my opinion. Here is what another person in whom I trust seriously because he does not only have a technical knowledge but he is a cartridge designer, pholinepreamp designer, he own or owned almost any tonearm and cartridges out there.

Like a cartridge designer he has to test his cartridges ( and other cartridges ) with several tonearms so he really know what is talking about, I'm reffering to J.Carr Lyra and Connosieur designer and here is what he posted on the subject:

++++ " I agree that the FR-66S would be somewhat better than the SAEC, but truth be told, I'm not overly enamoured of the "S" family either (and I say this as the long-time owner of a 64S with Elevation Base and Arm Stabilizer). The stainless steel is great to look at, but less great to listen to, " +++++

in the next one Daniel/Syntax ( I can't remember ) ask JC something on the FR subject ( Syntax posted that his Lyra performance in the FR-64S was something outstanding, I posted there that he likes those very high distortions that are always present on those FR tonearms, period. ) and here is the J.Carr post:

question:
+++++" >you might - if you haven't already done so... - give your Titan i a test in your FR-64s. The combo gives astonishing good results - despite the less great mass/compliance combination.<

answer:
Yes, I've already done so with the Titan i. Likewise the Olympos. I agree that the results can be quite OK - as long as you wrap a damper strip around the armtube or take measures to dampen it better. Otherwise the "fx" or "fc" variants are far more friendly to use. By the time Ikeda did the IT-345 and IT-407, he had gained a much better awareness of resonance control as compared to his FR days. " +++++

In the other side and returning to the thread I like Halcro can't agree with Dertonarm.
Tonearm design is not only technical knowledge/physics but testing that what physics says can sounds good. You don't design a tonearm by physics/computer modeling then build and think that you are done. Things not works in that way you have to test that first prototype and then make changes and build a second prototype and go on on these tests not only on the tonearm geometry but testing different type of bearings and bearing materials where you have to rebuild the prototype you have on hand, you have to test too arm wand/headshell build materials where you have to build several samples as several buildmaterials you have on mind and I can go on and go on on the subject.
Well all these test/research/test very hard work means time and money: a lot of time and a lot of money.

No Mr. Dertonarm a well made tonearm design is not ( like you say ): " +++fairly easy mechanical devices - where is the problem? "++++, Daniel you don't have any idea on the subject but you think that because you study physics or mathematics you can/could know everything but you are wrong to think and speak in that way. Like in the tonearm subject there are a lot of subjects where you are a simple person like any one else.

You can follow speaking of Newton/Galileo but that does not give you better EARS or real knowledge to judge music sound reproduction.

Regards and enjoy the music,
Raul.

Axel,
No dought it would be a fluid damped design with a contrete and horse hair arm board for sure....