Why is the price of new tonearms so high

Perrew, one could use the tape outs of our preamp, but one function of the linestage that most people don't realize is that it must control the interconnect cable as well. In a stand-alone phono section this does become a source of coloration. That is why our preamps are full-function.

You can convert from balanced to SE at the input of the amplifier with an adapter or cable made for the purpose. It is nice not to be limited by cable length or quality (cost)- something not possible with single-ended cables.

So it sounds like the dynamic balanced tone arms have always positive VTF due to 'preload' provided when record is spinning by the spring. As Raul indicated, dynamically balanced may not be exactly the right term (not 100% balanced at every slice of time but still close enough to maintain contact, always), but the point is there is always positive VTF v/s -negative at times( warped records, highly dynamic music contents. etc). Thanks, no wonder I never come across this term as all my three tone arms are 'statically balanced' ( Clearaudio master TQ1. , SPJ by La Luce and Transrotor RB250)

I would guess terminolgy will still apply for tangential ton arms. Any tangential arms come with spring loaded VTF? Another question, while I am at it is: Why sound and freq balance changes higher the VTF gets? How do you know what is right VTF other than by ear? What is max VTF? What if higher than allowable max sounds right?

This is an interesting discussion. My experience with dynamic vs. static is with the Grado arm. Joe Grado said that the best result was with 1/2 each or 1/3 2/3 (and I forget if that meant spring was more or less). My system back in that time was a VPI HW 2, Grado XTZ, AR SP-11, Rowland 5, Infinity RS2-b, not IRS status but yet still revealing. I could not hear the difference between the static and dynamic. I was not playing warps though. I believe in market forces and that if spring VTF was thus superior then all arms would have it. I also believe that the tone arm bearing type is more important than the VTF system. You can see market forces here as well... I think more than most top arms are uni-pivots, though this is not from actual sales figures by arm type, just a guess by all the words we all write and the types I see available in English speaking sites and magazines.

Peter

I had assumed, perhaps incorectly, that this discussion of dynamic vs. static balance was in relation to gimbal pivot arms like my SME V. But Breuninger has me now thinking about the different effect each of these balance types have on gimbal vs. unipivot designs. I am also now curious if more arms currently in use are gimbal- or uni- pivot designs.

As far as Raul describing which design priciples he is persuing with his new arm, I doubt he would want to discuss specifics before the design is complete, but if he is, that sure would be an interesting contribution to this thread.

We have gotten way off the original question of this thread which was pretty much covered in the first few responses. For my part, I apologize. Perhaps there should be a separate arm-design thread.

Dear Perrew/Syntax: As Peterayer with good sensitivity posted I can't disclosure the whole design but I can speak a little on some highlights/goals in the tonearm design.

Why exist too many different tonearms designs out there? which is the target on each one? unipivots, gimbal, pivoted or linear tracking ? same cartridge in different tonearm design sounds/perform different: why?

trying to have answers to these and other tonearm related questions makes Guillermo and me to investigate about and so was interesting/learning and emotive what we found that we decided to intent our self tonearm design with very specific targets.

As Dertonarm posted somewhere the first tonearm design steps ( mainly on tonearm geometry. ) are really easy to have on paper and develop but the right geometry is only a " routine " tonearm design step.

I learn through the years running several different tonearms and several different cartridges that the matching between a tonearm and the cartridge is of critical importance to the cartridge can show us at its best and I'm nt refering only to match the tonearm/cartridge resonance frequency match but a real match between the behavior of the tonearm and the behavior of the cartridge: this relationship is extremely complex for say the least and that's why ( till today ) there is no single tonearm ( any kind ) out there where we can say: this is a Universal tonearm.

What means a UNIVERSAL tonearm design?, well a dream come true tonearm design where any cartridge and I mean any cartridge ( MC/MM ) ALWAYS can show us its best quality performance like in no other vintage/current tonearm designs.

Well, this was/is our main target/goal when more than three years ago we start in our tonearm design.
A very ambitious target that when I think on it again makes me think we were really " crazy " trying to achieve an almost impossible target.

All the tonearms that I own and many more that come borrowed by my audio friends help us to test more than 100 cartridges ( MM/MC. The last two MC were the Air Tight PC-1 Supreme and the Koetsu Coral. ) that in different conditions and in those tests confirm that we achieve our main target: a UNIVERSAL tonearm, yes we did it the tonearm ( still with out name ) makes that any cartridge performs better by a wide margin against any other tonearm.

We almost finish our last prototype and right now I'm testing in deep the " infrastructure " that between other things makes this UNIVERSAL tonearm the most user-friendly tonearm ever: it comes with a unique VTA on the fly and with a unique arm lift mechanism, we cope with all the geometry and desirable mechanism/parameter/factor you can imagine on a tonearm design, yes is a pivoted one, 250mm on effective length, its main build material is a propietary/patent blend material, self mounting, etc, etc.

Yes Syntax this is the newest tonearm where I'm playing and ejoying like in no other time each cartridge that I mount on it.

I have no words ( new words ) to describe its NEUTRAL quality performance, IMHO no one of you can even imagine how a cartridge performs in our tonearm design ( this is a totally new experience that we really can't imagine before we made the very first test!!!!! ): even we are a little on " surprise " about its performance.

Through the design time I have a lot of new experiences for example: if you read in the MM long thread I posted in the thread ( right in the thread ) that the AT-20SS cartridge was a very difficult cartridge to mate with a tonearm and find the right set-up well three weeks ago I mounted for the first time in our tonearm prototype and guess what?: immediately works and performs like ever in a simple way and with out " fighting " with the set-up.

Other example: with cartridges that due to its characteristics put the resonance frequency below 8Hz and over 12Hz the quality performance were just splendid like if that resonance ( out of target ) figure was of no importance at all!!!

We don't know yet the precise date for the tonearm goes to the " light but I think this could be in other two-three months maybe a little longer.

Regards and enjoy the music,
Raul.