VPI now makes a Gimbal bearing tonearm. About time.
The unipivot topology came about because it is a cheap easy way to make a tonearm. Don't have to by expensive bearings and worry about tolerances but there is trouble in paradise. To many degrees of freedom. A tonearm should only be able to move up or down and side to side. It should be absolutely rigid in all other planes. Records are not flat. Any change in altitude is going to subject the arm to torque because the arm is offset which is going to change azimuth. Graham tried to fix this using a magnetic field to hold the arm steady and it works if you want to spend ridiculous money on an arm. I would rather get a 4 point. Much less expensive, better sounding and more suitable for a wider range of cartridges.
VPI has finally come out with a turntable I could consider, the new Direct Drive with the gimbal pivoted tonearm. If they could figure how to suspend it like a SOTA it might even be perfect.
The unipivot topology came about because it is a cheap easy way to make a tonearm. Don't have to by expensive bearings and worry about tolerances but there is trouble in paradise. To many degrees of freedom. A tonearm should only be able to move up or down and side to side. It should be absolutely rigid in all other planes. Records are not flat. Any change in altitude is going to subject the arm to torque because the arm is offset which is going to change azimuth. Graham tried to fix this using a magnetic field to hold the arm steady and it works if you want to spend ridiculous money on an arm. I would rather get a 4 point. Much less expensive, better sounding and more suitable for a wider range of cartridges.
VPI has finally come out with a turntable I could consider, the new Direct Drive with the gimbal pivoted tonearm. If they could figure how to suspend it like a SOTA it might even be perfect.