TT, 12" Tonearm. Who tried and ended up preferring 12" arm?


TT, 12" Tonearm. Who tried and ended up preferring 12" arm?

I don't mean to start a good, better, best, 'here we go again' tech talk about 9/12, that has been covered, and I have been researching.

I am just wondering: Who tried and ended up preferring a 12" arm?

Aside from all other upgrades you probably did at the same time, which could have improved a 9" arm, what about the 12" arm made you stick with it?

I suppose, 'I tried 12" and went back to 9"' would be good to know also

thanks, Elliott

elliottbnewcombjr
P.S. Stay with the Jelco magnesium headshell. You won't need anti-skating on the 12" although YMMV. You'll need phono cables. The Jelco 501 is perfectly good. Don't be tempted to replace it.
Thanks for the advice.

So, up from 850L tonearm to 950L tonearm is + $300. Over many years, what's +10%?

Difference? limits cartridge type? advice?
I decided to make an offer of $1,200 delivered for this old Denon with old but darn good motor TT81, long arm UA-7082, and a board with hole for a 9" arm.

I want Direct Drive, their Double Bi-Directional Servo is only on TT101; TT81; and TT71 motors

I'm thinking Stereo for  it's 12" arm, add 9" arm with Mono cartridge later, maybe Valentine's Day.

I have dusty forced air heat/cool, a dust cover is very important, a big dust cover for 2 arm setup is rare.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/VICTOR-CL-P2-TT-81-UA-7082-set-AC100V-Free-Shipping-d506/264532995172

IF Super 12 had a full dust cover, .... I could probably get a big one made for $200. by this guy

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Denon-DP-59L-New-JnB-Audio-Turntable-Dust-Cover-Made-in-USA/182380045189

Wish me luck.



We've been over this ground it seems like a thousand times, but I don't think all 3 of the Victor turntables you list have the "bi-directional servo".  The TT81 (according to hearsay) and the TT101 (according to my personal experience) are the ones to have.
On tonearm length, a 12-incher would in theory always be "better", geometrically speaking, but you need to factor in the cartridge compliance, the tonearm effective mass (which will always be greater for a 12-inch vs 9-inch version of the same tonearm design and construction), and your ability to set up the tonearm with precise accuracy, because an error in setting up a long tonearm will result in a greater final error in the geometry, compared to a similar error in setting up a 9-incher.  Further, longer tonearms might have greater problems with resonance, which will also affect SQ.  There is no good single answer to your question.
Victor UA-7082 is probably the best long arm you can buy for the lowest price ever compared to many others (if you can find a perfect sample), it’s cheaper than Schick and better than Jelco!

But the Victor TT-101 must be avoided if you don’t know a person who can repair it, it is expensive service and this turntable is full of bugs just because it’s too old and back then it was way ahead of its time. Not recommended for amateurs.

Look for Denon DP-80, Luxman PD-441 or 444, and Technics SP-10 mkII. They are fine!