Tonearm must provide a stable platform for the cartridge to function optimally. The corollary is that specific tonearm/cart combo matters greatly for sound quality. Cartridge compliance specs help determine tonearm mass needed for good performance. Mass and rigidity are two key attributes. In general you want to optimize the electric signal transfer from the stylus as it modulates while tracking the record groove. Tonearm provides the platform for the stylus to move and perform that function accurately.
What does a tonearm contribute to the sound of a turntable?
Curious about how a tonearm affects a turntable sound. I guess it's the piece of the turntable I know the least about and feel the least connection with. how does a really good tonearm affect the sound or not affect the sound? And what about the tonearm does the affecting?
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I have a version of damping tape on the drivers in my Spatials. Their previous owner put it on and said it really helped control the sound. I took his word for it. A few more things:
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Waddup with that? People gonna flip out Simao but I will tell you waddup widdat: azimuth is one of the biggest waste of time specs in all of turntable setup. I have yet to meet anyone who thinks its important who even knows what it is. What I mean is they say they know, but then they get it wrong. If you want to really know go to YouTube or Soundsmith and let Peter Ledermann explain it to you. He totally nails it. As you would expect. The #1 thing to keep in mind with everything having to do with turntable/arm/cartridge setup is all the specs, all the alignment, VTF, VTA, all of it, is intended to get you in the ballpark. Well except for overhang. That one you want to nail. All the rest you fine tune by ear. Azimuth does matter, and Ledermann explains beautifully why. But if you listen carefully you will understand just how complicated it is and why it is that you can measure so bad yet sound so good. What you hear always- always- takes precedence over what you measure. And now if someone who thinks azimuth is so important will please explain what it is and why it matters and get it right we will have a first for this website. |
Agree with most of what is said above. Everything matters. Signals are tiny, and anything that can, will effect the signal. Regarding Azimuth, I need to see the video. Seems to me, when set up properly (I use a voltmeter, check left and right channels using a 1kHz signal that plays left, then right) Fremer has a way to do this if you have an accurate multi meter and a test record. https://www.analogplanet.com/content/crazy-little-thing-called-azimuth-part-1 https://www.analogplanet.com/content/crazy-little-thing-called-azimuth-part-2 Curious to see what Peters thoughts are on this? It would seem to me, that in order to get the best possible L/R channel separation, proper azimuth is critical... |
++millercarbon Wow! He covered everything! A REALLY important consideration is Cartridge Compliance and the Tonearm choice that MC mentioned above. A rigid arm requires a compliant cartridge! Much more than 10. The more the better if using a stiff arm! And Vice-versa with a compliant arm. An MC cartridge won’t do that without spending a million $. They do cost more for a reason. They sound better, whether choosing MC or MM/MI. You can join vinylengine.com and see a graph that compares compliance of the cartridge and the rigidity of the arm, together. Additionally there is a really elaborate [sic. accurate] calculation that will help you calculate it more accurately than that graph, somewhere on the Internet. Again, listen to what Mr Lederman has to say! Bent |
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