Dear @fsonicsmith : I can't go against your post, as a fact I agreee on many issues.
"" Do they have the biggest influence on sound character? That is a different question. ""
You put the nail on what I'm trying to say. Transducers always does that and yes are very simple audio items.
In the other side one way or the other all audio items that normally are used in audiophile systems in the worst case are " decent " designs because the audio industry already achieved " maturity " about. Of course exist quality ladder levels.
If we analyse the differences between a better and normally higher price tonearm vs a " decent " design what could be find down there:
- maybe the better design comes with ABEC 9 bearing instead ABEC 7 as the lower one. These numbers makes a difference?, not really for we can evaluate in an isolated way. Both tonearm bearings will operates really fine.
. the better tonearm normally comes with better internal wiring quality.
- comes too with better damped characteristics.
- tighther tolerances every where and maybe a little better " user friendly " characteristics.
Now, in this hypothetic example if we mount the Audio Technica AT 95 cartridge you can be sure that in both different tonearms will performs pretty good with a little higher quality in the " better " tonearm.
I think that does not exist any more a tonearm where a today cartridge or even vintage one could sounds really bad. To this could happens there will exist a severe mistmatch in between cartridge tonearm and if is happening then even in the " better " tonearm will sounds bad.
Same happens when we are talking of TTs. Of course that if we compare a BD not good damped TT against aother with better damping the cartridge mounted will let you know that. The transducer always " talks " and tells us what is happening.
IMHO and every thing the same the transducers have the " word "/speech.
Yes, this is my opinion from some time now and could change in the future, who knows.
R.
"" Do they have the biggest influence on sound character? That is a different question. ""
You put the nail on what I'm trying to say. Transducers always does that and yes are very simple audio items.
In the other side one way or the other all audio items that normally are used in audiophile systems in the worst case are " decent " designs because the audio industry already achieved " maturity " about. Of course exist quality ladder levels.
If we analyse the differences between a better and normally higher price tonearm vs a " decent " design what could be find down there:
- maybe the better design comes with ABEC 9 bearing instead ABEC 7 as the lower one. These numbers makes a difference?, not really for we can evaluate in an isolated way. Both tonearm bearings will operates really fine.
. the better tonearm normally comes with better internal wiring quality.
- comes too with better damped characteristics.
- tighther tolerances every where and maybe a little better " user friendly " characteristics.
Now, in this hypothetic example if we mount the Audio Technica AT 95 cartridge you can be sure that in both different tonearms will performs pretty good with a little higher quality in the " better " tonearm.
I think that does not exist any more a tonearm where a today cartridge or even vintage one could sounds really bad. To this could happens there will exist a severe mistmatch in between cartridge tonearm and if is happening then even in the " better " tonearm will sounds bad.
Same happens when we are talking of TTs. Of course that if we compare a BD not good damped TT against aother with better damping the cartridge mounted will let you know that. The transducer always " talks " and tells us what is happening.
IMHO and every thing the same the transducers have the " word "/speech.
Yes, this is my opinion from some time now and could change in the future, who knows.
R.