Discuss The Viv Lab Rigid Arm

Pindac, what you want to do, which is a logical way to compare overhang to underhang, seems to have been done by Intact Audio with a Schroeder tonearm. Perhaps Dave (aka Intact Audio) can say more. I think the headshell is held at an angle, on some Schroeder tonearms, by a single screw, making it easy to set offset to zero. Then you’d just have to move the pivot back away from the spindle to achieve underhang.

@lewm  : "  the theory would predict that the Viv should sound grossly distorted (your term)  "

Not really a theory but imagination of some gentlemans.

R.

I don’t understand your last post.

@pindac when you wrote:

I can't but help feel that the positive impression being made from use of the 'Viv' by @lewm, is additionally influenced by experiencing a Tonearm with an alternative Mechanical Interface, inclusive of methods for transferring/dissipating energy not seen in a conventional design. 

Are you suggesting it is the floating golfball in oil that is responsible for the sound that owners like, as it sounds like you don't think it is the geometry? If so, you might be right, but I'm doubtful. I don't want to start another, separate debate, but I suspect the various sorts of bearings and pivots available have smaller effects than a radically different tonearm geometry.

The question that should be central to all of this is which is the greater sin: TAE or added anti-skate force? And the only difficulty in answering what should be a simple question is that so few people have an underhung tonearm. Is that because they sound terrible, or because we have misunderstood something basic, that was not even considered when the architects of conventional tonearm protocols were at work? Just imagine the fun if the sainted Lofgren was given a blind listening test!

I won't get into the meat of your post, but the pivot is not a "floating golf ball". Because it is totally enclosed, in order to keep the magnetic oil bath from spilling, I cannot really see what's going on there, but I suspect it is a constrained unipivot, constrained by magnetism. It's definitely constrained, because you cannot jostle the arm wand by twisting, pulling, or pushing, so long as you use reasonable force.