@lewm and dear friends: Maybe many VIV owners not even who is J.Ellison and they need to find out that information.
Now, . Ellison posted in your link about the underhung Yamaha yonearm in the thread you started there, so it's an answer that he gave to you:
" The Yamaha straight arm is absurd. "
He posted too something that I posted several time about my personal targets:
" I don't really care what it sounds like. I care only how it measures.
In other words, I want an audio system that will accurately reproduce the sound of the master tape. If additional distortion improves the listening experience, then I want that distortion added to the master tape. I don't want my audio system to add distortion. "
His last statement/sentence is my target but all what he said is just a true fact for people as mijos or me.
An his last post in that thread in different words is something I already posted here and from year now in several threads:
" I firmly believe that the people who prefer vinyl also prefer distortion.
It's really quite simple. If you have a reference recording and you make a vinyl copy of it that sounds different from the original, the difference is a result of distortion. We all know that vinyl sounds different because something can't sound better than something else unless it also sounds different.
I've made hundreds of measurements of vinyl test records and I know that the vinyl format produces significant measurable distortion. Therefore, I have no doubt that I'm listening to distortion when I listen to vinyl. That's what gives vinyl its distinctive sound quality.
Best regards, "
Btw, that's why we " say " ( not me ) that vinyl has superiority to digital when it's theother way around. No pun intented.
lew, I really appreciated your link because that gentleman confirmed several of my posted believes in this forum.
R.