Comparison of sonic qualities of some tonearms

Viv Float +1!

Beware of old guys who once worked in an audio store decades ago. Those memories, shrouded in the mist of time, are not always to be trusted. Even though the Rabco did have its gremlins.

@whart  Because I am a dog.

As long as you can adjust the effective mass, a dogmatic tonearm will run any cartridge at it's best. There is no magic to tonearm design only compromises. The pivoted offset arm makes one huge compromise for the sake of simplicity and that is it is not tangential. Most of us think that is a reasonable compromise to make given the state or the art in tangential tonearm design with three possible exceptions the REED 5A, 5T and the Schroder LT. 

@lewm The Rabco was a frigin haunted house!

@rauliruegas It's good to be back on the reservation:-)

Tonearms

I agree with rauliruegas

Today’s new and recognized vintage tonearms are all darn good.

We all love music, and do the best we can afford to increase the enjoyment.

Perhaps differences are measurable, that does not mean we are all able to hear the very subtle differences OP is asking about. I believe most of us could not hear any difference (and, if so, preferred or better?)

Certainly, the vast majority of us have not actually done side by side comparisons.

Thus, for me, it’s about Features (and appearance).

1. Fixed cartridge/removable headshell

is a clear separation, I always recommend removable headshells, and remind people, despite ‘fixed is better’ thinking, that many highly respected Tonearms came with/have removable headshells.

A quick ‘vintage tonearm’ search on hifishark, recently listed: Denon, Fidelity Research, Glanz, Grace, Ikeda, JVC, Micro Seiki, Ortofon, SAEC, SME’s, STAX, Thorens, ... and many new Tonearms, lets not forget all current beloved Technics .....

2. Wiring, I agree with rauliruegas, is important and ‘slightly more of us’ can hear a difference if truly concentrating, but: enough to rewire when a problem does not exist? I actually moved ‘down’ from silk covered 37 strand litz to whatever Steve at VAS uses for all his re-wiring jobs (unless customer requests …). I can’t hear any difference, but no direct comparison: broken, away, fixed, back. Much sturdier insulation that the silk covered litz it came with helps me sleep at night!

 

3. Azimuth: see below, Micro Seiki headshell collet allows Azimuth adjustment.

I buy headshells allowing azimuth adjustment, shims be gone

 

4. Arm Height Adjustment is very important, not just easier setting VTA initially, but when changing cartridges after initial one is worn, playing from a small collection of cartridges you may have, mounting a friend’s cartridge, switching from Stereo to Mono cartridge …

I have installed 3 arms with easy height adjustment

1. My Acos Lustre GST 801 on my JVC

2. My friend’s 2 Micro-Seiki 505s on his Luxman TT.

 

3. My friends Technics EPA-B500 Base with changeable arm wands

Curved wand, removable headshell

 

5. Anti-Skate is a must, easy?
6. Mounting of Tonearm, ease, solidity, future change, is why removable arm boards are important, not essential but ….
7. Appearance, someday this Ikeda

 

 

 

@drbond I have heard the Viv Labs against an SME V, SME V12, SME 309, Kuzma Stogi S 12", Kuzma 313 ref, Kuzma 4point 9" and 14". 

Whilst all these arms have there undoubted virtues, the Viv Labs does all that Hifi stuff but is just more enjoyable/musical to listen to.