Comparison of sonic qualities of some tonearms

@tomic601 I encourage you and any body else to have the comparison experience.

It is a practice I have participated in many years as a sole participant and for many more years and on more occasions than I can count and have travelled many miles to meet with others who encourage comparing devices dedicated to be used in a audio set up.

Comparisons for me really work when encountered as a Social Activity, there is something quite satisfying in being a member of a group carrying out assessments.  

A Wise Person once left a legacy statement as follows:

"Comparison is the thief of enjoyment"     

I fully see the two edged cut this statement wields, and am always careful to discover the fun element of the participation, it is possibly this character being expressed that keeps the invites coming to be present at more to come.  

@mijostyn  : " A tonearm can not improve sound quality. it can only degrade it.   " 

I already posted something similar not only with tonearms but with other audio items and obviously that I'm in agree totally with you.Well the best that can do a perfect tonearm ( that does not exist. ) is not degrades the cartridge signal. All tonearms make a signal degradation no matters what.

So my take is to look for the tonearm that could makes the lower signal degradation. Degradation takes the form of added to the signal: colorations, distortions, noises, etc, etc.

That's why we need a real REFERENCE when we make comparisons, any kind of comparisons.

R.

R.

I myself am a advocate of Magnesium and have Headshells between 8 - 10 Grammes produced from it.

I also have the same arm tube as the SME V on my SME IV, I bought this under the guise the Magnesium Cast Arm Tube will have been the better material than the Rega Cast Aluminium Arm Tube of which SME were copying.

Magnesium does have properties that are stronger and stiffer than Aluminium, but for myself I can not say that it is an audible property. 

On a Budget Aluminium wins as it does not need to be coated to prevent corrosion where as Magnesium corrodes and needs a anti corrosive coating. 

I've handled many many Magnesium Headshells and sold on plenty as the corrosion is lifting of the coating. I keep the pristine ones for myself and gifts to friends.

Interesting as well, last time checked anyways, how thpe Korf Blog has never tested a Magnesium Headshell against the Ceramic Design so well supported ?

me   

 

@mijostyn  : " A tonearm can not improve sound quality. it can only degrade it.   " 

 

I already posted something similar not only with tonearms but with other audio items and obviously that I'm in agree totally with you.Well the best that can do a perfect tonearm ( that does not exist. ) is not degrades the cartridge signal. All tonearms make a signal degradation no matters what.

So my take is to look for the tonearm that could makes the lower signal degradation. Degradation takes the form of added to the signal: colorations, distortions, noises, etc, etc.

That's why we need a real REFERENCE when we make comparisons, any kind of comparisons.

This is bullcrap. That is my opinion and you are welcome to yours. 

As I said before, we don't listen in laboratories. You folks need to get out your own heads and cease thinking (pun) that you can intuit your way to the truth. 

Raul, for what seems like a thousand years you have sung your torch song that it is "the musics [sic] and not the distortions [sic]" and, well, how about moving on already to something more useful than a banality that happens to be both meaningless and yet paradoxically wrong. 

What if, using my previous analogy, we were to believe that a speaker enclosure can never compliment the qualities of the drivers mounted to it and instead can only degrade them? What if we were told to believe that a violin's soundboard can never compliment the sound of the strings and can only degrade them? 

Give it a break already. And stop preaching from on-high. 

@rauliruegas

I really enjoy testing and comparing different equipment. It is an expensive hobby, but yields intellectual satisfaction of what sound can sound like. I would be interested in testing and comparing many tonearms; however, the main drawback with my system is that I have to buy a new armboard for each tonearm, and the armboards for the Dohmann are rather expensive ($3,000), which adds a major cost to simply switching out tonearms every month. . .however, reading about the Viv Rigid tonearm, it appears to be freestanding, but it would have to stand on the minus K platform of the Helix to be a fair comparison; however, if someone has one that they want to send me to try out, I'll be glad to try one out and render my opinion.