Unipivot tone arms

@dinov   I bought the original VPI Scout, same JMW 9 tonearm.  Unipivot works just fine.  I never liked the anti-skate feature using fishing line, feeling it had to be re-set too often.

I do think that some of the unipivots have fundamental issues, like chattering on the point, or some other instability. The Naim Aro is a good example of this.

I have ownd a Naim Aro for 25 ears along with a myriad of other arms. It is very stable due in part to the low centre of gravity ( below the pivot point ).

You either had a faulty arm or maybe it was your bouncy castle ( Linn ), though Martin Colloms used the Naim Aro on his Linn for many years and one of his key criteria in choosing the arm was its resistance to the problems of footfalls on his sprung wooden floor.

I helped with installing a Naim ARO on a Linn table.  The combination sounded good to me in the right system.  It was quite a lively sounding combination which sounded good in the somewhat dead system I hear it  playing.  Whether it would sound good in my more lively horn-based system is another matter.  Like any other component it matters how it works with other components and the sound one is trying to achieve.  But in the most gross terms for a tonearm/cartridge--whether it tracks properly, is not susceptible to troubles with warps, etc., the ARO performed well.

"I have ownd a Naim Aro for 25 ears along with a myriad of other arms. It is very stable due in part to the low centre of gravity ( below the pivot point ).

You either had a faulty arm or maybe it was your bouncy castle ( Linn ), though Martin Colloms used the Naim Aro on his Linn for many years and one of his key criteria in choosing the arm was its resistance to the problems of footfalls on his sprung wooden floor."

Actually, I think the Naim Aro is one of the few non-Linn arms that works with the old fruit box. However, since we are discussing Uni-pivot designs, the basic issue with the design is the problem with the dynamic azimuth error as the arm encounters irregularities in the groove. Resulting in ’rolling’ side to side. Not ideal, IMO.

VPI arms are excellent if set up properly.....like all things  Mine isn't truly a unipivot ....I've attached their 2nd pivot....works great