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What happened to Linear Tracking Turntables

After a lengthy discussion with a fellow audiophile who owns a B&O 4004 linear tracking turntable, he wondered what ever happened to the genre. According to him, they do less harm to the groove walls than do current arm geometries. He claims that records he has played hundreds of times sound basically the same as new with minimal wear. My response was--if they were so good, why do so few companies offer them? I'm sure there is a valid reason, but neither one of us is knowledgeable enough in the area to argue the point. Any analog gurus out there who could clarify the reason they fell out of favor.
jig
cmk
397 posts
 
Not all air-bearing linear trackers are very complex. The Conductor arm by the Cartridgeman, is an example of an air-bearing with a low pressure pump, thus getting around the problems of high pressure systems.
mt10425
1,138 posts
 
I really enjoy my LT-30 and Grado Sonata.
cwlondon
1,210 posts
 
After the audiophile community and press clearly and conclusively proved that a

- direct drive with
- linear tracking arms

offered the state of the art in performance...

Some other high margin, garage manufacturer came along proved them to be all wrong, as clearly

- belt drive with
- pivotal arms

was the high end format of choice....

So I would say dont worry, we should see them again soon at your local dealer.
tobias
1,534 posts
 
I believe Chadnliz is right, and a LT arm if improperly adjusted can harm a record more and faster than a pivoted arm. And they are hard to adjust correctly unless extremely well-made. So I have always considered LT arms as not to be fooled around with unless very very high end. UHF Magazine's Audiomeca SL5 is a good one.
cwlondon
1,210 posts
 
The Yamaha PX-2 was an excellent turntable, reliable, well made and not astronomically expensive.
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