Why the sudden popularity of 12 inch arms

BTW,Z or anyone curious(c'mon we all like to check out what some of us own/like)about the Ascent MK-II(which I modded twice),there is a review which can be found online(probably Avalon's site)written by Michael Gindi(he talked me into getting my pair).I never appreciated the validity of this review,until years of ownership.Especially "after" a friend had bought one of the superb Kharma designs,then morphing to the close to the Ascent, but still no cigar Magico Minis(yet I LOVE the Magicos,and could see getting a pair,if in a different room).These still fell short of the Ascent-II(if you like micro-detail.. oh boy)....The review is enthusiastically written,and quite entertaining....AND.. DEAD ACCURATE(took years to realize how accurate it truly was)!!
OK,I'll go back on topic-:)

Mr. D, Let me have some fun! My taste is all over the map. Good production = heavy rotation at the Z house. Mr Halcro, I believe Rega owned several price points in the past. They are a price point line. The prime reason I think Acoustic Solid is uncompetitive today is that they use Rega arms way too far up the line. Having a little trouble on the suspended issue, however. Another design where things have come a LONG way. A brand new Linn may sound similar to one from 1985 but I have a VYGER here, that for the money, has been a real eye opener. PLUS, it will accommodate a 12. The new MS tables are pretty wonderful as well. Regardless of price. I could go on... The HRX has little real competition at it's price point. IMO. You should see how many are used at CES. Plus it can use the 12. We are going to see more 12s fellas, it is better on paper, and getting easier to build with lower mass, shorter "moment" etc... can't wait! Z.

Sir, Speakers truly are a subjective matter. As you can see, I just sold a pair of 20 year old speakers that I liked VERY much. There is old and then there is old; I had ADS speakers in my CAR (!) 20 years ago! The brand had, by this time become obsolete/uncompetitive in the home use market and for a few brief moments they were SOTA in car stereo. The last dying gasp, so to speak. No need to defend Avalon, they are certainly in the top 10? Any company that just survives 20 years in hi-fi is a testament to consumer acceptance. Happy listening! Z.

Downunder, Are you one of the very few lucky listeners to have purchased the MJ Thriller reissue? I would recommend this to everyone but with production so limited, there can only be so many winners here! HA! I crack myself up sometimes... Hey, have you guys heard the one about the guy who found 18 old tonearms floating down the gutter? I try to bang my own head against the wall as few times as possible before realizing a headache is coming on. Seriously, Down, you wouldn't be willing to PDF me that hi-fi + article would ya? Z.

All else being equal, a 12" inch arm should be better than a 9" arm (who can argue with more inches is better, guys?). The trouble is, there is no way to make all else equal.

it is a matter of designers making their choice of tradeoffs. But, to say that one aspect of design, specifically length, is so important that a long arm is inherently superior, as someone mentioned that Roy Gregory has suggested, I don't buy.

Larryi- you nailed it. All designs are compromises. Even "cost no object" designs. As Larry says, a longer arm is always heavier, all else being equal. We can change the arm tube material, or wall thickness,etc., , but then its not the same as the shorter arm.

Zieman- your posts are entertaining, but you don't seem to be able to actually carefully read others. The whole disc/drum analogy is that, (with the exception of truly breakthrough technologies), implementation of any design is usually more important. And I would truly prefer to have a well executed mature design than a first gen more advanced design with flaws and/or low cost materials. Perhaps that's part of the reason why Guarinis and Strativerii (sp?) fetch "a bit" more than current Yamaha violins. Newer sometimes is better, but not always. Non-quantitative (= design execution) factors may be more important in artistic (=music) endeavors than quantitative (= SOTA design) factors.

And of course with vinyl playback, there are so many interactive components involved, I think I fall in Raul's camp...Not on shorter is better (insert your own filthy leering comment here) but on, and I am paraphrasing, its the system. A tone arm/cart/TT/phonostage is a system that can be optimized, but I'm not so sure any one component can be optomized in isolation. My $0.02. YMMV, and if id does, then so be it.

BTW, I would suggest canning the xenophobic remarks. This forum benefits from viewpoints from all cultures.