Why the sudden popularity of 12 inch arms

Downunder, I know you were away, you missed some entertaining stuff. I too have gennies, plus a Mastersound half speed or two. This new one is way good. I had to open another sealed original to check in with myself. There is info on the new one I have not heard before. Serious!
Swampy, how about we count how many Yamahas are out there vs. Strats. Or, as an option, how many 300 year old trees we could cut down and send to Yamaha? Can you say supply and demand? You sir, might want to read a little more. You might also want to go price a new SOTA piano some day (!) vs used. I picked disc vs drum knowing (silly me) there was nobody left on the planet clueless enough to actually prefer them. There is indeed a compromise to cost no object items; THE COST. Perhaps this is why you eschew them? There is a tremendous amount of genuine progress regarding material(s) one can use to make stuff going on, at this moment. News on the subject is easy to find, just look. "You could try it!" This research would, however, cut in on forum pontificating time. Another compromise?
Salectric picked just one example where you are also in the wrong camp with this "always" idea. The world was always flat too, until it wasn't. Was it flat UNTIL it was accidently circumnavigated? I wonder? I am glad we are gathering up all the non-technical here. I can do one on one, but I like to reach whole groups if at all possible. To be continued... Z.

Two quick points(less than 1000 words) about the "better thing",and live music exposure..."my take only"(God how I like how that gets me off the hook).
Firstly,there can be a real benefit to hearing superior equipment,even if one is not planning to make a major purchase.Here,the "active" and "thinking" hobbyist has the oppurtunity to realize that "part" of the superior performance may be achieved with a bit more attention to some parameters our own system might be able to pull off.Like a bit more tweakery,or something as simple as better tubes,or those cute(and effective )HiFi Tuning fuses.Even attention to clean connections,or resonance control etc,etc, obviously can move us up the ladder.I've surprised myself many times(even if looking in a mirror-:)
You DO have to really know your set-up,and be a hands on guy!Also,make the attempt to hear alot of stuff.
The other point,where I am at odds with the "must hear real/live music regularly" camp is....You only have to know what live music sounds like!!...You will do far better,IMO,if you expose yourself to the "best systems"!
Here,the "obvious weaknesses" in our own set-ups more easily stands out,because we just KNOW that live music is not going to be easily reproduced in our lifetimes,with a stereo system!!To hear a "better system" though,and if you are a good and open minded listener(not a rationalizer, where you believe that everything you have is the best,anyway...I've got friends like "this"),AND willing to actually "think through" some of the perceptions of the "why" it sounds better,you stand a real chance to improve your current set-up...Whew,I think that was a run on sentence.
Hearing my friend Sid's suped up Air Tangent rig started me on this route,as I ultimately became acutely aware that the little annoyances that peeved me,in my own rig,was "groove" related."That" was the exact moment(a few years ago)when I rolled up my sleeves,on my old Graham 2.2 and learned it's hidden secrets.Quite a few,actually!Like this thing is a pain in the ass to voice perfectly,but it was so much fun "learning"!
Best.

Not bad Sir, not bad. One must hear live music, however. One must. Playing, better yet. Wouldn't hurt to see how much anything reinforced just the tiniest bit is compressed, gated, distorted (deliberately) and otherwise messed with. Reproducing THAT sound is a goal for the room as well. Analog is in the tweaks, yes it is. We agree again. I can't quite afford to have the 'Stones play in my Great Room, so I do try to keep current and expose myself to a variety (but not that gawdawful stuff Down buys!) to better assist in my quest for the next best thing. (my run-on) Keeping ones head ABOVE the sand and out of ones you-know-what can be a tremendous advantage as well. "You can try it!" Z.

Swampy, Rather than have you think I am a xe... big words... Since it is you who hasn't been reading, let me quote someone with more credibility than I. This gentleman speaks (spoke) to the crux of this thread: "He, who will not reason, is a bigot; he, who cannot, is a fool; and he, who dares not, is a slave." William Drummond 1585-1649 Please read this, perhaps several times, and get back to me. Happy listening! Z.

Rather than posting on a new thread, I thought I'd use this thread to ask anyone out there on their experience with a couple of 12" arms: Ikeda IT-407 and Ortofon 309D. And from reputation only, the Da Vinci Grandezza would provide much better performance than the Ikeda and the Ortofon (albeit at a cost)? Thank you very much.