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tonearms with VTA-towers for true "VTAF"

Hi All,
I think the time has come to look at some more 'advanced' tone-arms that sport VTA towers. ('Old skool' is getting us not much further with this, or?))

During a lot of other, related postings it seems a good subject, I think.

Our experts, all might agree, that:

1) If you want to push the envelope for BEST possible replay, constant VTA 'adaptation' is an unavoidable matter. (nobody said madness :-)

2) I understand this means a TOP cart, inevitably with a 'most modern' type Fine-Line contact stylus, forget elliptical or can one even mention the word, spherical?

Add some TOP cantilever materials like:
- Beryllium (hard to get, as it is a very tricky material to work with i.e. very poisonous in powder form),
- Boron (which mostly has replaced the former),
- Titanium?? (was used by some of the better AT carts),
- Ruby, well some like it I hear,
- Sapphire?? (some one liked that better then Ruby, but VERY little seems about),
- Diamond (see e.g. the DV odd-ball 17D3), etc.

This should make for some VERY detailed and revealing reproduction (even in an MM cart), add to this the most revealing ingredients of a TOP LO-MC.

The end result is, that you can now here some marvellous detail (carved-outness of images, stage-depth -width, and on), B U T ONLY if your VTA is at its VERY closest to what the record was cut to! (Else you find your cart, record, arm, phono-pre, .... system sux :-)

More interesting yet, even the same vinyl brands have not always used the same cutting angles (over time). Anything from just under 20deg. to about 25deg. is what we find!

Next, these high res. styli also have each one their own preferred SRA / VTA angles, i.e. the stylus line-ridge related to the cantilever is a variable too.

Add this all up and you have a problem, particularly if you care for truly top play-back.

If you have a "VTA tower" it only seem to take 15sec. to change to the correct, previously found VTA, you do need to be organised though. If you want some know-how, Doug can tell, see also the discussion under:
"VTA setting for 'parabolic' and 'elliptical' styli"
http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?eanlg&1244713018

There we have mentioned 3 current contenders, I quote: "Graham, VPI, TriPlanar plus a few very costly linear trackers..."

WHAT ABOUT THE: Kuzma 4Point?!

If I wouldn't like e.g.:
- multiple added connections (Graham, 7 in total?)
- wobbly Unipivots (VPI)
- too many fiddly pieces to make up the arm (TriPlanar)
- air bearings, or worse yet 'electronic' arm-feed

If I'd have an issue with these, I've no working solution to the VTAF I'd be looking for.

What say you?

Greetings,
Axel

axelwahl
dertonarm
1,042 posts
 
Dear Axel, yes, a FR-64s w/B-60 VTA-on-the-fly base.
Still about the most comfortable VTA ever made.
Not really a surprise this proposal coming from me sooner or later........

The new VTA-base by TW is another option and more universal.
The Technics EPA-500 system tonearm is another.
Then there is the old working horse MA-505.

The ET2(2.5) performance in the lower register do very much depend on air flow and pressure. With the usually used Hi-blow and Wisa pumps its indeed quite poor. But there are other more sophisticated options regarding air supply and these do greatly enhance the bass performance - but still not to top-notch-level, while comparable with most that is there today for much higher retail.
The ET2.5 is vastly underated and needs only a bit of brain and investment in the periphery to become a top contender.

Cheers,
D.
kristian85's avatar
kristian85
41 posts
 
Well, wow, that's some serious stream-of-consciousness rambling there, but another contender in a state-of-the-art airbearing linear tracker is available for far less than usual in a Trans-Fi Terminator 3. See link: http://www.trans-fi.com/terminatortonearm.htm .

I just received mine; it's beautifully made and a shocking bargain.
dertonarm
1,042 posts
 
Dear Kristian85, interesting attempt indeed.
Good value for the money too. The VTA-adjustment however does have the same problem as the Air Tangent, Denessen, Goldmund T-3F, Kuzma Airline and all pivot tonearms - the adjustment of VTA does change the overhang and thus the whole geometry does loose "track".
Even on a linear tracker...
Cheers,
D.
axelwahl OP
788 posts
 
Hi Larryi,
you mention something VERY interesting
>>> For that, the only somewhat easy to implement way to mitigate the problem is a long tonearm. <<<

An aha, moment?! - But is it not, that if e.g. 1.5mm arm-up on a 9" arm is required to get 'ball-park' from one to another kind of vinyl, this would translate to even MORE change with a 12" arm?

I don't say that's all there is to it, but you know -- the old Egyptian, or should I say Pythagoras come to mind... the trigonometrical-functions.

It'd be just the ticket if a 12", 10.5" or 11" be more 'forgiving'.

Just this afternoon I played some very famous Swedish Jazz Ensemble's LP (my Audio friend brought along). And after running it through my RCM it played better more correct with cymbals etc. going 0.2mm down on VTA... eish!

So could it be, a longer arm IS more forgiving?

D.
Technics EPA-500 ===> Titanium Nitride, ah so,
FR-64s w/B-60, oh yes, look most desirable objects and surely as scarce as chicken teeth, methinks :-).

Greetings,
Axel
pryso
1,928 posts
 
Axel, what is VTAF? I think you my have confused vertical tracking angle (VTA) and vertical tracking force (VTF). And would you call the Graham Triplanar adjustment devices towers?

Many arms incorporate a knob to adjust VTA, as opposed to one or more set screws on the arm base shaft. But not all of those allow for adjustment of VTA during play, if that is what you're asking about.

Easy examples are found with VPI arms. The JMW-9 has an adjustment dial but (I don't believe) it is recommended during playback. The JMW-10 and 12 series have a more refined adjustment gearing so allow changing VTA during playback.
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