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why is a 13" tonearm design really superior?

we just mounted the SAEC WE-8000 on my Nakamichi and I can´t really believe what kind of fantastic sound this tonearm is able to reproduce. Is it because this is a very special 13" design or because of the extraordinary headshell design? I think it is the only tonearm with such a long straight alu-pipe. Am i right? Also the lift design is unique, this lift stops at every level you like to use.
Why are todays tonearm developers not anymore going for a 13" or 14" design?
thuchan
thuchan OP
1,009 posts
 
ok that´s a limiting factor of course, understand.
Today a friend of mine showed me a pic of a 24" tonearm.
He listend to it and was overwhelmed. He will find out what manufacturer it is, I will report on it.
Maybe the headshell speciality with very long straight tonearms like the SAEC 8000 is also a kind of issue.
tbg
5,263 posts
 
Thuchan, there is another solution, namely a straight-line tracker. There are many issues with it also. I did see a pivoting straight-line tracker at CES, which used a second arm to keep the headshell and cartridge always tangential to the grooves. I don't remember that name, perhaps because the arm cost $15k.
syntax's avatar
syntax
2,193 posts
 
Tbg, I guess, it is the "Thales" Arm. Made in Switzerland.
kha
57 posts
 
YES it is
tbg
5,263 posts
 
Yep, I loved the entire table, and it sounded great. Too expensive, however.
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