TW-Acustic Arm

Got a TW arm for a trial. Now granted I am a TW fan, but I have my biases. My tonearm/cartridge combination of reference has been (when it maintains its setup) the Schroder SQ and Titan i. It is just that good in my system. Mind you not the detail or dynamic champ. It just meets all of MY priorities.

Now, to go on about how it excels, lets indicate that it throws a wide soundstage, with incredible depth and gorgeous highs. It just sucks you into the music. I can read any review here about any new arm etc, and know that they just don't know what they are missing. There is an art to setting up a Schroder. I have learned it over years and it is a lot, A LOT of work. You need to get the right wood, the right cartridge mounting plate and more. But once setup right it is special. No reviewer can have it for less than 6 months and learn its nuances.

There have been weaknesses. Bass isn't perceived as resolved as some others and dynamics are not its strong suit. But in every other way it excels. The music is freed from the grooves. And no arm I have tried has been able to do that. I have not tried an linear tracking arm. so please take that into consideration.

I have had many an arm/cartridge combination come and visit me and leave. None of them have freed the music from the groove into the room. None.

Now for the TW Arm comes an initial impression.
Just that and nothing more as I need time and don't have it to do too many comparisons. The TW arm posesses that same special ability to free the music from the groove. It also is a wonderful arm mechanically. So easy to setup and use. The workmanship is excellent. There are a few things I would like added and I am sure they will come. I want some calibrations on the VTA adjuster to know what settings I have. But it is up there with the best VTA adjustment ability of any arm I have used. It is easy enough to mark w. some nail polish but an idea. Also the same for antiskate.

Now for a bit more about the sound. The dynamic contrasts that come from this arm are fabulous. The treble has full extension and the bass is solid goes down low. You feel a total neutrality without a desire to compensate for any shortcomings. It is just that good. I am using it currently w. an Allaerts MC2 Finish and the combination is just fabulous. The soundstage width is as wide as my room. Depth is a bit shallow compared to the Schroder. But every arm I have tried is shallow in depth compared to the SQ. Music sounds natural without any excess color. The SQ has a touch of gorgeous color that the TW does not. I wouldn't say either is better, but I do love the SQ color. It comes at the price of a very slight softness which the TW does not have. The TW is neutral but not a lean sounding arm. It does not sound fat though. Just not lean. Images have palpable size and feel present in the room with you. What I demand is detail which is not aggressive. Treble and Bass must sound smooth and integrated with the rest of the sound spectrum. If not I get irritated. My system excels in that area compared to detail. I have headphones for detail (and no speaker I have heard yet - but am still searching) can give you the detail of headphones.

A few points that make the design excel in my experience. It has a single cable from cartridge to phono stage. It is also free of resonance. I am a big beliver that getting a cartridge / tonearm combination to have a resonant frequency as close to 10 Hz as possible is critical for accurate bass and smooth highs. The TW arm measured exactl 10Hz w. a few cartridges. If you tap it, there is not ringing as in some other arms. The counterweight is adjusted by turning (not sliding - what a pain). 3 different counterweights are provided for optimum matching (easier than changing arm-wands)and you don't need a fine VTF adjuster as the counterweight screws on and the threads are small enough to allow very minute adjustments of VTF w. ease. No need to lock the counterweight w. a screw etc, as the friction is perfect. Just the right amount.

But don't trust me, try to get a listen yourselves. I didn't expect it to be that good. The dynamic agility of the arm coupled with neutrality and musical flow is something rarely combined. Especially in a non tweaky tonearm.

I received my TW abt a mth ago. Certainly well packed with all the necessary accessories and the best instruction manual of all the 3 tonearms I have ( reed 2p-12" , Schroeder 2fw, TW). Set up was a bliss compare to Schroeder . Fr my set up, I find my TW + zyx omega gold more dynamics , better details and bigger soundstage compare to my Schroeder 2fw + ortofon A90. However I prefer the sweeter sound of Schroeder pairing for vocal. Both my cartridges are pretty new and I don't thk it's burn in properly . 1 thing abt TW arm which I don't understd is the use of magnetized screw to set anti skate. As I understd it exert a magnetic force on the arm tube n the nearer ( by inserting screw further in) it is to the arm tune, the stronger is the anti skate. My confusion is that as the arm tube move towards the label, wouldn't the anti skate change ? Fr my set up, I hardly hear any difference with different anti skate setting . In fact I try to set it with Cardas test record and I can't get it to glide slowly towards the label part of the record ( whether it's a right way of setting anti skate is another issue). Please advise

mmmmm. Sounds interesting.

A non-TW and non-Audio Origami dealer has just told me to look at the Audio Origami PU7 and get that 'special' in a 10.5". He had a chance to hear both on a TW Raven AC and said the PU7 sounded far more convincing, better LF and more dynamic. The build of the PU7 isn't upto the precise Germanic workmanship, but then in sound terms it seems at this stage a better buy.

I've yet to see a PU7 in the flesh. I've seen but not heard the TW tonearm - it does cost. If it sounds as good as the Graham Phantom then the 12" Ortofon is also looking like a REAL bargain as Thomas says the RS309D is about 95% of the Phantom which is 95% of his own arm.

Now I am confused!

Audioblazer,

I think we are both hearing the same things. Your liking the Schroder on vocals makes sense. What is the Schroder 2 FW. I assume model 2 w. F wood??? F being? Love to get some more information on the REED which to me seems similar in many ways to the Schroder but wonder how it translates.

As for the antiskate on the TW, I assume it is something similar to the Schroder twisting th string to exert a progressive back force. For me I didn't hear much difference at different points of the LP for testing. And I did test for this specifically. AS being more of an issue towards the center vs. the beginning. I use minimal antiskate and did the test similar to you. I visually check the arms motion. I also use my ears on that one as it always shows up in the listening.

As for sonics my SQ is amazing. You need a very good offer to get it from me as I love it so much. But it drives me crazy quite often. I won't rotate cartridges on it as each setup takes me hours. You adjust VTA and you lose VTA which loses Azimuth, which changes the Antiskate which changes the VTA again. etc. etc. etc. It is a cycle of trying to get it to lock in. Damping never stays set 100%. But setup correctly the sound is musical and it does something for Jazz and Vocals that no combination that I have tried can do.

The TW arm is right up there with it. Doing almost all the same but exerting more control and showing a greater foundation at the expense of the wonderful musicality/ Color the SQ brings. That is fine with the right cartridge and not with the wrong one. A Koetsu on a Schroder need not apply IME (I tried it w.the Jade...too much of a good thing). I would give a Koetsu a try on the TW. Pairing the incredible control and bass of the TW with the juicy midrange and fluid highs of a Koetsu might be a match in heaven. It is with the Allaerts. It has that similar organic sound to the Schroder but less of the magic. But the music gains foundation. Go ahead and put a Koetsu or an Allaerts on it. Compared to some very popular arms mentioned here (I don't want to criticize any arms) the TW comes closer with the magic than any of them I have tried. But they all can be special with the right cartridge in the right setup. So caveats apply.

All in all, the rules of tonearm pairing remain. It is all about the Cartridge / tonearm synergy. You can't choose a tonearm without considering what cartridge you want to use. The same applies in different degrees to phono stages... and then of course the system in question.

Going to look up about the Audio Origami mentioned above. Curious.

Dgad ,
Schroeder 2 fw is the Schroeder 2 version with reference magnet that is use on dps turntable. Agreed with u on the cumbersome set up.
As for TW my only doubt is how the AS work