Are linear tracking arms better than pivoted arms?


My answer to this question is yes. Linear tracking arms trace the record exactly the way it was cut. Pivoted arms generally have two null points across the record and they are the only two points the geometry is correct. All other points on the record have a degree of error with pivoted arms. Linear tracking arms don't need anti-skating like pivoted arms do which is another plus for them.

Linear tracking arms take more skill to set up initially, but I feel they reward the owner with superior sound quality. I have owned and used a variety of pivoted arms over the years, but I feel that my ET-2 is superior sounding to all of them. You can set up a pivoted arm incorrectly and it will still play music. Linear tracking arms pretty much force you to have everything correct or else they will not play. Are they worth the fuss? I think so.
mepearson
Wow Phil, thanks for the great ride through a specific point of time in audio history. Reading your post really allowed me to feel a small portion of what it must have been like at the time - very exciting.

Unfortunately, it's just left me wanting to hear more!
Happy to post some history and perspective, Bob. Now, if this weren't the analog forum, I could say something about picking up H3aa OTL amps from Julius Futterman at his workship in New York in the 1970s.....

Phil
>>Unfortunately, it's just left me wanting to hear more!<<

Well, feel free to ask questions. -Phil
Dear Phil, What an beautiful 'holistic story': persistence,
effort, love, friendship and objectivity put together. I wish you were in Europe.

Regards,
Thanks Phil,
My Souther has been a stable, unfussy (after a very fussy set up), reliable tool, perched atop my SOTA Star for a decade. I does require cleaning on occasion (a five minute task) and must be absolutely level. My arm/turntable combination produces so little "grove rush" that on a good quality recording one has to look to see if a record or a CD is playing. Most of us do not live in a cost is no object world. I am grateful to designers like Lou Souther, who make products that give ordinary folks a glimpse of the best for a modest price.