Are linear tracking arms better than pivoted arms?

Dear Mepearson: +++++ " linear arm is incapable of reaching into the bottom octave. " +++++

I never posted that, please re-read my post. Btw, I already heard the Rockport too.

+++++ " It's kind of odd to have people tell us that we can't have what we know we hear! " +++++

like in almost every place on audio: there are different range level for quality performance, I know very well Definitive Technology and for what is surrounded it: that's not the quality level performance I'm talking about.

I don't like to continue with what you posted because this is leaving me ( push me. ) to analyze more in deep what you are hearing and I don't want to do it, at least not in your thread.

Regards and enjoy the music,
Raul.

I have owned Air Tangent 2B, 10B and Reference, ET 2.5 mod. and Goldmund T3F. Furthermore i have intimate experinece with the Kuzma Airline, Forsell and the Versa Dynamics.
While I would never dare to dispute their theoretical advantage of zero tracking error, all these linear tracking tonearms have/had a few shortcomings which ultimately put them off my tt's.
First of all, I yet have to find a linear tracking tonearm which does not put stress on the cantilever/suspension system of the cartridge mounted.
And it does so by design.

No matter whether active progression as with the Goldmund or passive progression as with Air Tangent and other air suspended linear tonearms - the force driving the tonearm in its linear way is applied through an often heavy lever and the force of lever acts right at the cantilevers suspension.
Not good.

I have found that most every linear tonearm shortens the life of the cartridge in use. No matter how careful you adjust all parameters and I am quite fussy with attention to detail in tonearm set-up.....

The theoretical advantage of zero tracking error is undisputed - but the advantage gets quite tiny regarding 10" and especially 12" tonearms.

Last but not least the bearing in air suspended, but also in slide mechanical bearing based tonearms is no match for the tight bearings of conventional pivot tonerams - unipivot, knife-edge or gimball bearings.

All these "old school" - bearings can handle mechanical energy induced into the tonearm by the tracking process much better than any real-world linear tracking bearing applied in tonearm design so far.
Thus they sonically outperform (the best pivot tonearms...) even the best linear trackers in low register weight, punch and brute force - and doing so by quite a good margin.

Yes, - the linear tracking concept in tonearm design has its theoretical advantages, but also its shortcomings inherent in the bearing principles applied so far.
We would either need super high air pressure - which will have some other new shortcomings coming with it... - or very tight (sealed...) linear bearings.
None of this has been brought to the market in lt-tonearm design so far.

And finally we would need to address that problem right at the tip of the cartridge' stylus....

Linear tracking tonearm design is a fine example of great promise in concept but many shortcomings in practice....

Dertonarm-Thank you for your very well-reasoned response. You obviously have an abundance of experience with linear tracking arms and therefore it's interesting to hear your viewpoint.

I have heard pros and cons for 12" arms with the cons mainly added resonance as a trade off for the lower distortion. What 10" arms do you recommend?

Mark

Mark, I would just give the Triplanar, DaVinci, new Ortofon as well as the Phantom II a good listen. These are current production and while not featuring the tightest and most rigid bearings in tonearm history, all four are capable to outperform each and every linear tracker in terms of speed, detail and inner punch in the lower registers. Precisely set-up their maximum derivation from zero tracking error is smaller than 1.6°.
Great contenders from days gone by ( see used market ) - with tighter and more rigid bearings than any of the above current production - are Technics EPA, Micro MAX, SAEC 4xx and most notably (no surprise...) Fidelity Research FR-64s (this has the best energy handling and transfer of any tonearm).
These are all 10" tonearms.

D.

Also look into the Basis Vector Arm. A. J. Conti use to distribute a well known linear tracking arm and he feels his arm sounds much better than a linear tracker.