Schroder sq and the new talea

The Talea uses a counterweight system similar to the Triplanar- three weights (the last of which is threaded and very small for exacting adjustment).

I point this out because it is possible to have either arm set up in a way that does not favor the cartridge installed. This weight system allows you to adjust the effective mass of the system which is not possible with a single counterbalance weight.

So if the tracking weight is right, but the effective mass is not, the cartridge will not show its best! This is how you can get really divergent results using the same arm and cartridge. My own experience suggests that if the effective mass is also optimized, one will hear far less differences with the cartridges.

Halcro, Raul: I am fully agreed that synergy is very important to get the optimum result. I wish I have the ZYX with the DaVinci.

I have spent many hours with the DaVinci using with different kind of cart, more than the Talea. I think I have grown to know its basic characteristic and it is so easy for me to decide which tonearm that I want to live with or without.

Lew, you're right about the DV1s weighing more than the Universe (just by feel....I have only a mass of 12.6 gm for the Dyna but nothing for the ZYX), but why did you guess heavier rather than lighter?
And yes......I was commenting on cartridge/arm matching rather than the respective merits of the 2 cartridges.

Raul's point about the difficulty of designing a truly 'universal' tonearm is well taken.
Of my 3 tonearms on the Raven AC-3, the Copperhead arm came 2nd (although by the smallest of margins), with both the Universe and the DV1s. The DaVinci was best with the Universe whilst the Phantom II won with the DV1s.
When high compliance MM cartridges were installed however, the Copperhead won with every single example.
So trade-offs are inevitable I think if the aim really IS to design a 'universal' arm, and don't forget, the arm designers usually use one or two cartridges to 'voice' their tone-arm designs so synergy with those selected cartridges may necessarily compromise the synergy with others?

Dear Peterayer: Guillermo and I think that about quality performance our tonearm ( shows it through different prototypes. ) achieve the " universal " main target that we point out during our on desk design previous to start tonearm building.

We are trying to finish with all the tonearm " facilities " that we need as a tonearm users.

Unfortunatelly we take a lot of time because Guillermo and I were/are no full time dedicated to the tonearm project, we advance on it through our " free time " and due that our main target of " universal " characteristic we have to made and make " hundreds " of tests with dozens of every single cartridge you can imagine: current models, vintage ones and LOMC type as MM/MI too and I have to do it with our tonearm design and with almost any other tonearm you could think: not an easy task I can say but worth the effort in benefit of MUSIC and the improved enjoyment that all of us deserve.

. Certainly that in the first middle of next year will be out there.

Regards and enjoy the music,
Raul.

Hi, my name is Larry, this is my brother Daryl, and this is my other brother Daryl.