A Copernican View of the Turntable System

Dear Lewn you wrote.
“BUT, what tonearms are you guys using? Given the rather large square "skirt" that surrounds the platter of the SP10 and the space needed for an outboard arm pod, it would seem to me that this can only be done with tonearms that are at least 10-inchers and longer, pivot to stylus. Yes?”

I would think anyone pursuing this wants the advantage of using any arm they want. My VPI pivot arm is 12” so I can’t verify this but considering there is no real estate constraint here other than your actual platform, your armpod need only be big enough to accept the bolts that the tonearm attaches to and you can place it anywhere on your platform that it lines up. Maybe Raul, Dgob, or Banquo can verify the 9” tonearm ?

I realize there are some on this thread that do not support the ET and/or linear air line bearing arms in general so I am saying this for those reading with ET’s as there are quite a number of us out there.

This combo sp10 / ET arm is a natural fit as both have straight edges. Alignment could not be any easier. The ET’s multi adjustments allow it to be mounted on whichever side of the sp10 you may want it on. If you look at my link in the previous post you will see it was on the other side when I used a plinth. The space between the sp10 and ET arm collar is 2 credit cards.

Dear Nandric – that Kuzma XL air line tonearm you mention sure reminds me of another tonearm?

Dear Dgob – I agree with what Rail said about using the 616’s for an arm pod – they squish when pressed much like the feet of my VPI TNT table. I would have tried it anyway if I could to hear regardless – there are no rules of engagment here – but my armboard is 12 inches long and 4 inches wide on 3 spikes. Note the ET arm will fit easily on a heavy brass 3 inch or bigger round armpod.

FWIW - AT616 versus my previous setup Mapleshade Spikes - too close to tell really – but the 616’s are adjustable so there - I believe any real $$ should go into a better armpod anyway – supporting the theory 75% armpod 25% plinthless DD TT as the reason for the sound improvement.

Cheers Chris

Chris, FYI a Triplanar, and probably other 9-inch tonearms where the pivot is offset to the right of the vertical mounting shaft (e.g., 9-inch Reed or Talea), is virtually unusable with SP10 due to that "skirt", unless you can tolerate a really weird angle when the tonearm is at rest such that it extends over the right front corner of the chassis. Yes, a straight-line tonearm like yours does work fine with SP10, plinth or no plinth.

Raul, for the heck of it I went to the Home Depot website. There I searched under "laser level" and found 5 pages of choices at prices ranging from less than $20 (per Pryso) to more than $1000!

Good info Lewn - I dont have a 9" arm. A dis-advantage of the ET arm is it sits too close to the platter and does not allow for a ring - if u wanted to experiment.

Raul, and others interested in low cost laser levels -

This site offers a model that looks like mine with a slightly different model #, CL6062. Price is $19.95 There may be other sellers.

http://www2.dealtime.com/lazerpro-cl2062/products

A 9" arm can work but some acrobatics need to take place. IIRC, part of my pod needs to be directly below the sp10's skirt in order for it to work.

Dgob: I was the one who wanted to try an AT 616 underneath my pod. It was just a thought since I have an extra footer and wanted to make use of it. I haven't tried it yet since my TT (and I) is in purgatory.

Chris: don't tease me. Since I took my TT in for repairs, I have bought the AT 616's, another tonearm, 3 carts, 2 tonearm wires, 4 headshells, and had 2 pods designed and fabricated all geared towards a sp10 that may or may not ever be repaired. Deadline is the end of this month. Either I get it back or I go shopping for another one (hope that one works!).