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Why are modern arms so ugly?

OK.......you're going to say it's subjective and you really looove the look of modern tonearms?
But the great tonearms of the Golden Age are genuinely beautiful in the way that most Ferraris are generally agreed to be beautiful.
Look at the Fidelity Research FR-64s and FR-66s? Look at the SAEC 308 series and the SAEC 407/23? Look at the Micro Seiki MA-505? Even the still audacious Dynavector DV-505/507?
But as an architect who's lifetime has revolved around aesthetics.......I am genuinely offended by the design of most modern arms. And don't give me the old chestnut....'Form follows Function' as a rational for ugliness. These current 'monsters' will never become 'Classics' no matter how many 'rave reviews' they might temporarily assemble.
128x128halcro
thuchan
1,009 posts
 
Dear Nandric,

there is a good reason why you could compare Japanese and German engineers qua culture. Regarding their way of careful planning, studying and intensive implementation there are obviously parallels. When I have worked with German and Japanese engineers I always was astonished how close they were in their "technical mind set". Nevertheless you are right there are other cultural differences but maybe between managers or every day people (like we).

best @ fun only
hifihvn
943 posts
 
Scroll down to the Prewar period to see why the Japanese have similar products comparable to the Western World. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_history_of_Japan]
nandric's avatar
nandric
4,086 posts
 
Thuchan&Hifihva, Japan was a 'closed society', to use the
opposite of Poppers 'Open society'. Only the Dutch have had
the admission to enter. 'Rangaku' was long time their name for science while this exppression actually means the study of the Dutch language. This fact imply that aducated
Japanese were able to read and speak (?) Dutch which is of course very similar to German. So the German 'orientation' for at least 'technical study' is easy to understand. I also assume that the German technical faculties were much better than the Dutch at those times. But I don't know when exactly this 'reorientation' took place. However I am somehow sure that Daniel knows the answer.
Thuchan I refuse to 'enter' the 'nature-nurture' riddle.

Regards,
dertonarm
1,042 posts
 
Dear Hifihvn, yes, but german attention ( obsession ..? ) in attention to detail and precision was apparently more readily adapted by the japanese students in their prewar traveling of the western hemisphere ....;-) ...

Dear Nikola, Thuchan is much more qualified here.
Him having lived in Nippon for a while and being able to talk in japanese. My knowledge here is purely 2nd hand and based on historic studies only.
Cheers,
D.
dertonarm
1,042 posts
 
Dear Halcro , agree about the Telos.
Joel Durand apparently went into a slightly different direction now compared to his Talea-design.
Beautiful ..... well not really.
In terms of optics, I am rather unimpressed.
But I am sue we will see huge and enthusiastic acclaim following RMAF 2011.
Cheers,
D.
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