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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
mikelavigne
2,194 posts
 
there are more beautiful and more elegant, higher build quality tonearms, and less beautiful and less elegant, and lower build quality tonearms, but from my perspective they are all beautiful and elegant. i'm trying to think of a tonearm which does not cause me to smile at least a little in anticipation....i cannot think of any.

ugly tonearms? no.

not to my taste? sure.

if i had a collection of iconic vintage tonearms i might feel differently.
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
11,760 posts
 
Dan_ed, thanks. I did not want to say that myself. Halcro and I must have very different taste :)
audiofeil
4,011 posts
 
Even if they were the best sounding tonearms I ever heard they would still rank among the ugliest.

I can separate the visual and audible without any assistance thank you.

For example, I think Barbra Streisand has a great voice.
dertonarm
1,042 posts
 
Dear Halcro, as you know, I am low tempered and a rather remote character .... while I really like the Cobra's VTA-tower in execution and handiness ( I had a good, intense and deep look at it at Thuchan's), I am not really taken by the late 1940s design of the arm wand at all.
It really is not form-follows-function, but rather "look here !!! man, I am REALLY different...".
But it sounds good.
Cheers,
D.
thuchan
1,009 posts
 
God thank you that we have different taste and we get not stoned if we are the ugliest - extreme propositions call for extreme point of views.

and not everyone deserves the best - har har

best @ fun only
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