tonearms Archives - Positive Feedback

Audiomods 12" Series Six Tonearm

John Hoffman — Fri, 01 Nov 2024 20:44:50 +0000

In 2020 Jeff Spalls introduced the Audiomods Series Six tonearm, providing many analog hobbyists with an opportunity to experience excellent yet affordable analog playback. Shortly after the Series Six's introduction, two significant events altered the audio landscape for many of us. First, the Ichikawa Jewel Company LTD shuttered its doors, leading to the loss of... Read More »

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The New Apartment Lounge - There and Back Again: Wrapping My Head Around Kronos Audio′s Radical Kronoscope RS Tonearm

Maurice Jeffries — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 20:40:45 +0000

New Kids on the Block Back in late fall 2021, as most of the nation impatiently wiped layer upon accumulated layer of sleep from COVID-19 weary eyes, GTT Audio & Video's head honcho Bill Parish bravely invited a small group of reviewers to his sprawling suburban New Jersey listening rooms, amongst the finest such spaces... Read More »

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Waters on the Hardware: A Life-Changing Visit to GTT Audio

Dean Waters — Sat, 21 Sep 2024 23:06:45 +0000

Dean Waters with Cigar: a study. 2023 Pacific Audio Fest, Seatac, WA (photograph and image processing by David W. Robinson) Throughout our lives we encounter special moments that are so transformative that we know that we will always remember exactly where we were and what we were doing the moment they occur. If you're old enough,... Read More »

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Titanium? Taking Turntabling Into the Space Age with the GrooveMaster 3 Tonearm!

Juan C. Ayllon — Tue, 11 Jun 2024 20:03:26 +0000

Bicycle photo courtesy of Bossibicycles.com and SR-71 Blackbird photo by USAF Judson Brohmer and Wikimedia Commons Replacing my turntable's stock tonearm with the Titanium-tubed Audio Creative GrooveMaster 3 conjures a 50-mile bicycle touring experience in the 90s. I wasn't a regular cyclist, and pedaling my heavy fat-tired steel Trek mountain bike on surface streets for... Read More »

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Impressions – A Study in Synergy, Part the Last, at last! Dohmann Audio, Schröder, Phasemation, & Gold Note

David W. Robinson — Mon, 07 Nov 2022 23:26:44 +0000

David W. Robinson in Jerusalem, Israel, 2022: a portrait by John Robinson The Dohmann Audio Helix Two Mk2 Turntable, Schröder CB-11 Tonearm, Phasemation PP-2000 MC cartridge, & the Gold Note PH-1000 Phono Stage with PSU-1250 Power Supply Part the First of my reflections on the superb synergy of the Gold Note PH-1000/PSU-1250 Phono Stage, the... Read More »

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From an Editor's Notebook: A Trip to Montreal and Kronos Audio, a Photo Essay

David W. Robinson — Sat, 06 Aug 2022 04:53:43 +0000

E-in-C Robinson photographing at the Kronos factory, Montreal, 2022 (photograph by Bill Parish; image processing by Robinson) If you've been following my comments since last February, you're well aware of the fact that I have been repeatedly stating my extremely pleased astonishment at Louis Desjardins' Discovery Turntable System. So have others in our creative community.... Read More »

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Impressions – A Study in Synergy, Part the First: Dohmann Audio Helix Two Mk2 Turntable, Schröder CB-11 Tonearm, Phasemation PP-2000 MC cartridge, & the Gold Note PH-1000 Phono Stage with PSU-1250 Power Supply

David W. Robinson — Sun, 17 Jul 2022 22:55:03 +0000

Ye Olde Editor, 2022: a portrait in Ink Outline (photograph by John Robinson; image processing by Ye Olde himself). A Study in Synergy There's that word again. As defined online by Oxford Languages, synergy is "the interaction or cooperation of two or more organizations, substances, or other agents to produce a combined effect greater... Read More »

The post Impressions – A Study in Synergy, Part the First: Dohmann Audio Helix Two Mk2 Turntable, Schröder CB-11 Tonearm, Phasemation PP-2000 MC cartridge, & the Gold Note PH-1000 Phono Stage with PSU-1250 Power Supply appeared first on Positive Feedback.

KRONOS Discovery Resonance Suppression Tonearm

Greg Weaver — Mon, 18 Apr 2022 16:17:01 +0000

Three weeks ago, I had the pleasure of introducing you to the two new KRONOS Resonance Suppression tonearms, the Kronoscope RS and the Discovery RS. In that episode's interview with Louis Desjardins, recorded in his factory in Montreal, he indicated that he would be sending me one of the new Discovery RS arms to install... Read More »

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Review from Hifistatement (in English): The Thiele TA01 Tonearm

Dirk Sommer — Wed, 30 Mar 2022 15:47:18 +0000

The Thiele TA01 Tonearm If you are a regular reader of Hifistatement, you probably will have come across the name Thiele. But even if you don't, it's most likely that you know or own a product that Helmut Thiele had a hand in creating. But it's only with this very special tonearm that he steps... Read More »

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An Audio Triangulation, Part 2: Up the Long Ladder...Maurice Jeffries Weighs in on the KRONOS Discovery LP Playback System and What It Signals for High-End Audio

Maurice Jeffries — Sat, 06 Nov 2021 21:36:35 +0000

Up the Long Ladder Maurice Jeffries at GTT Audio: a portrait. Long Valley, NJ, 2021 I won't rehash here either the science behind KRONOS Audio's remarkable line of turntables, or the engineering insights that led Louis Desjardin, the turntable design world's current enfant terrible, to pursue his revolutionary approach to turntable design. Instead, I'll begin... Read More »

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Charisma Audio Musiko Tonearm, Soundeck, and Audio Machina Accessories

Editors at Positive Feedback — Wed, 12 May 2021 22:28:41 +0000

World Premiere Review! A killer combination forced me to overcome my fear and buy the review sample. Review By Rick Becker With this article, Positive Feedback continues its content-sharing relationship with Enjoy the Music Rick Becker shares his thoughts on the Charisma Audio Musiko Tonearm, Soundeck, and Audio Machina Accessories. Dr. David W. Robinson, Editor-in-Chief "The more one knows about... Read More »

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Impressions: The Wave Kinetics NVS Turntable, Durand Tosca Tonearm, and DS Audio DS Master 1 Optical Cartridge and EQ/Phono Amp with the DS Audio ION-001

David W. Robinson — Mon, 27 Jul 2020 22:52:25 +0000

At RMAF, evening cigars, Denver, CO, 2019 (photograph by Scott Hull; image processing by David W. Robinson) When you do a lot of audio reviewing and show-going over several decades, as I have, you get to see and hear a lot of gear and recordings. Some are good; some are bad; some are ugly. Like... Read More »

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The IntegrityHiFi Tru-Glider Pendulum Tonearm with Nasotec Swing Headshell

Gary Lea — Tue, 16 Jun 2020 17:53:27 +0000

I have been a audiophile for some 50 years now. In that time I have seen a lot of changes. Tubes gave way to solid state, only to see tubes come back around with a vengeance. Vinyl was considered extinct in the eyes of many the moment CDs hit the market, only to see the... Read More »

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Audiomod Series Six Tonearm

John Hoffman — Tue, 14 Apr 2020 19:49:11 +0000

Unless you have lived on a desert island for the last five years or so, it is unavoidable to notice that vinyl playback systems have stormed back from the abyss. Vintage turntables have become relevant, there are new cartridge manufacturers, ultrasonic record cleaning is a hot topic of discussion, and you can even go into... Read More »

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VPI Fatboy Unipivot and Fatboy Gimbal Tonearms

Robert S. Youman — Tue, 17 Dec 2019 03:28:49 +0000

I have a long history with VPI and it has been a delightful journey. From a turntable perspective, I have owned or reviewed the HW-19 MK4, the Aries 3, and the Avenger Plus. I have also seen my share of VPI tonearms, including the JMW-10, JMW-12.7, the JMW-12 3DR, and now both the Fatboy Unipivot... Read More »

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Swedish Analog Technology (SAT) LM-12 Tonearm: Analog Playback Meets Rocket Science

Myles B. Astor — Mon, 01 Jul 2019 17:21:52 +0000

The Swedish Analog Technology LM-12 Tonearm Two of the finest tonearms that I've encountered in my search for the Holy Grail hail from of all places Sweden. The first is the '90s vintage Air Tangent linear tracking, air bearing tonearm that sold for at the time an unheard of $15K (around $30K in today's dollars)... Read More »

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VPI 12-inch 3D Fatboy Tonearm: Thick Does the Trick - Part 2

Myles B. Astor — Fri, 03 May 2019 01:49:56 +0000

First, a quick recap for readers who missed the initial installment of this two-part review. (HERE). Very early on in the course of the Fuuga review I realized that the cartridge's relatively high mass and low compliance and my reference VPI 3D printed tonearm's 10-gram effective mass weren't exactly a match made in heaven. Not... Read More »

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4Point Bejeweled – A Guided Tour of an Improved Kuzma Tonearm

Tim Aucremann — Wed, 20 Mar 2019 09:00:11 +0000

The Kuzma 4Point tonearm continues receiving praise from audiophiles for its precision construction, ease of adjustment, and contributions to achieving quality sound from vinyl records. Largely unmodified since its introduction in 2008, Franc Kuzma recently upgraded the bearings in his 4Point arms to achieve an even higher level of performance. Now, all 11-inch and 14-inch... Read More »

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Tri-Planar U12 Tonearm

Pete Davey — Tue, 22 Jan 2019 22:13:21 +0000

If you are reading this article, it means you are at least interested in vinyl playback. Be prepared for an amazing rabbit-hole that will lead you to the holy grail if you are prepared to spend some money. I say that to keep the discussion honest, a proper vinyl playback rig can get costly. Is... Read More »

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The Bergmann Audio Odin Linear Tracking Tonearm

Dirk Sommer — Tue, 13 Nov 2018 21:52:24 +0000

The Odin currently marks Bergmann's flagship in their range of air bearing tonearms. Head of company Johnnie Bergmann did not design it specifically for one of his turntables, but as a tonearm that is intended for universal application also on turntables from other manufacturers. Whilst visiting the company's headquarters in the Danish town of Hobro... Read More »

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Impressions: Xact Audio's The Beat MagDrive™ Turntable with the Schröder Linear-Tracking Tonearm

David W. Robinson — Thu, 20 Sep 2018 23:20:49 +0000

The Beat MagDrive™ Turntable with Schröder Linear-Tracking (LT) Tonearm Ye Olde Editor, in medias puffus (photograph by John Robinson) Me, I call it "Big Red." Here was a real mountaintop moment for me with turntables earlier this year. It came in two parts: First, getting to meet Steve Dobbins, the creative master turntable craftsman at... Read More »

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Vintage SME 3009 Tone Arm Rebuild, Part 1

John Marks — Sun, 30 Jul 2017 16:11:03 +0000

In this exciting episode, our good friend and courageous audio guide John Marks of The Tannhauser Gate (http://www.thetannhausergate.com) announces his intention to take on a rebuild on the venerable SME 309 tone arm. But this project will be with a twist! For part one, and to find out what the twist is, read on, dear reader, read on...... Read More »

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Impressions: The KRONOS Pro LE Turntable, Black Beauty Tonearm, and Air Tight PC-1 Supreme MC Cartridge

David W. Robinson — Fri, 24 Feb 2017 11:08:00 +0000

The KRONOS Pro LE Turntable with Black Beauty Tonearm, photograph courtesy of KRONOS Audio. Take a breath. A shift of gear, now. From reference-grade DSD DACs to reference-grade turntables. This will be the third of three turntable evaluations that I've done over the past year, rounding out what's turned out to be the top three... Read More »

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The 12.5-Inch Woody SPU Tonearm™ from Pete Riggle Audio Engineering

Jeff Day — Sat, 22 Oct 2016 00:01:57 +0000

The 12.5-Inch Woody SPU Tonearm™ from Pete Riggle Audio Engineering. If Gustav Stickley (1853 – 1942), the renowned figure of the Arts & Crafts movement in America, were to have made a tonearm to complement his American Craftsman style of furniture, what would it have looked like? I like to imagine that if Stickley had... Read More »

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Acoustical Systems Aquilar Tonearm

Dirk Sommer — Sun, 10 Apr 2016 07:03:50 +0000

I haven't introduced new tonearms to you for many years, which was due to the fact that—among the rest—really new solutions are extremely rare. Mostly, new models are about variations in the materials mix, in combination with different, known bearing kinds. With Acoustical Systems, however, this is different: The Aquilar tonearm is based on an... Read More »

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