unipivot arms

who make them?

pros and cons, thanks

 

dont know that many.

hadcock
kuzma
NAS
morch
Breuer
decca (if you can still get them)
bluenote
graham robin (I think this is a unipivot)
Schroeder

were you thinking of getting one LCD?
which TT btw?

Chris

 

well tempered

 

Naim Aro. Works exceedingly well, and not just on an LP12.

Pros are that they ride the groove better than gimballed arms - which can't twist longitudinally - are more rigid, and it's pretty difficult/almost impossible to knacker the bearing.

Cons are that they are generally less user-friendly, but you soon get used to it.

 

gotten one already,Chris an aro.corr, it must cost all of £20 max.

I think obviously it was made by someone else, can't recall who, actually, that's quite a few for such an obscure item.

interesting report coming soon on dc motors and platters you're gonna think I'm mad if you don't already

I dunno which is worse, putting a rohmann on a modded rb250 and nad 533 or what I am about to say. Sounded good tho'.

TT will have to wait, what are suitable, barring the very obvious?

James, what's your arm, cart. psu and I think you have a prefix?

 

Roksan (excellent)

 

Hi.

I have Naim Aro
Linn Troika (ESCo retip)
PSU for TT is Avondale TAPS
PSU for prefix is custom-made "Epona PPS"

The Aro was designed for use with Troika, new Linn Akiva will also fit perfectly.

If using Aro on a TT other than LP12, consult Naim for suitability first. I have a chum who uses the Aro on Mitchell Orbe - sublime according to him, and I don't doubt it.

 

James
What kind of price are Aro's?
Have you seen one used on a non-suspended deck?

 

I think the Aro is £1700 or so, brand-new, but you'd need to check with Naim or a dealer.

I've never seen one used on a non-suspended deck, but I can't think why it wouldn't work very well, as long as the mounting geometry is right. The headshell offers no adjustability at all for cartridge mounting, presumably for ease of use, and rigidity. The arm tube is made from a modern archery arrow, hence the name.

Compared with my old Ittok, which was very good, the Aro is in an entirely different league. It may not be much to look at, but boy, it's a fine arm.

 

Interesting tat you mention the arrow shaft (is it carbon?), ive seen quite a few DIY uni pivot arms with the same idea. Not saying they are good, or that i am going to try it.

 

Pros of gimballed allegedly are that the bearings can take a lot more energy if done right which can upset unipivots, precision which is missing form unipivots and better frequency extremes.

Truths from myths? Others will know better than I, I guess there's more than one way of arriving at a superb performance. Having lived with both, I still can't say which I prefer yet. A lot more fun than changing digital clocks I would imagine.

Paul

 

LCD

The most readily available second hand is the hadcock, although its not that common.

You'd still pay £200 +.

The cheapest new one is probably that acrylic Roksan one which I'd forgotten about.

 

The Aro armtube is a metal alloy, probably aluminium.

 

Strictly speaking the cheapest would probably be a Decca International, if you can find one. The Ah! people, who sell the Njoe Tjoeb (sorry can't remember the web site and can't find it either), were selling them NOS last year for the grand sum of 25 Euros. Mind you, I think they are probably plasticky rubbish - Unipivots though

Second hand - I'd like to get a hold of one of the old Michell Focus tonearms to go on my Focus One (they were pretty well rated)- another older unipivot contemporary of the Hadcock (but not as good by all accounts) was the Mayware, which comes up quite often on Ebay.

 

roksan

nima is great and it drops straight into a rega hole.very nifty arm and cheap for what it does.

 

I'm pretty sure Walrus stock the Aro but they don't stock Linn so give Les or Pete and ask them what TTs they recommend it on.

 

RS Labs RS-A1 Probably the most interesting of the lot

 

BTW, James, probably avoid a koetsu, they are grossly hyped, there isn't really such a thing now at affordable prices, lyra or I recall seeing a foto of a rohmann on a unipivot, dynavector are fragile, and I have jsut trashed my ortofon mc15 II. too.

try shelter partic. or transfiguration, too.

have you xp'd with psu's other than taps James?

 

I used to have a Mk1 Lingo on my previous LP12. The current modified LP12 came equipped with Avondale TAPS, which does an admirable job. Others to consider are Armageddon (Naim), and the Norton Air.

Or Lingo - 2 if you need 45 rpm.

 

These days I just dont 'get it' with expensive cartridges, or valves. They are just consumables, like a loaf of bread or a pint of beer.

I just couldnt justify spending 1k+ on a cartridge for example, knowing its only going to last a couple of years of regular use. I bought my kontrapunkt for about £250-£300, and my next cart will have an absolute max ceiling of £200.