Is an S shaped tonearm better?
“S”-shaped tonearms, by virtue of their curved shape and their headshell being right in line with the tonearm, have equal mass to either side of the pivot point. That’s good. However, if you “straightened out” an S-shaped tonearm, it would be longer than a straight tonearm, and thus have greater mass.
Is a longer tonearm better?
A longer tonearm is better at maintaining the right tracking angle for the needle as it tracks across the record. Theoretically, the longer the tonearm the longer it will maintain the correct angle. There’s a trade-off, though…a longer arm tube is less rigid and that also affects performance.
What makes a great tonearm?
Having a tonearm that is the right amount of flexible and firm is paramount to a smooth audio performance. With so many different turntables on the market, from entry-level to luxury, some research may be required to determine the unit that will best suit your needs.
Do I need to rebalance tonearm?
While this may sound simple enough, the tonearm has to perform a special dance of lightness and steadiness in order to prevent the cartridge from skipping while it moves. This delicate dance of movement and consistency is precisely why it’s important to balance your tonearm.
What is the best SME tonearm?
The SME 3009 was, and is, the most popular and influential quality tonearm in history. Even the near-elliptical tonearm cut-out served as the default arm aperture for countless manufacturers that supplied armless decks, from Garrard to Thorens to Technics.
What is stylus sibilance?
Sibilance on vinyl is usually caused by high-frequency mistracking, meaning that there is something wrong with the way the stylus is contacting the grooves of your records.
Why is my record skipping?
A common reason your records may skip is dust and dirt that gets into the grooves. While it may occur on old records due to storage, paper sleeves or dust in the environment, new records may also have dust or dirt.
What is an SME arm?
SME is a brand name of an English company that produces high end tonearms and turntables, whose name has become synonymous with the industry standard detachable headshell mount.
What makes a good tonearm?
What is the best shape for a tonearm?
The arm could be any shape as long as it’s stiff and balanced. Long arms are a better design as the arc the arm moves across is larger and linear tracking would be the best if the world was prefect. There are two types of straight tonearm, DJ types with no offset (totally straight) and those with an angled headshell.
What is the difference between s arms and tonearm length?
As for tonearm length, longer is believed to be better. S arms were, among other things, an attempt to add length to the tonearm, since most tonearms are limited in length because they need to fit inside the space that is occupied by the turntable when the dust cover is closed.
Why is the stylus arm s-shaped?
One can get the proper geometry by just bending the head of the arm (like most tonearms), so that is not the reason for the S-shaped arm. I believe that the S-shape is an attempt to balance the mass of the arm about the axis drawn between the pivot and the stylus.
Why do turntables have s arms on them?
S arms were, among other things, an attempt to add length to the tonearm, since most tonearms are limited in length because they need to fit inside the space that is occupied by the turntable when the dust cover is closed. SME is making some very long straight tonearms for their high end turntables – over 233 mm.