FS: Timestep T-612 tonearm, a 12 inch genuine superarm
Well here’s a surprise .. I bought this arm back in March days after I saw it at the Bristol show, as I was mad keen on the looks of the thing, along with the spec.
I wrote a fairly gushing review of it, and was delighted with my purchase. (You can read it here along with the blurb about the arm on the Timestep web site as well as another review).
Then a mere few of weeks later a spanner got thrown in the works when I was offered an Ikeda 12in arm … I am a massive Ikeda fan (owned a couple of FR64s’s and an IT-345, also owned quite a few of his cartridges too - FR-1 Mk1, MkII and MkIII, 9TT, and currently a cantileverless 9C III) … which I ended up buying. Even secondhand it was nearly twice the price of the Timestep - list price is nearly five times the price. But while it’s been an object of lust for years it’s certainly not five times the tonearm, indeed there are a number of fronts where the Timestep arm feels ahead - that titanium arm tube in particular is superb.
Anyway, to cut a long story short, a few weeks of swapping back and forth I’ve decided to keep the Ikeda - if for no deeper reason than the fact that it’s shorter at the back and I can get my existing lid on - if I was designing a plinth around the Timestep I’d have added another inch or so and I'm not necessarily sure the outcome would be the same. But for now, this fantastic arm is up for sale. (I've been tempted to keep it and accelerate an SP10 project I've been contemplating, which I might well do if it doesn't go quickly).
One lightly-used Timestep T-612, with optional sliding base, new price £1599.95 … selling for £1300 including insured courier. So if you’ve been pondering buying one of these why not save yourself £300?
Comes pretty much as-new, boxed with everything including the very handy template and laminated protractor.
Specs
Low resonance
• High mass
• Titanium armtube
• Stainless steel bearing block
• Frictionless magnetic anti-skating
• High precision, washed hybrid ceramic ABEC 7 horizontal and vertical bearings
• SME type detachable headshell
• Silver wire
• PTFE and gold tonearm connector
• SME and Linn/Jelco armbase option
• Many headshell options
• Many tonearm interconnect cables available
• 9", 10" and 12" versions compatible with all SME and Japanese/Linn pivot to spindle alignment
(Ikeda headshell not included)
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