which material for an armboard?

[Souldust]

Hi there,

I'm looking for an armboard for a new project (Jelco 750 in a Technics 1210). So I've seen the ebony one and it looks great but I think is too much for that tonearm, I mean it's too much for me.
So I've seen another one of Corian and I guess it could be a good option or better than aluminium which is the cheapest one. A friend told me he saw one of slate but I don't find nothing online.
Could you help me? which one is best for the price?

Thanks

[Ammonite Audio]

Have you seen my modular machined aluminium armboards, which cost from £129 plus postage? See https://ammonite-audio.co.uk/product-category/technics-upgrades/ . They are designed to mimic the rather lovely scalloped profile of the original Technics arm surround, with no visible fixings.

https://ammonite-audio.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/20180321-Technics_Jelco_Black.jpg

https://ammonite-audio.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/20171130_122137.jpg

[krugdoktor]

And it does not only look good but helps my Glanz to sound sublime!
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190602/9d73819ffe6bcaa3d44e1750bcbbd5b7.jpg


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[Souldust]

Thanks for your reply. It looks nice but it's aluminum, isn't it? that price is close to the ebony one and I've read it's better for isolation.
So what about corian material?

[Ammonite Audio]

Yes, my armboards are fabricated in aluminium alloy. My design aim for tonearms and armboards is, where possible) to avoid using materials with very different characteristic acoustic impedance and that includes the turntable chassis material which in the case of a Technics deck is diecast aluminium. Keeping all the materials broadly similar facilitates the flow of acoustic energy in an orderly fashion from the headshell, through the armtube and then down into the turntable chassis. Where materials of differing acoustic impedances meet (a phase boundary), energy is in part reflected rather than transmitted, which in this instance is bad not only because energy is then fed back to where it came from, but there is a phase change which then plays around with time and timing. I would never recommend decoupling or isolating a tonearm because the considerable acoustic/vibration energy produced by a modern pickup cartridge needs somewhere to go, and if you isolate the arm, that energy will simply circulate instead of being dissipated elsewhere (usually the chassis), and that circulating energy will be imposed back on the cartridge and its sensitive coils. By all means play with isolating the tonearm but expect to be disappointed with the results. It can be made to work, but not in a compact deck like a Technics.

Speedy Steve's (Magna Audio) ebony armboards have proved themselves with many Technics users here on AoS and elsewhere and while I cannot find the characteristic acoustic impedance of seasoned ebony, I suspect that it might not be a huge way off that of aluminium. They are known to work, which is the important thing to consider.

I can't help with any information on the suitability of Corian.

[karma67]

corian ,panzerholz and himacs are great for armboards,ive used/using the last 2 and they are much better suited for armboards than aluminium imo,you want to use a material that is stiff and has good damping properties.

[krugdoktor]

corian ,panzerholz and himacs are great for armboards,ive used/using the last 2 and they are much better suited for armboards than aluminium imo,you want to use a material that is stiff and has good damping properties.

You cannot compare the really flimsy armboards made from screwed together thin aluminium sheets as sold on ebay to the quite substantial armboards sold by Ammonite Audio! They couple the arm rigidly to the turntable as it should be (imho [emoji6]).

[karma67]

i wasnt,i was comparing materials used,not who makes them