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Thread: Reed Tonearms

  1. #1
    Join Date: Jan 2009

    Location: Norwich

    Posts: 2,814
    I'm Hugo.

    Default Reed Tonearms

    I never stopped selling Reed tonearms but for some reason they 'fell off' the webshop, so I've re-instated the listings for Reed 2G and 3P models. Both are available in 9.5", 10.5" and 12" effective lengths, with Wenge, Makassar Ebony and Cocobolo wood options for the arm wands, and a myriad of wiring and termination options. The Reed 2G starts at £2895 for the 9.5" arm with standard Wenge wood arm wand and standard external wiring. The Reed 3P starts at £3450 with those same options.

    There are hundreds of possible options for these arms, so please get in touch to discuss what's available. These are lovely tonearms and the Reed 3P is the best fixed headshell tonearm that I've ever used and heard, with 'on-the-fly' adjustment of both VTA and azimuth. These are truly lovely musical performers.

    https://ammonite-audio.co.uk/product-category/tonearms/


  2. #2
    Join Date: Jan 2009

    Location: Deleted

    Posts: 6,585
    I'm Deleted.

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    Beautifully made things the Reed arms. Perhaps you could outline the main differences between the 2G and 3P models - is it just that the 3P offers more user adjustment?
    Account Deleted

  3. #3
    Join Date: Jan 2009

    Location: Norwich

    Posts: 2,814
    I'm Hugo.

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    The arms look similar with identical mounting and VTA adjustment towers, and the wood arm wands are similar too, but the 3P does have 'on-the-fly' azimuth adjustment. The big difference concerns the bearing designs, which are different between the Reed 2G and 3P. The 2G has what they call a 'cardanic' bearing where the horizontal element is a rotating disc with a central 'nipple' with a sapphire cup at its tip, and there is another sapphire cup at the centre of the disc's bottom face. Sharp pins engage these cups from above and below to give a free-running and very secure horizontal platform. The vertical bearing consists of two small and sharp pins protruding from the base of the arm wand's quite chunky metal 'yoke' and these pins locate in two little sapphire cups on the upper surface of the horizontal rotating disc. The twin pins operate like a well-engineered twin-pivot system which is not unique to Reed. You can see the 'yoke' and the 'disc' it sits on in this picture:



    The Reed 3P has a magnetic horizontal bearing, with an open 'egg shaped' yoke held aloft at the bottom by magnetic repulsion and at the top by a pin that locates in the swinging 'on-the-fly' azimuth adjuster. The 3P's arm wand has small alloy tabs which hold the two downward pointing sharp pins, and these locate in sapphire cups on the rotating yoke, held in place by magnetic attraction. A simple lever mechanism tilts the whole of the 'egg' shaped yoke to change azimuth, but the clever bit is that the point of rotation is the stylus tip, not the centre of the yoke. Here's a picture:



    The Reed 2G is a lovely thing and by any standard a mighty fine sounding arm. I did originally think that, since the arm wands are so similar, that the 2G would sound very much like the 3P, but the pricing does indicate their respective musical pedigrees. The simple truth is that the magnetic bearing 3P does have a better performance and sounds more natural and musical, but nobody hearing the 2G in isolation would be dissatisfied.
    Last edited by Ammonite Audio; 04-07-2019 at 15:08.

  4. #4
    Join Date: Feb 2016

    Location: Melksham, Wiltshire

    Posts: 726
    I'm Peter.

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    Very nice arms indeed.

    If I didn’t already have the Dynavector 507 MkII (lovingly nicknamed, “The car Jack”), perhaps this might be my next arm.

    Needless to say, the P3 is pretty good from what I’ve heard.

    Hope you sell loads!!!! And there will be many happy people out there! And to boot a little less than half the price of the above or the SME V.


    Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

  5. #5
    Join Date: Jan 2008

    Location: Norwich

    Posts: 1,064
    I'm Mike.

    Default

    Hi Hugo,

    What are the eff. mass figures for the two 12" versions, and are the arm leads continuous to RCAs or truncated in a socket?

    Ta.

  6. #6
    Join Date: Jan 2009

    Location: Norwich

    Posts: 2,814
    I'm Hugo.

    Default

    Hi Mike

    Reed quote effective mass for the 12" arms of 17g for the standard Wenge wood arm wand, and 19g for ebony and Cocobolo. The standard leads are continuous to RCAs, with a variety of options for cable type, length, RCA plugs, cryo treatment etc. Female RCA terminations are not available for the 2G nor 3P.

  7. #7
    Join Date: Jan 2008

    Location: Norwich

    Posts: 1,064
    I'm Mike.

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    Thanks Hugo.

    The Reed is a lovely looking tonearm, having seen it in the flesh at John's and of course the name clicks !

  8. #8
    Join Date: Aug 2018

    Location: London Knightsbridge

    Posts: 414
    I'm Nari.

    Default

    The Reed is a lovely looking and sounding tonearm, superb value for money when you compare it to the obvious competition it has a earthy grounded quality with superb air and space the midrange is wonderful. I generally find most audio from eastern europe to be wonderful but quite often dismissed, the real gem is the 5t this is a very cleaver bit of kit superbly made while at 13k it is far from cheap compared to others in that price bracket it offers so much more especially when you look at the vertre at £35k the basic SAT at £30k the graham phantom elite at £12k the 5t is a cleaver bit of kit that sounds glorious.
    Most important and used Walker Black Diamond Etsuro Gold, Micro Seiki 8000mk2 Kondo special V12 Tiger Eye, Fidelity Research FR 66 Shindo spu, EMT 927, sme 312 aluminium. Fidelity research fr66, Sme 3012 mk1, Sme V, Ikeda 407 IT Sme Model 30/2/Dynavector 507 Kodo Beat Turntable Airtangent 10B modified Fidelity fr66s Etsuro Cartridge . Kondo Gakuoh Mk1 powers G70 Pre,Audio Tekne TFA-8695PCS pre Audio Tekne TEA 8695 Phono. Lfd Battery Phono Stage heavily custom rebuilt by Dr Richard Bews, Tharx Phono Stage. Lfd Master Dual Biamp power amp, Lfd Anniversary master preamp. Shindo Latour Field Coil. Rockport Cygnus Biamped, Voigt Domestic Corner Horns/ Feastex Fildcoils. LFD Custom silver Ribbons. LFD Diamond Vipor Mk2 interconnects, Lfd Golden Cobra interconnect. Koetsu blue lace mono special order, Koetsu burma jade mono special order.

  9. #9
    Join Date: Jan 2009

    Location: Norwich

    Posts: 2,814
    I'm Hugo.

    Default

    Indeed. The Reed 5T is an amazing thing to see in action, as in the video below. Audio enthusiasts often get really excited about the perceived need to eliminate tonearm tracing errors and think that parallel tracking arms are always better - my experience is that parallel trackers may get rid of the distortion but I've yet to hear one that sounds as good as a pivoted arm. The Reed 5T sounds just as good as any other Reed, but with zero tracing errors and distortion, without having articulating linkages like Thales. Neat thinking, if not entirely original, but like any Reed product very nicely executed.


  10. #10
    Join Date: Aug 2018

    Location: London Knightsbridge

    Posts: 414
    I'm Nari.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Ammonite Acoustics View Post
    Indeed. The Reed 5T is an amazing thing to see in action, as in the video below. Audio enthusiasts often get really excited about the perceived need to eliminate tonearm tracing errors and think that parallel tracking arms are always better - my experience is that parallel trackers may get rid of the distortion but I've yet to hear one that sounds as good as a pivoted arm. The Reed 5T sounds just as good as any other Reed, but with zero tracing errors and distortion, without having articulating linkages like Thales. Neat thinking, if not entirely original, but like any Reed product very nicely executed.

    Have you lived and used with the likes of Rockport and Aitangent linier trackers? for me the Airtangent is the finest tonearm ever produced. Have you had the 5t as far as I know select audio the importer have not sold many. I have a friend who has both and the 5t and a couple of 3ps is clearly better it just sounds less mechanical it has a sence of space that is in another class.
    Most important and used Walker Black Diamond Etsuro Gold, Micro Seiki 8000mk2 Kondo special V12 Tiger Eye, Fidelity Research FR 66 Shindo spu, EMT 927, sme 312 aluminium. Fidelity research fr66, Sme 3012 mk1, Sme V, Ikeda 407 IT Sme Model 30/2/Dynavector 507 Kodo Beat Turntable Airtangent 10B modified Fidelity fr66s Etsuro Cartridge . Kondo Gakuoh Mk1 powers G70 Pre,Audio Tekne TFA-8695PCS pre Audio Tekne TEA 8695 Phono. Lfd Battery Phono Stage heavily custom rebuilt by Dr Richard Bews, Tharx Phono Stage. Lfd Master Dual Biamp power amp, Lfd Anniversary master preamp. Shindo Latour Field Coil. Rockport Cygnus Biamped, Voigt Domestic Corner Horns/ Feastex Fildcoils. LFD Custom silver Ribbons. LFD Diamond Vipor Mk2 interconnects, Lfd Golden Cobra interconnect. Koetsu blue lace mono special order, Koetsu burma jade mono special order.

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