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Thread: Straight or S-Shape?

  1. #1
    Join Date: Jul 2013

    Location: Kingsbury, NW London

    Posts: 1,232
    I'm Clive.

    Default Straight or S-Shape?

    Having just installed a Jelco TK-850S tonearm, my son asked me, what is the difference between a straight and a S shaped tonearm. I’m embarrassed to say that other than aesthetics I didn’t know. Have any of you guys got an answer?
    SOURCE:OPPO UDP-205 BluRay, SkyQ, Technics SL1210M5G/HexMat Eclipse/MN Bearing/Origin Live Gravity One puck/Isonoes with Boots/Jelco TK-850S Tonearm/Hana Umami Blue, PS Audio Stellar Phonostage. I also have an AT-OC9XSH as a spare cartridge.
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  2. #2
    Join Date: Jun 2015

    Location: London/Durham

    Posts: 6,869
    I'm Lawrence.

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    Is it not the angle the arm takes relative to the groove, or alternatively like having the pivot point of the arm at a different location?

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  3. #3
    Join Date: Feb 2013

    Location: W Lothian

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    I'm Grant.

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    not much as long as we discount those dj short arms. they will both have same issues even if both made well...
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  4. #4
    Join Date: Apr 2012

    Location: London

    Posts: 685
    I'm James.

    Default

    An L or S shaped armwand allows a straight SME fit headshell to be used Much easier to play with. Other than that aesthetics, balance in some arms, and mass/rigidity will vary. Fidelity Research amongst others made the same models with straight and S shaped armwand, the latter being the higher mass variants for people preferring low compliance cartridges.

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  5. #5
    Join Date: Jan 2009

    Location: Norwich

    Posts: 2,814
    I'm Hugo.

    Default

    An S-shaped arm does allow the designer to match headshell offset angle with the vertical bearing angle, while still having something that is usable and fits on any turntable. Matching these angles is, in my opinion, a Good Thing although not the ultimate criterion determining whether an arm actually sounds good.

  6. #6
    Join Date: Jul 2013

    Location: Kingsbury, NW London

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    I'm Clive.

    Thumbs up

    Thanks for that Hugo, makes perfect sense.
    SOURCE:OPPO UDP-205 BluRay, SkyQ, Technics SL1210M5G/HexMat Eclipse/MN Bearing/Origin Live Gravity One puck/Isonoes with Boots/Jelco TK-850S Tonearm/Hana Umami Blue, PS Audio Stellar Phonostage. I also have an AT-OC9XSH as a spare cartridge.
    AMPLIFIER: Bryston BR-20 Pre/DAC/Streamer & Bryston 4B3 Power Amplifier
    SPEAKERS: Spendor D7 on Iso-Acoustics Gaia III’s
    HEADPHONES: OPPO PM-1 with Atlas Zeno cable, B&W Pi7 S2 and B&W C5 v2.
    CABLES: Analogue: Speaker Atlas Mavros Grun. Interconnect - Atlas Mavros XLR x3, MCRU Silver Tonearm cable
    Digital:Audioquest Carbon Ethernet x 4, Audioquest Carbon digital, English Electric 8Switch, Chord Optichord, Atlas Optical.
    Mains: PS Audio Perfectwave AC-05 x 5, Isol-8 Powerline Extreme with Quantum Science yellow fuse on input cable, Sounds Fantastic 6way Mains Blocks.
    STORAGE: Synology DS216J NAS with 2 x 3Tb WD Red hard-drives. Samsung 500Gb SSD.
    TV LG55B7 OLED

  7. #7
    Join Date: Jan 2009

    Location: Essex

    Posts: 31,853
    I'm openingabottleofwine.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Ammonite Acoustics View Post
    An S-shaped arm does allow the designer to match headshell offset angle with the vertical bearing angle, while still having something that is usable and fits on any turntable. Matching these angles is, in my opinion, a Good Thing although not the ultimate criterion determining whether an arm actually sounds good.
    You can do the same if you crank both the headshell and the vertical bearing with respect to the arm tube
    Barry

  8. #8
    Join Date: Jan 2009

    Location: Norwich

    Posts: 2,814
    I'm Hugo.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Barry View Post
    You can do the same if you crank both the headshell and the vertical bearing with respect to the arm tube
    Of course you can, and it’s amazing how few arm designers do this, but to my eyes an S shaped arm is still a more visually appealing and elegant thing, particularly if we are talking about removable headshells with standard collet-stylus distance.

  9. #9
    Join Date: Jan 2009

    Location: Essex

    Posts: 31,853
    I'm openingabottleofwine.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Ammonite Acoustics View Post
    Of course you can, and it’s amazing how few arm designers do this, but to my eyes an S shaped arm is still a more visually appealing and elegant thing, particularly if we are talking about removable headshells with standard collet-stylus distance.
    The arms that come to mind are those made by Garrard (the TP-12 and -14, as well as those fitted to the SP25 and later TTs).

    In principle one could use a J-shaped arm if the vertical bearing was arranged to be at right angles to a line running through headshell/collet axis. That way the arm would not 'roll' in a counter-clockwise direction as the cartridge rides a record warp. But I don't know of any arm designed like that.
    Barry

  10. #10
    Join Date: Apr 2012

    Location: N E Kent

    Posts: 51,624
    I'm Geoff.

    Default

    Not very important, but it crossed my mind that 'S' shaped unipivot arms are pretty thin on the ground. In fact I can only think of the Transcriptors and Morch.
    It is impossible for anything digital to sound analogue, because it isn't analogue!

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