[calipilot227]

I haven't heard it, but I'm a little skeptical of a tonearm that incorporates a golf ball into its design. Especially one costing as much as that one does. Please tell me I'm not the only one... 

 

[MorbidToaster]

I understand it, but you shouldn't be. They didn't just use a golfball for fun. It was the ideal thing to use, so they did.

It's a fantastic tonearm. No other way to put it.

And in the grand scheme of things it's not that expensive.

It's also ridiculously easy to set up.

 

[analogsurviver]

Ringmat has a system of different thickness mat to allow for VTA adjustments.

]eep is from my 4 first names, and the mysterious creature from popeye (see my avatar) the jeep car was named after.
I really agree with that. It looks rather rickety, not stable and with resonance from that long thin lift sticking out. Asking for resonance problems. And why is there a stub left? Why not insert a sort of T-shape in it. This just looks glued together like toothpicks.

The end of the arm on my Clearaudio is a lot better. Not perfect but better. (this is just a sample picture, not my arm+cart)

+1. That the designer of WTA is clearly not aware of the importance of cartridge mounting was exemplified by having the cartridge attached to the arm by a SINGLE screw ( the left one in both of the pics above ) and fingerlift attached on with the right one in at least one incarnation of the WTA. Not only it is resonant to high heavens, it is very easy to whack it out of geometry - the resulting "lever" is certainly more powerful than what the torque of a single screw is capable of holding firmly in its place.

 

[analogsurviver]

Having owned an Amadeus I can safely say I'd leave the fingerlift off completely.

It throws off the azimuth (causes it to drift) and is more difficult to use than just cueing from the middle of the arm.

It sounds odd, but it's really easy once you've done it a few times

I second that. 
 
Going fingerliftless is ALWAYS the best sounding option - fingerlift is located precisely where it can (and does) most harm to mechanical resonance(s),
and in case of WTA it is also throwing off the azimuth.
 
The original WTA did have yet another source of entirely not needed resonance - arm rest/clamp arrangement was so bad in resonance dept it is best to simply remove it - one single screw takes care of that in few seconds.

 

[analogsurviver]

I understand it, but you shouldn't be. They didn't just use a golfball for fun. It was the ideal thing to use, so they did.

It's a fantastic tonearm. No other way to put it.

And in the grand scheme of things it's not that expensive.

It's also ridiculously easy to set up.

I second that.
 
Original WTA used a disc "plunger" with two holes dangling on two wires and resting in silicone fluid. That was yet another source of mechanical resonance and unnecessary "friction" of the "bearing", as it takes quite a force to start the objects with regular surfaces to start to "flow" in liquid enviroment. The use of the golf ball is ideal both from mechanical resonace and bearing "friction" point of view - it is THE perfect solution to the problem.
 
WTA is a fantastic sounding arm. Its forte is midrange - hardly anything short of a real good unipivot design can touch it. Certainly NO Rega - past, present or future. Bass can be a bit softer and slower than ideal, but I find that a minor price to pay for the midrange 2die4.
 
It can be said it is ridiculously easy to set up. But it is the other way around keeping it set up. It is not "fire & forget" device - due to necesary different lenghts of the monofilament of the "bearing", it does tend to throw off the azimuth, requiring frequent re-adjustment(s).
 
If it seems that I am overly critical of the flaws of WTA - not really. I simply wanted to point out
the pro et contra - if you are capable and willing to maintain it, it will thank you with sound that is usually not attainable anywhere near the asking price. Despite not being inexpensive in absolute terms, in relative terms it can be said it is a bargain.

 

[]eep]

And another thing that is a bonus for certain people: it is one of the few arms capable of keeping a Decca in line. I own one and a can tell you: it makes so much noise just from the cartridge alone (its a little tin box resonator/loudspeaker, just like two tincans and a wire you used to make for the treehut) you hardly need any electronics al all to hear music (or noise). :rolleyes:

I have it mounted in the Opera T988 but I can't get it right yet. I did something wrong with the cable or something (capacity?).

The T988 is an oildamped unipivot with small bearingballs, the arm is basically the same as the WTA. And VTA is a bitch! I really have trouble with that.


Look what I just found. A new model Opera-Consonance: T8 Carbon Fibre tonearm. And look at the headshell.

From the ad:

Opera-Consonance T8 Carbon Fibre tonearm,assembled by Opera-Consonance in Beijing from parts machined by a watch maker situated in South China, made to exacting standards with the finest of tolerances.

The company is the largest supplier of analogue equipment in China and also is the distributor of Dynavector tonearms and cartridges throughout China,
also made in house are the complete range of Well Tempered arms and 'tables

As you noticed I am keeping up with lots of hifi-stuff from China. TT's are rather rare but The Opera-Consonance and Hanns are quite good.

 

[analogsurviver]

And another thing that is a bonus for certain people: it is one of the few arms capable of keeping a Decca in line. I own one and a can tell you: it makes so much noise just from the cartridge alone (its a little tin box resonator/loudspeaker, just like two tincans and a wire you used to make for the treehut) you hardly need any electronics al all to hear music (or noise).

I have it mounted in the Opera T988 but I can't get it right yet. I did something wrong with the cable or something (capacity?).

The T988 is an oildamped unipivot with small bearingballs, the arm is basically the same as the WTA. And VTA is a bitch! I really have trouble with that.


Look what I just found. A new model Opera-Consonance: T8 Carbon Fibre tonearm. And look at the headshell.

From the ad:
As you noticed I am keeping up with lots of hifi-stuff from China. TT's are rather rare but The Opera-Consonance and Hanns are quite good.

Decca cart is a typical case of - because it rhymes in German - Gut gedacht, schlecht gemacht. It is only from and including Jubilee model and up that 
the mentioned "loudspeaker" is silenced anywhere well enough. That Decca "connector" between the 1/2" mount piece and cart itself gave me shudders - stylus guard clings harder than the connector, instead of merely removing the stylus guard I menaged to remove the cartridge ! It is flimsy and flexible precisely at the point that should guarantee the most stable position for the motor of the cartridge. The fact that Decca is by design a rather stiff low compliance design certainly does not help either.
 
Yet Decca is love/hate affair of many vinyl lovers - but even the most Decca fervent diehards would have to admit it is necesary to keep at least one "normal" cantilevered cartridge for records on which their beloved creature simply goes berserk.
 
The mechanical joke repeats itself with electrical one . Decca CAN be tamed, then it will ( within its ultimately limited envelope, large(r) amplitude excursions are outside its capabilities ) sing second to none - but that requires electrical compensation on a sample per sample basis, necessitating measurements in order to be able to implement the electrical load for exactly your cartridge. Time consuming and $$$ - couple that to not inconsiderable price of good Deccas in the first place and it will be clear why there are so few really good sounding Deccas around.
 
You can forget anything in three figure range - simply not good enough, it will hint at the potential ultimately achievable by top models while crying all the time it just can not keep delivering that potential - nervous, to listening fatigue prone performance that I long term find unacceptable. But one day I hope to scrap together enough small change for a top Decca ...

 

[palmfish]

Posted by Headphonia on Facebook. Thought folks here would enjoy it...

www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/society/audiophiles-luring-youngsters-into-boring-conversations-2013110180809

 

[longbowbbs]

Posted by Headphonia on Facebook. Thought folks here would enjoy it...

www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/society/audiophiles-luring-youngsters-into-boring-conversations-2013110180809

Funny article!

 

[analogsurviver]

Posted by Headphonia on Facebook. Thought folks here would enjoy it...

www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/society/audiophiles-luring-youngsters-into-boring-conversations-2013110180809

There *might* be a grain of truth in there...

 

[]eep]

Funny but creepy. :evil: And as always; the truth can be a lot worse...

 

[longbowbbs]

A dark alley, an old guy smelling of record cleaning solution wearing a trenchcoat. "Pssst, want something special?" He says. He opens the trenchoat to reveal many many phono cartridges....

 

[analogsurviver]

  A dark alley, an old guy smelling of record cleaning solution wearing a trenchcoat. "Pssst, want something special?" He says. He opens the trenchoat to reveal many many phono cartridges....

.

 

[Clayton SF]

Can anyone identify that amp?

 

[Redcarmoose]

Posted by Headphonia on Facebook. Thought folks here would enjoy it...

www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/society/audiophiles-luring-youngsters-into-boring-conversations-2013110180809