Form should follow design if function is the core.
The better tonearms (some not all...) of yesterday (make this "yesterday" 2-3 decades +) were designed by engineers.
Most of todays components in top flight audio is designed by dedicated audiophiles who evolved from customer to professional designer.
And there is nothing wrong about that.
But we see in many tonearms individual concepts of design which does not follow function but personal aesthetics.
This may appeal to some, but in most cases it is not form-follows-function in the original sense of the phrase.
But then - as mentioned before by others - "beauty" ( in industrial, mechanical designs ) is always and only in the eye of the beholder and rarely, if ever, finds universal praise.
The infamous WAF was no issue in tonearm design in the 1970s/80s.
Most of them were pretty raw industrial designs with little to no optical gimmick.
Hard to sell today.
Our society has changed.
The outlook is very important today.
Thus make-up and posing are more important to underline any given USP. |
Dear Tobes, the Dynavector is the Lamborgini Countach in tonearm design. You'll find both in the museum of modern art. For good reason. |
Dear Halcro, some great design features ( I am especially taken by the in-build eddy current brake ). I was however never really taken by either incarnation's sonics. Always lacking the last bit of "air", inner detail and low end "blackness" and punch. |
Dear Tobes, I am not a fan of the Dynavector's design (nor of the Lamboghini Countach's ....).
I just mentioned it and can understand those who admire either.
It was and is however very unique and showed skill, idea and individualism.
Still looking modern and striking after 30+ years - if not beautiful in my eyes. |
Dear Halcro, without me intentionally getting the way of Nikola here, let me just say that in technical ways german and japanese minds used to be very similar. Both did share for a long period a very similar devotion to form-follows-function mated with attention to minute detail and high precision.
But then Isamu Ikeda's FR-60 series is again kind of unique in it's strictness following triple-F as well as in it's very reduced design.
It leaves little to no room for errors.......
Which is not a bad way to design mechanic instruments.
Cheers,
D. |
Dear Hifihvn, yes, but german attention ( obsession ..? ) in attention to detail and precision was apparently more readily adapted by the japanese students in their prewar traveling of the western hemisphere ....;-) ...
Dear Nikola, Thuchan is much more qualified here.
Him having lived in Nippon for a while and being able to talk in japanese. My knowledge here is purely 2nd hand and based on historic studies only.
Cheers,
D. |
Dear Halcro , agree about the Telos.
Joel Durand apparently went into a slightly different direction now compared to his Talea-design.
Beautiful ..... well not really.
In terms of optics, I am rather unimpressed.
But I am sue we will see huge and enthusiastic acclaim following RMAF 2011.
Cheers,
D. |
Dear Atmasphere, yes, it can still has an aesthetic appeal and yes, you are right - the plane of the record needs to be meet by the bearing. The criteria will be meet .... pretty soon.
Cheers,
D. |
Dear Halcro, as you know, I am low tempered and a rather remote character .... while I really like the Cobra's VTA-tower in execution and handiness ( I had a good, intense and deep look at it at Thuchan's), I am not really taken by the late 1940s design of the arm wand at all.
It really is not form-follows-function, but rather "look here !!! man, I am REALLY different...".
But it sounds good.
Cheers,
D. |
Careful folks - Dover was referring to the outlook only and he is pretty on track with his description.
This is NOT about any performance nor prospective technical advance or new feature of the Cobra arm - it was/is about "looks".
And - well ... - it is a very retro arm wand reminding many of us of the old 1940s bakelite "tonearms".
So retro .... beautiful .... well .... ugly .... not really neither.
Cheers,
D. |
Dear Thuchan, I was referring to Henry's initial post ....... and Dover's comment on the outlook of the arm wand is a bit disrespectful, but not to far fetched (okay - the frostbite banana is heavy stuff !).
I know that both - you and Henry do cherish your Cobra for both the sound and the unusual look.
But it is retro style looking - even if there may be a few good reasons for the composition and design of the arm wand.
Cheers,
D. |
Dear Isochronism, I know you as a man of taste and aesthetics alike.
I have no doubt, that the Cobra (don't think so of the Copperhead) will have it's place in audio history.
It won't end like the FR-66s with a much higher price tag than new 25 years after being discontinued, but it will not be forgotten.
No mistakes here - It is a good tonearm.
Better in many sonic respects than most do think.
Cheers,
D. |
Dear Thuchan, I know that you are one of the most generous, open-minded and modest man I've meet in Audio and I know that tolerance is high on your agenda.
And you know that I have quite some respect for the Cobra - something I can't say about that many tonearms.
Yes - let's agree that it is about looks ...
Cheers,
D. |
Dear Dover, if you wait a few months, you can answer Halcro's last question with much more ease ....;-) .....
Cheers,
D. |
Dear Nandric, as stated before ... peace inside the ECC ...;-) ....- times are rough enough right now ..... especially for Greece.
I enjoyed my holidays on the south coast of Crete for years and have learned to love and respect the people there.
Even if the Cretans see themselves a bit different from the rest of Greece.
After all - this is the birthplace of all what we now call western culture.
Kind regards,
D.
|
Dear Nandric, it was rather an Austrian with a terrible austrian-styrian accent ... even better in the 1st sequel ...
Peace on earth - and within the ECC...
Cheers,
D. |
Dear Nikola, well I am open to new experiences and am learning ..... ;-) ... one sure get's the impression that you and Geoch do know what button to push at the other to get a reaction ...
Back to topic: I see - as far as optics go - the Reed as a kind of off-spin of the Wheaton-Triplanar. And this is certainly not it's only basic design off-spring.
In this context, I would rather vote for the venerable old Triplanar.
At least this is rough yet charming basic industrial design.
Cheers,
D. |
Dear Nikola, may I suggest that you give the Phase Tech a listen in the Triplanar and vice versa the Benz in the Reed.
As a matter of fact the Triplanar is better suited to low compliance (although I wouldn't really call the Phase Tech P-3G low in compliance ... but it is lower in comparison to the Benz for sure) having a slightly higher effective mass than the Reed.
Aside from this I was only pointing to the similarities in outer shape to return this thread to it's topic.
Cheers,
D. |
Azimuth adjustment shouldn't be necessary - alas, it often is due to lack of precision in way too many cartridges (and sometimes idiotic platter surfaces with ever so slight slope to ensure better contact of record to platter - kind of jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire...).
Cheers,
D. |
