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Top linear trackers

I’m in the market soon for a linear tracking tonearm. Two in particular have piqued my interest, the Kuzma Airline with damping trough and the Bergmann Odin. From what I can tell, these designs have especially benefited from lessons learned during the evolution of linear tracking, incorporating features like longish tonearms to minimize warp wow, ultra low friction, low air turbulence, and mitigation of the high horizontal mass issue by use of a damping trough (not sure of the Odin on that). The Odin is known to have a very quiet pump. The lift on the Kuzma may be easier to operate. I would love to hear from anyone with long term experience with these arms or comparable other ones. I would be mounting this on my current VPI Classic 4 and most likely using my Soundsmith Sussoro Mark 2 ES. That cartridge should work with either arm based on the resonance calculations. Down the road I may consider moving the arm to a Sota Cosmos Eclipse or a Technics custom SP10R or another high value setup. I cannot afford the Bergmann Galder with Odin. If I could I probably would have reached the end of my journey.
earthtones
millercarbon's avatar
millercarbon
12,531 posts
 
Just had a wonderful time listening to some of the best sounding music ever, only to learn to my surprise the whole time I was beside myself with pleasure I was in reality cursed. Damn that pivoted arm! Its so cursed it cast a spell making me think it sounded good! Unbelievable. And the only way out of this curse is the joy of running an air pump. But I wonder, which one? I know! I'll ask a bunch of random dudes!

On second thought I'll stick with the Conqueror. Curses. Foiled again. 
earthtones OP
105 posts
 
Most of my music listening is classical and unfortunately I prefer large scale symphonic pieces that of course tend to have crescendos right where you don’t want them in the inner grooves. Dave Chesky understood this well and wisely avoided the inner grooves. Maybe a handful of my LPs at most don’t portray at least a constricting effect, if not outright distortion, in the inner grooves, and that’s with a properly set up SME 312s. The degradation is subtle but it is there. If my digital rig weren’t so good and the rest of my system not as resolving, I wouldn’t be as concerned. Every review of a good LT I’ve read says that it’s a revelation to hear the ease of reproduction all the way to the end that’s not possible with the pivoted arms they’ve had. I’ve invested way too much in my analog rig to not give this a shot.
elliottbnewcombjr
5,267 posts
 
3 generally recognized null point variations

http://www.dvautier.com/nullpoint/null.htm


favor your inner grooves

Stevenson reduces distortion by favoring the inner groves which may be more compact and more in need of good alignment.
frogman
7,390 posts
 
I’m not about to claim that all linear trackers are better than any and all pivoting arms.  That would be silly.  What I can say is that compared to the well set up pivoting arms that I have used over the years, Sumiko MMT, Grado, Sumiko MDC800, Alphason, SME IV and SME V, going to my still current ET2 linear tracker was a revelation.  According to what are my sonic priorities, no contest.  Especially on large scale orchestral recordings; and, yes, superior performance in the inner grooves.  Highly recommended and good luck.
lewm
12,641 posts
 
Millercarbon, maybe your ecstatic mood is induced by your various PHTs placed strategically here and there.
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