Choosing a new turntable

Following one other discussion re dust covers, there was an informal poll here, and most of us declared a preference for no dust cover. To a novice I’d say try it both ways and choose for yourself. It’s easy to do.

As to headshell or no headshell, in theory it’s obvious a straight shot from cartridge to phono input is best. In practice I don’t hear a difference for higher output cartridges but perhaps it makes a small difference for the very lowest output cartridges. Difficult to say because you’re never doing it both ways with the very same tonearm. If there is an audible difference it’s so close I don’t fret over it.

A search on hishark

The following arm makers have models with removable headshells, some removable plates secured by only 1 screw

Hifishark 3-16-24 tonearms with removable headshells

SME

Technics, all the beloved 1200’s, S arm for BP-500 Base

Thorens

Micro- seiki

SAEC

Fidelity Research

EAT

Glanz

Ikeda

Ortofon

Dynavector

Garrard

EMT

Audiocraft

Reed, detatchable plate, (several others have detachable plates, allowing pre-mounting of cartridge, then secured, often by a single screw).

Schroder: separate plate attached with one screw

Pro-Ject Signature 12”

Sumiko

……………………….

Others? I stopped looking

Not that I want to perpetuate an argument about head shells, but I always thought Reed and Schroeder tone arms are in a group that have non-detachable head shells. At least that applies to my own Reed tonearm, and any Schroeder tonearm I have ever seen in person. And your list is largely a chronological one. There was a time in pre-CD history when every tone arm had a detachable headshell, except maybe the Triplanar (late 1980s) might have been the first to have a non-detachable head shell. Since the turn of this century, there are many newer tone arms that have non-detachable head shells. That anti-feature seems more likely in the most expensive examples, oddly enough. Not that I care either way.

I think what you see on the Schroeder, the single screw, allows for adjustment of headshell offset angle, not for headshell removal. Same for Reed.

Add Kuzma to arms with removable headshells.

In relation to Roksan TT's, I can't but not attach them to the reason why bearing modifications become so popular in the UK in the Nineties and onwards since.

The Company might be the Godfather of very accurately interfaces for machining bearings and having a quality control that maintained the Spindle / Bush interface was kept to very low microns, resulting a extremely true axis.

It was a common perspective that the presentation of these TT's was very attractive, beguiling in their attraction to competitors TT's. 

The quality of the Bearing on the Roksan TT was attributed to this particular sonic and creating an attraction that was a very competitive and improved over other mechanical interfaces encountered from competitors.

Roksan as a business model did not capture and ensnare their customers as did the Linn's, Naims and Pink Triangle, informing their captured prey, all methods of listening used until now are wrong and lets us re-educate you to become better audio enthusiasts and show you clearly where to direct funds.

I would assume the much more commonly seem magazine media were met with an alternative version of how a product should be represented by them, in the eyes of  Linn, Naim, or Pink Triangle and the likes of Roksan were never to be given the place the quality of the product they were producing deserved. 

For myself, I am happy they showed others the benefits of creating a very tight tolerance mechanical interface and the value of a true axis rotation. Mechanical minded individuals commenced with their own versions of this, and I was a recipient of early produced work from the early 90's and am still involved being very encouraging to see this area of work undertaken for a mechanical interface  maintained by individuals being inquisitive and wanting that extra special experience.

Additionally, I am instrumental in seeing this area of a mechanical interface continued as a evolving R&D today. There are a few very good skill sets sailing close to the wind on this subject and I am to look on, to see where they are bearing, it is getting this area closer to being correct, that enables plenty more dots to be connected on the trail to a much improved Cartridge Styli > Groove Modulation Interface.