Why the sudden popularity of 12 inch arms

Halcro, If it's alright with you, I will just forward my thoughts to you in synopsis form. And let you eloquentize them. Your prose sir, and your (I need a word to put here) are well, really good. SOTA, if you will. Z

My son is two years out of med school and has promised to buy me the system of my dreams some day...Z!!With his med school debt,I'm not counting on it,and would gladly settle for a nice Barollo.-:)
My Siemens 6922's in phonostage)are as old as Methusala,but have not been matched.I've tried "everything" else!!
Like Halcro(almost),my Avalon Ascent MK-II speakers are seventeen years old(modded,and with the addition of a REL Stentor II sub,coming in at 24 hz),maintained to literally a museum standard,and are GORGEOUS to both hear,and behold(irridescent olive wood,unattainable today),and 460 lbs with two external 55 lb each crossovers!!!I have a penchant for "accurate" quality speakers,MUCH more-so than analog,even.Yet,these speakers(designed by Charles Hansen of Ayre)simply "kill" any new choices that would appeal to "me".Anyone having sold these off,for the newer replacements definitely have NOT heard what they are capable of,with todays better electronics...I've tried to find better,for me,but so far no-go!!Even my friend's Magico beauties fall short,in air,and what a true sculptured stage is!And I love those Minis!
The rest of my stuff is just about new,or mega modded,but this business of new as better I take with agrain of salt,when figured into a "total system package"!For my tastes.
Start the stone throwing...

Sir, I can get the wood for you, direct from Italy,if you ever find anything you prefer. The POINT is, you know it could be better, you don't decree that "unfortunately today system is nobueno". Or the sillier(?) "you could try it!" Your mind is not closed shut, and buried up your you-know-what. Savvy? You agree that such an attitude is mui peligroso. You have no need to feel simperwensa. Si? Z.

Dear Halcro: +++++ " ...until I inserted something better. " +++++

I totally agree with you till here.

+++++ " And that something better was inevitably NEWER. " +++++

IMHO I think that that something better could be newer or not so newer, the subject is: BETTER. Because like you posted: " That doesn't of course mean that EVERYTHING newer is better. " +++++

Halcro I think that you an me are talking almost on the same.

Do you think that I'm using " old " tonearms because I like to use " old " ones, NO I'm using it because till today I don't find nothing better ( New/newer or " old " ).: that's all, I already try it: Morch, SME, Triplanar, VPI, Graham, etc, etc and overall I prefer what I use today.

Now, from my cartridges, " new ones ": Allaerts Finish Gold, KRSP, Colibri, XV-1, 90X, etc, etc. I like it but my " old " ones like: Goldbug, Victor, technics, ortofon, etc etc, like me too and my new and old MM ones are part of that " I like it ".

I like you, Sirspeedy and many others own a very old speakers ( heavy tweaked ) that are not the best out there but that are very near to that best one.

I know and agree that is almost impossible to have at home only cutting edge audio items but I know people that have it and its quality whole system performance is poor, in the other way I know people with not " only cutting edge " systems that its quality system performance is really good.
Like I already posted the ideal is the combination of in deep know-how with no money barrier. But if know-how has no substitute money has it!!!

IMHO know-how has no substitute, you can't buy your own ( self ) know-how, you have to learn and obtain through the everyday long time own experiences and from other experiences too. IMHO the first experience/know-how to obtain a decent or high quality music/sound reproduction on our own systems is the in deep experience on live music/live events, preferably with acoustic music.

Some of my audio friends are people with very low music experience and when you hear/heard their systems you know that, no one of those systems sounds really good far from there because they don't have " music appreciation " that you and me have.

Many people out there and in forums like Agon speaks about quality music/sound reproduction at very " high level " ( at least is what they think. ) and when you ask them: how many hours of live music do you hear every week ( well no. ), every month? they have not and answer but all of them are " experts " and they believe it.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

Halcro
" I had my Regar Planar 3 turntable for 30 years (despite hearing Linns and Sotas) because nothing new sounded significantly better to me. "

This combo I have heard and the Linn is a LOT better to my ears than the rega 3. I demoed both models at home back at home in 1985 before I moved from my old $129 pioneer to the stratosphere price of the then Linn.

Fortunately or unfortunately it was hearing the Linn that got me to this obsessive compulsive luv of music and hifi to play it on.

BTW, Just bought the new Gutter twins LP ( Mark lanegan from Screaming Trees and Greg Dulli from Afghan wigs) - brilliant, dark and haunting. Sonics quite good as well.

Also picked up the new Akron family, Hot Chip and mark Callaghan ( Smog) LP's great stuff.
New Rhianna and Timbaland Lp's are great as well - no great sonically unfortunately - a little compressed.