Unipivot vs Linear Tracking

Well,you are certainly entitled to your opinion!

Dear friends all of you: IMHO this tonearm subject is a very controversial one ( for say the least ) and very complex. Here in México we say " everyone talks like goes on the fair ".

Some way or the other I think that everyone can/could be right, IMHO there is non absolute answer to the subject only relative answers.

From pure theory ( and only on tracking error subject ) there is no doubt that a LTT is the best way to go like from theory a 12" pivot tonearm is better than the 9" one, but tracking error/distortion subject is only one of several other same importance level subjects than the tracking distortion.

Why a tonearm ( it does not matters pivot or LT ) performs better than other is the summary of several different parameters ( other that good cartridge match and set up ) that help to top quality performance or that contribute to a lower one: bearing design, bearing type, bearing tolerances, bearing material, bearing friction value, geometry design/choose, tonearm length, build material ( whole ), internal wiring, effective mass, damping type, design execution, etc, etc, etc, all these " parameters " and many others help to define the tonearm performance.

I have experience on tonearms over the years not only with pivot ones but LT too ( including the ones from Rockport/Walker ). It is true that the LT are something special ( specially on soundstage that it is not my top music priority, important but not critical. ) but the pivot ones too specially on both frequency extremes where IMHO no LT surpass them.
IMHO too there is no perfect tonearm design, pivot or LT, the best one is the one that match your trade-offs/music priorities.

In the last two years ( maybe more ) Guillermo and I were in deep whole tonearm research looking/building for a Universal tonearm ( the perfect one ) where we already made several live tests ( with our tonearm prototype designs ) to be near that almost impossible target: Universal/perfect tonearm.

We try 12",11",10",9",etc, etc and about tracking distortion I agree totally with Cjfrbw: you can't hear the differences at least differences that you could say: hey that is because lower tracking error!, no way. As imperfect is the playback analog rig as imperfect are the analog recording process and these facts preclude that the theory is on command.
. Btw, when we talk about lower traking error between a 12" tonearm against a 9-10" one we are talking of 0.8 degrees or less, with all respect to all of you : no one can hear it. The special soundstage performance on LT is more a result of its non mechanic grounded bearing that of the LT design.

IMHO it is more important a good execution design, cartridge match and good set-up that pivot vs LT subject.

Guillermo and I choose a pivot tonearm design over LT because we think ( maybe we are wrong ) that can/could be nearer to the Universal tonearm, we are really exited on the quality performance showed on our last prototype: very promised, we will see over the time to come.

Spl, don't worry about which is harder to set up properly there are many other more important subjects ( of course that a friendly set up is always desired. ) to choose your tonearm.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

"The spcial soundstage performance on LT is more a result of it's non mechanic grounded bearing that of the LT design".------

I'm going to assume this means what I've been ststing about the lower mechanicl friction of the air bearing design.....something that surely must be a reason for the Schroder's apparent reputation!

Yes,I am more concerned with this attribute,as opposed to a few degrees of tangency!

With all due respect...the arm I had been exposed to(for ten years)was "absolutely" superior to anything else I have heard(including my own choice).,,..

Those folks in my little audio group consistently confirmed this,and have more credability(to me)than some naysayers,who were not lucky enough to be present.

Aside from the more relaxed stage presentation,there is more air/depth/space between instruments/and tonal attributes....

I'd love to see someone owning a well set up Walker,or a Forsell chime in,and state that if they "did" move to a pivot(for whatever reason),they got the impression that the air/linear "arm"(I'm not talking about the table)was NOT missed....

If you haven't lived with one,I understand the doubts(on the argued theory)...that's too bad,because these "instruments" can be a doorway to better analog sound!

Best

Dear Sirspeedy: +++++ " With all due respect...the arm I had been exposed to(for ten years)was "absolutely" superior to anything else I have heard(including my own choice).,,.. " +++++

there could and can be several reasons why is that, one of them is that your music sound reproduction priorities are different from other people ( including me ) other could be that till today you never heard/hear the perfect pivot tonearm/cartridge combination.
Anyway what many of us have is a subjective ( estrictly personal like yours ) opinion and other people have a subjective/objective opinion ( I'm between these ones ).

Anyway IMHO I have to say again that the quality tonearm performance is a summary of many subjects where the tracking error is only one of them, sure it is important but in my whole tonearm experiences ( like I say ) it is only one more subject to take in count: the sum of the parts is the answer.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

i have recently purchased three additional tunrtables, a Technics SP-10 Mk2, an SP-10 Mk3 and a Garrard 301. this is not any commentary on my Rockport; it is a matter of curiosity about all the excitment people are having with these vintage dd tt's when they install them in a modern plinth and add a state-of-the-art arm. i also want to have my other cartridges mounted and ready to play. i am currently contemplating which arms i will use; in any case each arm will be pivoted.

once they are all up an running i may not keep all three (rather the wife may not allow me to).....but i want to hear them for myself.

my agenda was not the linear tracking verses pivoted arm question; and clearly the Rockport and these other tt's will have fundamental differences.....but it should shed more light on the question of this thread too.

personally; i am much more a direct drive (or rim drive) guy than a linear tracking guy and think that properly applied it has more fundamental effect on the music than the arm approach. music fundamentaly is about timing. this comment is not to hijack this thread but more to put it in a bit of context.