Unipivot vs Linear Tracking

Most is written about those arm, but Mikelavigne wrote something very interesting I discovered, too.
A linear Tracker is in my opinion very sensitive to the quality of the Turntable, or lets say it the other way, I think, a LT on a normal Turntable can sound good, but in a comparison to regular Arms the Listener can get the impression "so what?", same comparison on a top turntable can push the curtain. I thought, based on it's "Air Bearing" the Turntable is not that important, but now I think different.

Wow! How could I miss this thread?

On LTT and Unipivots: my personal experience is the LTT has the advantage and it is audibly superior to pivoted arms in general.

The most obvious difference is the soundstage. LTT throw a huge and wide 3D stage extending both laterally and depthwise. The pivoted arm on the other hand, has a soundstage which is somewhat "curtailed/curved" at the back.

The 2nd difference is in the dreaded end-of-side distortion, which though some good pivoted designs are able to reduce significantly, they cannot completely be rid of some mistracking. The soundstage may sound a little smaller or confused with pivoted designs, but this does not happen with an LTT.

The issue with LTT is associated with the pump. I run mine 24/7 outside the listening room so as to not interfere with the music. It is audible, especially if your system is quiet. Setup of LTT will depend on the design of the arm. Once the armbase is set, lining up a cart on a LTT is much easier than a pivoted - its either ON or OFF.

As to whether it is worth going for a LTT, if your budget fits, absolutely. That is not to say that the good pivoted tonearms don't sound good, they do and I could live with my Schroeder even if I didn't have the Conductor.

Dear Thomasheisig: +++++ " A linear Tracker is in my opinion very sensitive to the quality of the Turntable " +++++

to the inherent quality of the turntable it self or to the " TT arm board ( TT suspension and vibrations disippation. )?

regards and enjoy the music.
raul.

Cmk thank you for illuminating me to the audible difference between a LTT and a pivot arm.

I've been told that for an air bearing LTT arm, the air pressure has a relationship to the quality of the low end (bass) delivery.

I own the Scheu Premier mkII(80mm platter) along with the top of the line 9" Scheu Tacco unipivot AND the Cartridge Man Conductor linear tracking, air bearing, tonearm(HiFi Plus review). Both cost ~$3,000 US.

Unfortunately, I do not have the Premier with dual armboards(nor two of each cartridge), so it is impossible to A/B comparisons. Nor am I anything close to an expert at setup, so I have no idea if I have ever heard an optimal cart/arm matching in my system.

Which sounds better on the Scheu?

I really don't know. The amount of time between setups is so great, I would be lying if I even tried to venture a guess. I can say both knock my socks off when mounted and properly dialed in. So much so, that in the last year and a half, I haven't been able to get up the guts to sell either off.

Both have the advantages and disadvantages. Aesthetics go to the Tacco. Ease of use/setup goes to the Conductor.

Primary dowsides: As with all LT's, pump noise and air hiss is an issue to deal with, especially if your turntable is close to the listening position.

The Unipivot always causes stress/fear when cueing an expensive cart. Nothing like seeing it do it's version of a drunken jackhammer.