Schroder sq and the new talea

An universal tonearm is indeed possible. Technics R&B devision and Micro Seiki with the MAX-237/282 have shown the path. The question remains, whether there is not a too serious trade-off in other vital areas. I.e. whether the "price" you pay for "universality" isn't too high. I am sure, that Raul and his comrade Guillermo will come up with a very nice tonearm. However, if we look at today's top-tier cartridges, do we really need an "universal" tonearm? Most top cartridges today do feature a body mass which is NOT ideally suited to the now common comparatively high compliance in LOMCs ( and the few LOMIs, LOMMs are less than 5% of the market for top-cartridges) . Raul, - this is for you now: IMHO ...(...;-) ...) I think that the "key" to real improvement (i.e.: ABOVE the top level we are used to...) in tonearm/cartridge-performance (I do see these two NOT as independent components, but as 2 parts of ONE system) is the perfect mechanic-dynamic synergy of these two. The real problem today is, that cartridge and tonearm - as well as LOMCs and SUTs ... - are viewed by most as being individual components. They are not.
Some of us do remember times, when there were cartridges and tonearms available, which were made to match each other ( see some of Raul's MMs and the respective tonearms by Technics and others ).
I really do look forward to Raul's and Guillermo's tonearm. If they succeed in their task to an universal tonearm it will get my respect.

Lewn, Halcro is using copperhead not cobra.

And Copperhead is cheap? I guess it costs less than the Cobra, which would still put it at or above the cost of most of the other "best" tonearms, except perhaps the Grandezza. My mentioning the cost is not meant as criticism or sarcasm; I would love to hear any of those three. I just bought a Technics EPA500 with the lightweight arm tube, merely to see/learn whether it will enhance the performance of my collection of vintage MM/MI cartridges, which don't seem to like my Dynavector tonearm very well. (Haven't tried any of them in the Triplanar as of yet.)

Dear Dertonarm: The Guillermo and I main target on our tonearm design is not mainly what MS, Technics and others did it in their designs to give the user/customer own tonearm facilities to match cartridge/tonearm resonance frequency, this is important but I learn that there are other more critical factors down there that affect the quality performance level.

As you point out our main target is that through " perfect mechanic-dynamic " each cartridge you mount in our tonearm can shows at its best like in almost no any other tonearm and this is our meaning of " universal tonearm ".

It is a very hard challenge for any one that want to design a tonearm. Are there trade-offs to achieve that target?, certainly are and Guillermo and I really analize each one of them and its influence ( what we are " loosing " in change of what. ) on playback quality performance level, even if a customer could detect something because those trade-offs.

Design a tonearm with our main target is a deep learning in something that appear very simple: a tonearm design is no rocket to Pluton!, but when you understand that that tonearm is only a 1/2-half product and you need to add the cartridge ( that fussy and multifacetic cartridge along several and different cartridges!!!. ) ) in the " equation " design then that simple tonearm design converts in something more a lot more complex.

It is not only our each one skills to design it but the way we use those skills where the time consuming on tests/voicing is higher than I could imagine at first but a extreme necessity to confirm if we are just " there ".

These tests take me and still take not only several hours for cartridges set up but to listening. I have to develop a process that make me not only more " easy " to find out/detect the differences but that asure me those differences were real because are these differences the ones that tell you if the " light " is still off or you already switch: ON!.

We are ( I think. ) at the finish part/step/stage of our tonearm design and we hope to share it to all of you in the next months ( 2011. ).

Anyway an interesting project full of several learning subjects and full of fun.

Regards and enjoy the music,
Raul.

Has Mike Lavinge expressed his views on the comparison between the two tonearms in another thread?

I was looking forward to reading his version of events....