Thales Simplicity tonearm review in Stereophile.

Let's not dismiss the Simplicity so offhandedly. After all, Mr. Fremer gave a glowing review of Thales' top of the line AV model, which features even more complicated pivot bearings. Theoretically the AV (stands for Aluminum Version) offers the possibility of perfect tangency (I know the word tangency should be like pregnancy, either it is or it is not.) due to the geometry of the Thales semi-circle. The Simplicity, whose name is a response to the more complicated AV, using a tetragon solution that reduces the tracking error to a maximum of 0.008° and this value is probably too small to be of any interest. It's still a formidable design with the ease of headshell swapping and with a 230mm mounting distance that's suitable for most turntables. The embedded magnets on the split counterweights are also ingenious. Even if the resulted sound is questionable at least Mr. Micha Huber offers an fully pivoting alternative to airbearing or mechanical linear bearing a la Clearaudio, since the days of Garrard Zero 100.

I readily agree that the Schröder LT is a more effective approach to minimize skating force but I am certain Frank is willing to give credit to Mr. Huber's for his thinking out of the box design. In tangential tracking if the cartridge cantilever to the static pivot point form a straight line, there will be zero skating force. Frank's design, by his claim, minimizes it to such low level to be inconsequential. I guess the knock on the Simplicity and AV is that they behave just like most conventional pivot arm.

Just for fun, here's a German website that offers more than 50 digitized samples of three different tracks of various analog set ups with different tonearms, cartridges, and phono stages. However, the turntable is not listed so perhaps the German speaking members here can enlighten us. Sample #43 uses the Thales Simplicity arm and sample $44 uses SME V with same tune and same set up. Both files are over 150MB and are downloadable.

HiFi Statement Net Magazine Sound Library

English version via Google Translate

Sample #43, Thales Simplicity tonearm

Sample #44, SME V, the rest same as above

Any difference?

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Thanks Hiho, for posting those links. I preferred sample 43 to sample 44 myself. Slightly more transparent.

Thanks, Hiho. I take your points. Have not listened to the many tracks yet.

After more investigating on the hifistatement.net website, it looks like they are using a Brinkmann LaGrange TT for their tests.

Sarcher30: "After more investigating on the hifistatement.net website, it looks like they are using a Brinkmann LaGrange TT for their tests."

Thanks for the research! It makes sense since the LaGrange allows two tonearms and the armpods are swappable which makes evaluating tonearms and cartridges a lot easier. Being a non-suspended table helps too. Just imagine evaluating all of that on a Linn....

I remember years ago, the British magazine Hi-Fi World did a turntable shootout of 6 or 7 brands including some vintage units using the Hadcock tonearm throughout since the armwand is detachable from the base (much like the VPI JMW models) so all the tables are mounted with identical Hadcock bases and then each set up mates with the same arm and cartridge through out, thus eliminating variables. Of course each signal path goes through the same phono stage, line stage, etc.. It's the closest thing to an objective evaluation. Still not perfect, of couse, as some turntables might not have the same "synergy" with the Hadcock. But I give them props for at least trying.

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