Are linear tracking arms better than pivoted arms?

i own both types, the Rockport Sirius III linear tracking arm, a pivoted Triplaner, and a pivoted Reed.

my experience is that optimizing a well designed linear tracker can get world class bass performance.....even compared to top level pivoted arms. the character of the bass might be different on a linear tracker than a pivoted arm. subjectively one might prefer one over another.

in my particular case i did think my pivoted arms had more bass slam than my Rockport linear tracker. then i removed the silicone dampening fluid from the Rockport arm, at which point the bass performance really came alive. the dampening fluid had been slowing down the arm, both in the vertical plane but especially in the lateral plane. without the fluid to 'push against' as it tracked sideways down the air shaft the energy level increased by a large degree.

i have 2 Ortofon A90's, one on my Garrard/Triplaner and one on my Rockport. the bass is rounder on the Triplaner, but it does not have more slam than on the Rockport. the Rockport has more articulation and tonality in the bass, the slam and decay are of different character.....more life like. i've had the A90 on the Technics/Reed. there it has more slam than the Garrard/Triplaner, maybe a touch more than the Rockport, but not alot more.

if i were to draw my conclusions from my experience with the Rockport arm with the dampening fluid then i'd likely agree about the differences mentioned above on the difference in bass performance......but not now. and......in all other matters of performance the Rockport arm 'laps the field' over the pivoted arms......but of course, it's not possible to isolate what it does from the tt it resides on.

all air bearing linear tracking arms are not the same; and unless one spends considerable time with any particular arm you cannot assume things.

Is there even a way to measure this lateral force/stress on the cantilever/motor assembly?

it would seem to be simple to place some sort of sensor between the linear arm housing (or the cartridge body) and press against it. the smallest force required to get the arm moving from rest would be the maximum amount of force required. it might be impossible to measure the force required on a pivoted arm since the arm is able to flex in multiple planes. how could you isolate the resistance in one plane?

since i removed the dampening fluid from my arm the lateral resistance of the arm has got to be negligable.

it's the stress of that initial starting force on the canteliver which potentially could cause premature cartridge failure. my experience is that a linear tracker with vaccuum is the least stressful environment for a cartridge since the record is always flat. my favorite Colibri (a fragile cartridge if ever there was one) lasted 5 years on the Rockport before i accidently broke the canteliver while dusting two years ago.

my linear tracking arm only has two issues; and that is to make sure that the lateral shaft that the arm housing slides on is perfectly level, and that the shaft is clean. cleaning is simply a matter of sliding the arm back and forth once prior to using. i check the level by tapping on the arm to unweight it at various places along the shaft to make sure it stays in place. if it drifts to one side i adjust the plinth leveling on the air suspension. it needs adjustment once or twice a year and takes 30 seconds.

Has anyone compared recent linear and pivot tonearms on a 2-arm TT at the same time w/ the same cartridge for an A/B comparison? What did you notice?

yep.

currently i have 2 Ortofon A90 cartridges; one on my Garrard 301/Triplaner and one on my Rockport Sirius III. the one on the Rockport only has about 50 hours on it and the other one has about 125 hours.

there are no 'unusual' issues with the A90 on the Rockport. it exhibits the same performance advantages of any cartridge i mount on the Rockport.

my perspective on this 'issue' that linear trackers are somehow 'stressful' on cartridges is that i have seen none of that at all. as i mentioned in an earlier post in this thread i had a vdH Colibri (a particularly delicately built cartridge) on my Rockport for 5 years with zero issues. as far as other performance problems/limitations from linear arms, again, i don't see them.

not all linear trackers are the same. it's likely a much greater challenge to build one to work properly, but it can and has been done. as far as limitations of an air bearing in bass performance, in theory maybe, but again i don't really hear that either when the Rockport arm is optimized. i know Andy Payor certainly does not subcribe to that perspective.....but what does he know?

Sounds for an upgrade for electronics which can show the difference.

huuuuummmmmmmmmmm.

ok, i'll play.

like what?

audiophile impressions versus mechanical laws

long term observations on cartridge durability on a linear tracker is not 'placebo' or 'audiophile impressions'. Fred did not imagine that his vdH Cartridge had no problems. i did not imagine that my vdH Colibri worked great for 5 years on my linear tracker.

heroic execution of design seems to trump expected limitations of concept in some cases.

bumble bees should not be able to fly, but they do.

Otherwise you will find very few sonic statements in any of my posts

a profound thought for sure....which caused me pause.

after i read the above comment i sat for awhile and pondered exactly why it bothered me so much. i have yet to answer that question in my mind. and please assume the only problem here is my own.

i do not mean to inhibit idea exchange here or turn the topic into some philosphical exchange. i'm simply relating my perspective.

Dertonarm,

i tried my best to not make my post personal in any way....as all your posts have been made with respect and class. i don't mean to cause you to defend or explain yourself.

i just felt that when you posted that comment that it needed to be considered......as at least to me it's just a fundamnetal conflict to stray too far from the enjoyment of music when speaking about gear....however objective we attempt to be about cause and effect.

science serves art but does not define it.

i'm no techie, scientist, or engineer. maybe if i had more grounding in technical perspective i'd feel different.

this is supposed to fun.

best regards,

The rest of the system would be good value for money today, but who would swap their current turntable for a TD 124?

actually; the basic guts of a 40+ year old Thorens or Garrard idler, or a 30-40 year old direct drive EMT, Technics, Sony or Pioneer....with a modern arm, improved plinth, and LOMC cartridge can compete on the highest level of tt performance.

my Garrard 301 and Technics SP-10 Mk3 are really wonderful tt's in every way.

Syntax,

that's some heavy s*** for a Sunday. you need to cut down on your Wagner and listen to more Bob Marley. it's springtime, enjoy the music.

cheers.

i think every 'school of preference' within the hobby can claim some turf in the reality sweepstakes....depending on one's personal tastes and musical genre tendancies. gosh; you have the ultra low wattage/horn guys, the mid-power tube guys, the big speaker big ss amp guys and other groups such as the Quads, or appogees, the MBL's or whatever.

aspects of live music are evidant to one degree or another in each 'school'.....but it's the synergy of a system including sources and complimentary software which determine the degree of success at approaching reality of reproduction.....and then....there is the room.

with all those varibles....how in the hell can someone say who is on the right path and who is not without actually spending time in their system?

it's one thing to try to describe what our goals might or should be as listeners. it's a whole different thing to judge someone else's system as 'not valid' or 'they'

'forgot what "the real thing" had sounded like. Today, "good" sound is whatever one likes. Fidelity is irrelevant to music.'

on a related subject to 'the Absolute Sound'; having high quality RTR 15ips 1/4" master dubs and good RTR decks does allow one to 'calibrate' other sources. it will not calibrate the down stream signal path, but it's easy to hear how close an Lp/tt/cart/phono stage/digital player is to the actual recording. yes; not all master dubs are created equal....but it's the best one can hope to do.....and certainly better than not having it.

i have enough of these along with vinyl and digital masterings that the truth quickly is heard on what source/media is closest.