A 9" pivoted tonearm using the Lofgrin A pivot to stylus distance and a 30-degree offset has a tracking error less than 2% and this causes second order harmonic distortion far below that of a SET amplifier, which is inaudible. Good luck mounting a cartridge to the nearest degree. This is why linear tracking tonearms are no advantage over the advantages of pivoted tonearms.
Comparison of sonic qualities of some tonearms
I’m relatively new to the world of vinyl, listening seriously for probably only 2 years. Of course, many big picture items (e.g. turntable, phono stage, cartridges) are discussed extensively on this forum, but I haven’t seen much discussion comparing different tonearms. I would be interested to hear about different people’s experiences with different tonearms, mentioning the audible advantages and disadvantages of each tonearm, realizing that there is no perfect sound, although from what I read about others’ experiences, SAT tonearms may come closest, albeit at a very high price.