Discuss The Viv Lab Rigid Arm

I get it. Sorry. I don't know if bearing friction would double, because for most tonearms the vertical bearing friction is different from the horizontal bearing friction, but I guess it would be increased.

But like Dave said, and in spite of what I wrote earlier, give it a try with the SME.

Dear @dover and friends : " if accurate alignment is your primary goal, ", well I don’t know other audiophiles but accurated alignment is the first step of other important steps in the whole cartridge/tonearm set-up that can puts me nearer/truer to the recording.

Why choosed I a different first step other than the one that gives zero tracking distortion as the LT tonearms?, mainly because does not exist the perfect tonearm and through my several first hand experiences with LT that I owned it made everything fine but the low bass. So I choosed my trade-off in benefit of whole MUSIC sound and choosed and never came back to the pivot tonearms using as first set up step the Löfgren alignments and let explain my sense/mind about and all steps down there to be nearer to the recording ( the Löfgreen alignments are the ones to zero tracking error/distortion to the LT designs: are the ones that puts the cartrudge stylus nearer to groove modulations tangentially. VIV is way way off that main target no matter what. ):

After the Löfgreen alignment set up we have to fine tune that alignment along other critical set up parameters as: VTF/VTA/SRA/AZ/AS/ZENT and the like. All those steps puts me nearer and truer to the recording that’s my main MUSIC reproduction target in my room/system. The VIV puts any audiophile far away from the recording but any one has different room/system targets.

Btw: " aware of any negative comments on underhung tonearms voiced by either M Kelly or Dave Garretson ", sorry lew but I never posted that you need to read again why I mentioned to those gentlemans. That " vitriol " you posted is not vitriol but and opinion against your several times " insult " to LÖFgreen that obviously for you and dogberry is just ok and not for me. Re-read my post about.

R.

I met with Mr. Koichiro Akimoto and his family near Kamakura during my trip to Japan in March. We discussed the Rigid Float arm at length. He has a Masters degree of engineering of the University of Tokyo, Japan's most prestigious school. He explained to me many parameters in his design and why he thinks the older tonearm designs had their emphasis wrong, when it comes to acoustically correct record playing. I must admit, many of his arguments went straight over my head, as mechanical engineering is not my knowledge base at all. But as a scientist, I value experiment over dogma any time. So, I bought the arm from him on the spot (for a very good price, mind you, the $ / ¥ conversion rate playing well in my favor), with the promise that I could return it for a full refund if I don't like it. He is a really nice guy, btw., rather shy but very enthusiastic about his research and invention - as much as his advanced Parkinson's allows. Long story short: I installed the arm on my PTP Audio Lenco-revival TT (hugely recommended, btw.), replacing my old and trusted "Woody" arm by Pete Riggle up in WA. The correct setting up is actually straight forward, but the setting of the correct  VTF is somewhat tricky: I had to wait for a few seconds before taking my weight measurements, as the arm indeed floats in a cup filled with ferro-magnetic fluid. It is also very light by itself, which needed steady fingers on my part. However, after several email exchanges with Akimoto-san and helpful tips, I managed to get it steady and ready to play. My cartridge needs only 1.5 grams VTF, which might also have complicated things (Miyaji MEMS, by itself a true revolution). Well, what can I say: this arm completely disappears; it seems to get completely out of the sound-picture, letting the Miyaji do its magic completely uninfluenced. When compared with the "Woody" (which I really loved up to this point), everything appears "clearer", more transparent and natural, without sacrificing anything, same rhythmic drive (Lenco!), super bass, spatial placement and contour, etc. etc.. In comparison, while equally dynamic and "clear" in its presentation, the "Woody" all of sudden sounded "euphonic", still lovely and pleasing, but with rounded edges. With the Rigid Float I felt like a layer of old varnish had been removed from the musical painting. But nothing else! No idiosyncrasies that would scream "new tonearm" at me. As I said before, it completely got out of the way. I think the complete acoustic decoupling by the fluid bed plays an important role here, but most likely also the unusual geometry of the arm. I strongly recommend to forget historic dogma in this case and let your ears decide, which is what we all should be doing, lest this hobby turns quickly into a religion. And no: it never even crossed my mind to return this masterpiece! (Miyaji MEMS cartridge, PTPAudio Solid 9 TT with external speed control, SUPRATEK Grange Pre, Linkwitz Powerbox (1 per channel) active crossover/amp, Linkwitz 521.4 Mg speakers, MSB Discrete DAC, Apple MacBook Air).

If you happen to be in the SF Bay Area, you might want to stop by my house for a listening: always welcome!

Dear Reimarc, Thank you for this report. You or a member of your family must speak Japanese, because in my indirect dealings with Akimoto-san, I learned that he does not communicate well in English. Nevertheless, I too bought my Viv directly from Akimoto-san under the auspices of my son, who has lived in Tokyo for about 18 years and is fluent in all aspects of the Japanese language. Like you, my son also found Akimoto-san to be a very nice, soft-spoken, and humble man. His character also came through to me in the context of short emails he and I were able to exchange directly. Apart from our shared appreciation of the Viv tonearm, we have in common the fact that I too am a (retired) scientist (in my case an MD molecular biologist/virologist), and I too have my Viv mounted on the deck of a Lenco. Mine is an OEM Lenco except I threw away the plinth, the bearing, and the tonearm and mounted the remaining parts in slate (which was in vogue at the time among gurus on Lenco Heaven). I also use a PTP top plate and a huge aftermarket bearing made in England (by a guy I only remember as "Jeremy"). I drive the motor with a Phoenix Engineering power supply controlled by the PE Roadrunner tachometer. The platter has been painted externally with vibration-reducing paint and further damped by O-rings around its perimeter. (The idea for that came direct from the late, great Win Tinnon.) One virtue of the tonearm is the very functional cue-ing device, about as good as any I have ever experienced. Also, I have never had a problem with setting VTF. I wonder what model of Viv you chose. I have the aluminum 9-incher, aka the "9HA". I have never been a fan of carbon fiber in audio, with the exception of carbon fiber headshells. For several cartridges, I use Yamamoto or Oyaide carbon fiber headshells in lieu of the Viv Nelson Hold headshell. The Lenco ensemble drives a Manley Steelhead which drives the built in direct-drive amplifiers of Beveridge 2SW speakers supplemented below 80Hz with a pair of Transmission Line woofers.

Raul, Please convey my apologies to the Lofgren family for any perceived but unintended insult, but I also do not think it is insulting to Lofgren to point out that his work was primarily aimed at solving the geometry problem of how to minimize TAE while using a pivoted tonearm of manageable length. His solution is to offset the headshell at an angle. Is it not otherwise accurate to say that he did not envision modern stereo LPs nor modern exotic stylus shapes? Lofgren was working with the technology he had in front of him in 1939 or thereabouts.  No sin in that. Puh-leeze! It's rather ironic that you take offense on behalf of Lofgren, considering that you have insulted so many living, breathing audiophiles on these forums, intentionally or not. (I love you anyway, but be real.)