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Has anyone had experience with the Schroeder Arm

In a high res setup has anyone been able to compare this arm to the top pivoting competition.I think that the fact that the pivot is magnetic as opposedto a bearing like a unipivot(needing damping) should on paper be less resonant and maybe sound better.I currently own,and,am happy with a Graham 2.2,but the idea of a true frictionless bearing (all bearings have some degree of friction)really could make a real difference in a good setup.I'm not interested at the moment in straight line trackers with air bearings (although I love some of them)due to the hassle of external pumps and tubing runs.
sirspeedy

Showing 3 responses by cmk

cmk
397 posts
 
I had the opportunity to listen to the Galibier Supreme with both the Schroeder Reference and the Triplanar while visiting Thom Mackris in Boulder. He's an excellent host. I wrote a field report here :
http://www.echoloft.com/cgi-bin/YaBB/YaBB.cgi?board=Vinyl&action=display&num=1096030324

Briefly, the Triplanar is a high resolution arm, capable of extracting lots of detail and sounding musical at the same time. Quite extraordinary. The Schroeder Ref has all the same detail, but presented it in a relaxed, natural manner - a characteristic of all Schroeder arms I might add.
cmk
397 posts
 
The real question is, what is your frame of reference?

There are some who believe that very precise imaging is "accurate" due to more extension in the highs which gives a specific image focus.

Or is it that in sonic images reproduced should be approximate, but the detail is there, unforced. When listening to live acoustic concerts in a hall with good acoustics, if you close your eyes, you can place most of the instruments in their proper place, but can you say that X is planted here and Y there? I seriously doubt.

There was a time when I would have placed greater emphasis on image focus and detail retrieval, but now I value the music's flow and tonal accuracy much more.

As in all things, system balance is important. More information about sirspeedy's system is required.
cmk
397 posts
 
sirspeedy
Doug and I have already answered your original question about the sound of the Schroeder(or lack thereof) in our posts. It is really significantly better than "the top pivoting competition" IMO. Take it for what its worth.

As to other tonearm cabling, this is never the issue with the Schroeder as there are no joints up to the phono stage, which has the least deleterious effect compared to having different cabling and carrying such low level signals.

Setup of the Schroeder is not difficult, but more importantly, it is repeatable and allows for very fine tuning. And as you correctly put it, when you finally have a good set up right, the tiniest details stand out, for the Schroeder probably not in BOLD relief, but in their natural palette.

Good luck in your search for musical truth.
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