2. analog
  3. 1307319083

Kuzma 4Point vs Airline - is it worth the upgrade?

l have owned a Kuzma 4Point arm for a few years now mounted on a Kuzma Stabi XL2. l have the opportunity to change to a Kuzma Airline and was hoping to hear from members who have heard both and whether they think the switch is worthwhile. There is not much l can find on the net comparing the two.

For a similar cost l could add two motors to my XL2 converting it to an XL4, could the upgrade there be more significant than the Airline vs. 4Point?

Interested to hear fellow 'Goners opinions.

Cheers,
Simon
mondie

Showing 5 responses by thuchan

thuchan
1,009 posts
 
Simon,
I had one of the earliest 4 points and liked it very much. But the airline is the much better arm. Nevertheless you should be careful on the matching with carts in a linear tracker (regarding rubber parts etc.)

best & fun only - Thuchan
thuchan
1,009 posts
 
No problem with vibrations in the Airline. I listen to Rock & Jazz Music. Currently I am driving a London Reference with it. Just a great combination!

In comparison to the ET 2.5 - which I regard as one of the really brilliant mostly underrated designs - the Airline is easy to adjust and maintain. Another story is theVacuum pump which you need using in a different room.

agree with Syntax, the 4Point is more on the soft side. If you decide going not for a linear tracker I would look for a Talea or Reed rather than deciding for a 4P. I have seen on the High End in Munich a new arm built by Frank Kuzma but so far I have no experience with it.

best & fun only - Thuchan
thuchan
1,009 posts
 
congrats Mondie! if you are balancing your TT after mounting you may use small paper leaves (double or more sheets) to put it under one of the TTs edges - just to reach a fully balanced condition. This is helpful for the best working condition of the Airline.

best & fun only - Thuchan
thuchan
1,009 posts
 
Jameswei, you are right, the 4 Point arrived later, at me in May 2008.the Airline I have since December 2005 (I believe it came to market in 2004). It was one of the first units of the 4 Point I received and it was a pleasure to compare both units. In the meantime Mr Kuzma did some small improvements on the headshell etc.

best & fun only
thuchan
1,009 posts
 
Don't take me wrong but it seems funny to me that MF discovered the 4point as the last in the row :-) To have a fair comparison one needs to run both arms (Airline and 4 point) on similar TTs with the same arms and carts which I did. Memories from a test long time ago are not a great support for real comparisons.

best & fun only
More to discover