Inna,
Agree with all the above. I had an inexpensive linear arm (HK/Rabco ST-8) and now have a mid-price pivoting arm (OL Silver). The linear tracker was cool, and I didn't have to fuss with antiskating or worry (much) about tracking error. Nevertheless, the OL arm plays circles around it. Even with the same cartridge, the pivoting OL tracks better and handles antiskate test tracks better. It even plays music better.
Mikelavigne's graphic description of scary cueing is right on. I played a record the other day for the first time with my new arm. While cueing I noticed a terrifying series of gouges in the lead-in area from a previous rough cueing. It looked like someone had used a jackhammer on the poor thing. (Mike, have you been sneaking into my LP collection? I'm pretty sure your records don't look like this!)
Agree with all the above. I had an inexpensive linear arm (HK/Rabco ST-8) and now have a mid-price pivoting arm (OL Silver). The linear tracker was cool, and I didn't have to fuss with antiskating or worry (much) about tracking error. Nevertheless, the OL arm plays circles around it. Even with the same cartridge, the pivoting OL tracks better and handles antiskate test tracks better. It even plays music better.
Mikelavigne's graphic description of scary cueing is right on. I played a record the other day for the first time with my new arm. While cueing I noticed a terrifying series of gouges in the lead-in area from a previous rough cueing. It looked like someone had used a jackhammer on the poor thing. (Mike, have you been sneaking into my LP collection? I'm pretty sure your records don't look like this!)