New 55,000 Euro tonearm

let’s just say that a passive magnet has performance potential; but a sufficiently engineered powered magnetic field has an apparently much higher effect on performance.

i’m not claiming any particular effect of the field coil. but i am saying that this arm performs beyond any i’ve heard. and then try to connect the dots as to why.

i did start a thread on What's Best Forum on my Primary Control FCL field coil loaded tone arm if anyone is interested. here;

https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/primary-control-fcl-12-field-coil-loaded-unipivot-tone-arm.35126/#post-807799

i ordered the Primary Control FCL tone arm in January from the Netherlands, and should receive it next week. this arm uses field coil loading for the bearing.

https://www.primarycontrol.nl/Field_Coil_Loaded_Unipivot_Tonearm.html

a friend who also has the big SAT tone arm on hand being discussed here to compare directly, prefers the FCL. not cheap; the FCL arm has a US Retail of over $30k. that same friend also prefers the Durand Tosca to the big SAT. i use 2 of the Tosca’s in my system. it’s priced around $15k USD.

just received a field coil cartridge, the DaVa Reference (from Lithuania), which i’m starting to explore. the DaVa is not cheap but will not break the bank.....at around 6k Euro's plus the power supply which as a field coil it needs. ordered that in early January.

while counting angels on heads of pins has it’s advantages, musical expression is a bit more complicated than that. nothing wrong with being a great tool for investigation, but does it satisfy? not saying it does not, although i get mixed feedback on that part.

not lived with it myself, so i cannot say.

In Munich he told me that with the SAT he would hear the "faults" of the cartridges and not the tonearm, which is very important for the development and tuning of his cartridges.

Early days, but how does it compare to the Durand Tosca - particularly in terms of transparency and overall balance.

@dover 24 hours in with the Primary Control FCL, it fair to say it has a leg up on the Tosca in terms of liquidity, textures and grain lessness. it’s very sexy. might be a touch more micro-dynamic and life like. the Tosca is similarly transparent and balanced.

at these levels we are talking about small differences, but also at these levels small differences equal big differences in musical terms.

the Tosca really has no weaknesses; but the FCL adds more realism and expressiveness. the FCL is doing things that no other arm can do. it might not be the counting angels on heads of pins champ, but maybe it’s the sexyness champ.

the FCL and Tosca are two different levels of refinement; as one might hope for with the FCL at twice the price.

out of curiosity what do you consider great arms say in the 5 - 10k range? Kuzma 4Point? 4POINT9?

https://parttimeaudiophile.com/2020/09/27/glanz-mh-124s-premium-tonearm-review/

or stretch to a used Durand Tosca. that would be the smart play.

Dear @mikelavigne : "" the FCL is doing things that no other arm can do. ""

That’s a serious statement, so I would like to ask: like what things?

Thank’s in advance.

@rauliruegas

tonight i’m bringing out some of my big classical guns to really test the mettle of the FCL. and i am blown away.

https://www.discogs.com/release/15465339-Berliner-Philharmoniker-Bernard-Haitink-Anton-Bruckner-Symphonie-Nr-7/image/SW1hZ2U6NTYzODY2NTc=

https://elusivedisc.com/grieg-peer-gynt-numbered-limited-edition-180g-45rpm-2lp/

https://www.discogs.com/release/4908818-Beethoven-Ikuyo-Kamiya-Piano-Sonata-No23-in-F-Minor-Op57-Appassionata

this thing is so fast, crazy unimaginably fast. and it does not break a sweat even a little. for the last 90 minutes i’ve sampled some formidable pressings i had solid aural memories of, and those memories have been laid to waste. a caution......since i cannot switch inputs i’ve not tried my other arms and cartridges without unplugging phono cables, so no A/B’s for now. therefore; i reserve the right to walk this back later when i get around to trying my other choices.

why would the FCL be so fast? i’m not good at ’why’. in my mind i can connect the dots and reason that a field coil assisted uni-pivot bearing has an advantage of a powered magnetic field with zero mass assisting the bearing performance. how could any mechanical bearing or air bearing be as ’fast’ to allow the stylus to maneuver in the groove as a powered magnetic field? so that’s my very non techie mind’s rationalization/theory of what my ears are telling me. but it might not work that way.

what do i mean by fast? i’m hearing considerably more information, while i’m also hearing a more human and real presentation. with greater fine texture, tonal harmonic complexity and timbre, all the while more grainless and with more ease and flow. like it’s technically so superior that it’s just cruising. not even approaching it’s headroom of performance.

hope that makes sense. i don’t really know what is responsible for the performance, or even if ’fast’ is the right descriptor to use.

@dover 

i've owned a few unipivots; many years ago (late 90's, into 2001) i owned a couple of Graham arms; the 1.5 and the 1.5tc. they were a bit wobbly. never owned a Phantom or Graham after that.

i've owned 2 Durand Telos unipivots, and a Durand Kairos uni-pivot; both designs which use a side azimuth bridge to steady it. there was an art to setting up these particular arms in terms of degrees of tightness of the bridge and the whole balance. the Sapphire Telos was an amazing arm, still is. one of the very best arms i've owned. maybe the ultimate mechanical uni-pivot. with the bridge the Durand's were not at all wobbly. but not plug and play easy to optimize.

on the FCL, with the field coil turned on, you can push from the side and it will deflect, and smoothly spring back. but zero wobble. the feel when putting side pressure on is more a slight resistance but controlled. whatever is actually happening and however it works, the result is ultimate (in my experience) standard setting information and musicality.

It’s a true departure for what you was accustom to with your other tonearms?, I could say not a real departure but something different that at this moment like you more that what you listened with your other tonearms.

@rauliruegas

no, not more distortion.

yes; a step forward from my other arms. which are very fine. it’s more like the detail i get from 1/2" 15 ips tape. more life like and greater realism.