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Schroeder Model 2 carbon fiber vs. Pertinax tonearms

I'm seriously considering a Schroeder Model 2 but am wondering about the sonic differences between the carbon fiber arm, which many people rave about,  but which Frank Schroeder himself has said has inferior resonant and dielectric properties compared to his more expensive wood arms for the Reference and DPS.  I have not seen anyone comment on the sonic differences between the carbon and more expensive pertinax.  Would appreciate any info useful in deciding which way to go.  I am replacing a Scheu Classic 2 tonearm on my Scheu Premier 2 turntable and currently using a Soundsmith SMMC-2 cartridge.  Thanks, danl
dwh
topoxforddoc's avatar
topoxforddoc
353 posts
 
I bought a carbon Model 2 over 10 years ago, before the pertinax option came out. Whilst I would love to upgrade the arm (Frank can upgrade any tonearm he has made), the time (particularly) and cost doesn't make sense to me, given the fact that my carbon arm does what I want out of it.
I have heard a number of wooden tonearm Schroeder References and they were lovely, But of course, they weren't in my system in my room, so it's hard to know how much better these were.
Now I have invested into 15 IPS 2 track R2R master tapes and have 4 R2R machines capable of playing these, fiddling around with different tonearm materials sort of pales into insignificance.
dwh OP
6 posts
 
topoxforddoc,  Thanks for the reply.  Do you have any comments on how your Schroeder Model 2 compares with the tonearm it replaced?  I've had a Morch UP-4 and the Scheu Classic 2 on my current table.  Dan
PS:   I was blown away by the mastertape copy at Axpona 2015 of Ziggy Stardust on a United Home Audio R2R...amazing combination of resolution and musicality!
topoxforddoc's avatar
topoxforddoc
353 posts
 
Hi Dan,
I still have my previous tonearm (a vintage late 70s Hadcock 228), as I have 2 tonearms on my Platine Verdier. I found the Schroeder a bit more open and transparent. Of course, one's aural memory isn't always reliable when listening in different circumstances. You really need identical cartridges in two tonearms, but of course, at home one never does that. I have a vintage late 60s Decca FFSS MkIV C4E on my Hadcock and an Allaerts MC1B on my Schroeder - not exactly similar.
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