Tone arm length


I assume this question is not brand specific. 

However my question is specifically related to the Clearaudio Innovation Wood with the Universal tonearm, 9 or 12" options. The cost between the two is minimal, but I'd love to hear opinions on why one or the other is preferred.

Thank you.

 

macg19

Showing 1 response by larryi

I have heard, and liked that table/arm combination.  This is a well behaved combination that does a good job of damping resonant energy from the cartridge tracking the groove (as evidenced by how well it damps large, sharp impulses such as ticks and pops; they are less obvious than is the case with many other table/arm combinations).  For some listeners, that kind of behavior is considered "dead" sounding, so taste and system synergy issues matter when it comes to whether this is a very good combination.  A local dealer who usually hates well damped table/arm combinations likes this combination, so it is not extreme in this respect.

Others have discussed the various tradeoffs of longer and shorter arms so I will only add two more points--the longer arm will mean less variation in vertical tracking angle/stylus rake angle when changing records of different thickness.  I don't fiddle with VTA/SRA when changing records, but, I do know from experience that even small changes do affect the sound, so in this respect the longer arm is better.  The longer arm also means a smaller offset angle of the headshell and correspondingly less skating force.  Because the skating force is not zero, antiskating is still required, but, less anti-skating is required and so issues with skating/antiskating is reduced a little.  With newer materials and technology, the rigidity/damping behavior of longer arms has become less of an issue than in the past.  Still, there are many designers who think it is such a high priority that they favor the shorter arm lengths.  I've heard enough good examples of both lengths used in arms from the same manufacturer and I don't think it makes that much difference.