Turntables: 2 Tonearms. What do you Have or Know About?

Why not share the subject as an across forum venture.

The 3 x Standalone Pods do seemingly offer the concept that anybody can experience Multi-Arms in use without having to spend too much on the additional Arm Support Method.

The TT owner with a leaning toward multi-TA's put into service as a method to extend on experiences, need not be too concerned for their TT's Plinth being able to receive additional arms, if the Standalone Pod is a mounting method put to use, or investigated to be tried out. 

Some might suggest concerns are required for convection and the TT arm Pod colliding 😂, not in a TT users lifetime will that hilarious hypothesis occur. 

https://www.audionirvana.org/forum/the-audio-vault/analog-playback/tonearms/112602-multiple-tonearms-setup-on-single-turntable-and-ease-of-use

https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/tts-with-multiple-tonearms.19794/

@elliottbnewcombjr As for playing 3 x TA's simultaneously and measuring Speed.

That one is new to me💡, even though I do not see myself attempting it during a upcoming 2 x TA Demo.

Using these Super Polished Styli, is one of the more recent advertised methods, I am of the view it is one of the last frontiers with the present technologies available to reduce friction/drag within the groove.

I am an advocate of Good Quality Interference Fit Head Shells, being used in the same material, for carrying out comparisons of Cart's. A lot can be learned using this method, and I am very pleased to have been party to demo's using this very method, when comparing different Cart's.

I am very familiar with a modified SME Bayonet Type Headshell, that is produced to be a Interference Fit. When compared to the Typical Design used on same TA>TT. The outcome for me has been the Typical Design SME Bayonet is very wanting and unattractive in comparison to the Modified Version.          

There is not a Link as such, the design is Bespoke Made.

If you do look across the years of SME Designs since their 30xx Models were released.

The insertable removeable Headshells used on the 30xx range, (the design mimicked by many Brands), as a design, are  inserted into an additional connected fastened into the Wand. Once seated the removable part is tightened in place by a Threaded Ferrule. I won't say too much on this as a design for a role where two parts are connected to the end of the Wand, especially where a rigid coupling being in place is the ideal.

This earlier design from SME was not transferred over to the Companies M2 xx Design. This design used for M2 xx, is robust and has a mounting method that has the Wand as the internal, with the Headshell clamping down onto the sleeve that is concealing the Wand and serving as a means to increase the OD over a proportion of the length of the Wand. This still remains a Two Part Connection for the Headshell, but has the design incorporated to enable a rigid clamping of the Headshell to the Sleeve. I am giving the benefit of any doubt to the Sleeve and suggest it is a very tightly coupled part, and an adequately tight clamp fastening will finish the connection nicely.

The later of the SME Removable Headshell Designs was with a increased substance and designed to directly couple onto a Tapered Wand.

I don't see the Headshell Connection used for the SME 309, IV and V having any potential to not be rigidly coupled, as long as the Clamp Fastening is adequately tightened.

For the two later designs of removable Headshell, my gut has always been toward using a Torque Setting at the time of securing the Headshell, as this would give a consistency to the mechanical interface.  

 In relation to my earlier post. I was given demo's from the same TA. Encountering it  evolve from a version of the SME Bayonet Headshell, to a Bespoke Interference Fit Design. I made the impression this made known earlier and it was very impressive.

An additional experience I had at a later date, was when the same TA, was using PC Triple C Wand Wire. This Wire Type is the same Wire used by SAEC in their TORT TA.

I am a advocate of a particular wire type, which is PC Triple C.

It has been experienced in use in my own system and others over time.

I was always looking for a diameter to suit Wand Wire but finding it with a sheath was not easy.

I learnt the PC Triple C Wire is in use in a SAEC TA, and this was very encouraging.

In the end after many investigations a suitable sheathed wire was discovered, with an ideal OD.

I was demo'd this Wire, used on the very familiar to myself TA and System. The experience proved to be something very special. SAEC has got it correct I am sure, and my encouraging a friend to investigate and produce a version was the best call I have been instrumental in encouraging to be realised for a very long time.    

As for the 401 given a Ferrari Badge, hopefully only to suggest the Colour is a match to the Brand.

"Beauty is in the eye of the Beholder".

I had the same model Polished Silver mounted on to a 9 Stone Granite Plinth.

During the 90's Slate was the fashionable stone at this time for an Idler Drive , but I have always had a good experience with Granite used in a structure. 

It was quite expensive to maintain, as a visit to a Chiropractor was required each time it was manoeuvred of the Racks Shelve.

Even worse, the home at this time, was with a Listening Room on the Second Level.

@elliottbnewcombjr I would like to say, I learnt my lesson with Granite Monoliths.

That is a tale I can't tell, I have a 250Kg Granite Lintel/Engineers Plate, used as part of the support structure for the 845 Monoblocks.

The equipment Racks are seated on Steel Plates of a dimension 900 x 700 x 15 (36" x 28" x 5/8") again a Holiday is needed following the experience of being put in place.

I am hoping my 'new kid on the block' - 'go to' material, is a worthy substitute for these when I return to using the system.       

Fortunately for myself I have not gone to great expense for my equipment support.

Much of the materials in use are selected from trialing and elimination of materials.

When a Material is discovered that has a impact on the sonic that is desirable to myself, I will then attempt over time to discover the same material type in different dimensions and assess the impact it has.

Granite used as Tier in a Support Structure, certainly does offer something quite special for my needs when used in a Mass, not usually considered to be used.

Even a Tier used on my support plinths for a Cabinet Speaker has shown to be much more beneficial when it is a substantially increased thickness used over the earlier samples of 20mm-40mm. Extra Thick Granite used in such a position is still a little user friendly, it is the Speakers Weight that 'hurts good'.   

Not only 2 x TA's but also 2 x Tiers of Panzerholz, I 've gone weak at the knees.

I’ve shared info about P’holz and Equivalent Materials, in other threads.

There are Brands creating the Densified Wood Products using very closely followed production methods as used for P’holz.

I recently offered a Gon Member a Free Sample of Permali, preferably to be used as Sub Plinth, at a dimension of their choice. This was a sample I was offered by a individual who is producing Densified Wood parts to work within an Audio Set Up.

It would have been good to have received a feedback from somebody who has a experience of Vinyl that I admire, but the offer was not responded to.  

The Goldring Lenco GL 75 is seemingly well supported with Permali Parts by this individual.

I have been very impressed with a P'holz Puck Weight when compared to a Zavfino Puck.

The Permali is available, produced as a Peripheral Ring, which could be very interesting.

@tomic601 Can you offer a assessment of your experience with Panzerholz.

I am a advocate of this material and encourage the use of it for audio purposes.

I have been trying to find a settlement with the idea of a Cantilever Sidebar TA Mounting Arm Board.

The Bolt Down method commonly seen is simplistic and hopefully is not compromised as a design.

I have a design in place for one of my Panzerholz Plinths to receive a Cantilever Side Bar TA Mount, where I have attempted to avoid  the usually seen Bolt Down Fastening of the attachment.

My design which lends itself quite nicely to being done in P'holz, is a interference fit Mortice and Tenon with a Flange to receive retaining fastenings into threaded inserts placed into the main plinth, as well as having two threaded inserts, inset into the Side Bar flange to receive fastenings to help release the part when not wanting it attached. The idea is for there to be a few parts produced, to be exchangeable, enabling working with differing lengths of Tonearm.

Slots to be used for allowing setting up varying length TA's in Plinths or Arm Boards are something I have commenced avoiding quite a few years past, all leads back to the rigid coupling principles.

My last two produced Plinths have extremely tight tolerances machined into the Plinth to receive the TA that is now used.

The Producer of my most recent produced Plinth, has an identical dimension Plinth > TT > TA and they are settled with a Slot in their Plinth.

Each to their own when it comes to such subjects.

I will be in a position to learn if a sonic is affected between a Plinth Mounting and Side Bar Mounting a TA, I will be settling with that as the only goal.  

@tomic601 The individual that I refer to as the Godfather of using P'holz for Audio use, has supplied information on their Qualia Labs Website about many materials measured damping/dissipation.

Their follow up exchanges that can be found on various forums, strongly siggests that when it comes to Board Thickness, a 10mm Board Thickness, is all that is required for a Phenolic Resin Impregnated Densified Wood (PRIDW) to attain the most desirable measurements for Audio Purposes.

I have been demo'd plinths made from Laminations creating a 35mm Board Thickness and from a typical production Board Thickness in both 25mm and 32mm. The detected differences on a Sonic in these thicknesses, are not as immediately discernable as when a PRIDW Plinth is compared to a standard Birch Marine Plywood, or a non-resin impregnated increased in compression Plywood.

I have a PRIDW Board of a 75mm Thickness, this is selected to embed my TT's Motor Unit into when I put together my own SP10 MkII Kaneta Design.

It looks like the Helix Design Team could look into producing a Side Bar Cantilever Armboard that attaches into the existing Tonearm Board Mounting.

Such a Armboard that has the Cantilever extension will create a design seen commonly in use today and enable longer TA's to be put into service. 

One produced from Panzerholz or a equivalent material will be a very attractive option.