Why is the price of new tonearms so high

The cynic in me says its because vinyl is trendy and you can get some really good sounding digital for a lot less if you prefer.

"Use RCA Dynaflexes...."

Wasn't RCA's move to Dynaflex the event that signaled the downfall of vinyl back in the day?

Nice to know they are good for something!!!

Johnny, yeah, like most labels, I've heard some good and not so good dynaflex recordings. It just seems as if a quality recording became more hit and miss in general towards the 70s as things headed more towards cost rather than quality control. If they could have only kept the Nipper HMV emblem on the label, I think that would have left a better legacy for those latter RCA vinyl recordings in general though at the time I suppose that was just too "old fashioned" whereas the Dynaflex branding was more "space age".

Ax,

I don't think that applies to tonearms since a tonearm does not produce any signal. The tonearms job is to provide a robust platform for the cart and stylus, which together produce signal. Stiffer styli require a more massive tonearm/platform (more inertia to overcome) in order to produce the best signal. That is typically measured as cart/stylus compliance I believe.

In general, I think a rigid light tonearm will track poor quality records better and a more massive tonearm may not have to be as rigid and will provide a better platform for the cart and stylus to do its job better in general. All arms must compromise between these two extremes to do their job accurately and reliably to some extent and some will do it better than others.

"I see the resell prices of used products showing the real value of a product. A lot of high end products take substantial equity hits on the used markets"

nO DOUBT.

Axel,

Looks like you found your work of art. Quite a bargain!

My philosophy is always if it floats your boat and you can afford it, then you should buy it! Life's too short to wait.

I'd like to be around to see the price for a new tonearm in another 100 years or so!

Maybe by then all will agree that they finally got digital "right".

For that price range and to achieve the performance levels expected, everything must be in sync and tuned in exactly, which requires considerable expertise.

Otherwise buying an expensive tonearm must surely be a waste. You have to be seriously dedicated to accomplish this I believe. Otherwise, I would think you may as well save your money, unless just looking at a really nice tonearm alone turns you on.

FWIW, what Quiddity is saying makes sense to me.

IS it accurate to state that the combo of cartridge/compliance and tone arm together matters greatly? A great or expensive tonearm with mismatched cartridge/compliance still won't work well, right?

"So now I also got it completely wrong, hm."

Axel, join the club, I'm sure.

Makes me wish I could dump my table. Too darn complex. 1's and 0's are much easier to explain. Just 1's....and 0's???

But then what would I play all those great sounding records I've collected over the years with? It takes too long to convert them to loss less digital.