Discuss The Viv Lab Rigid Arm

I could mount a cartridge on a paper straw and most people would think it sounded OK. The Viv arm is a terrible execution of a poor design. 

Yes, everyone knows what you think. Does your disdain apply to the very idea of an underhung tonearm or only to the Viv Float, which is a bit eccentric in other ways?  I wish someone would market an underhung tonearm that is otherwise conventional.  The only one I know of requires you to buy the Yamaha GT5000 turntable, complete with its underhung tonearm.  If Yamaha were to market that arm as a separate entity, I would be interested.  And I am also interested in the Viv.

I actually don’t think you could mount a cartridge on a paper straw, whether the straw was overhung or underhung.

@intactaudio I did try the Sperling underhung, but I could only get it underhung by around 8mm. That way it did distort on the last track of some records. I'll try it on another turntable where I can get it to 15-20mm.

@maxson 

The less the underhang the closer the single null point will be to the runout groove.  It is also important to pay attention to the cartridge zenith since a slight offset of the Zenith from 0° will have the same net effect as a slight change in the underhang.

dave

I’m always suspicious of absolutist commentary and expressed opinions about what is the “correct” approach to any audio related topic when after continuous inflexible opinions, the opinions are not accompanied by some reference (if only vague) to how the music sounds when reproduced by the piece in question. Something….anything that relates, not to a staunchly held view of what is technically “correct”, but to how the actual sound of the music is impacted.  There’s a lot more to the sound besides obvious mistracking distortion.