Hi

I would rarely feel the need to challenge anyone here on technical
issues, but I really didn't feel I could let this go:

On 15/12/2011 Goran Finnberg wrote;

GF> Mike Biel:

>> Unless you back-cue, you are better off with the
>> S-shaped arm.

GF> The straight arm gives less wow and flutter.

W & F are not a function of the tone arm, but of the turntable
mechanism.

GF> Also it gives less distortion as the S-shaped arm cannot be adjusted to have
GF> more than two points of distortion minima and all other places are the
GF> tracking distortion much higher.

Au contraire. Any tone arm is only correct at two points in its
travel, but the S shaped arm minimises the tracking distortion (the
main reason for it being invented in the first place)

GF> Furthermore a bent arm creates the need for anti skate adjustment. Without
GF> it the right channel will distort much earlier than the left channel.

AS is necessary on either type of tone arm. The forces involved are a
function of a groove passing under a stylus which, in tun produces a
tendency for slight vector that causes the stylus to try and move
inwards. Incidentally this is why you shouldn't adjust AS force using
a flat pice of vinyl, a groove is absolutely necessary to produce the
required conditions.

GF> Also the cartridge stereo channel separation will become nonsymmetrical
GF> without anti-skate adjustment.

I think not

GF> Straight line is always better in all respects as it mimics the way the disk
GF> was cut.

The only sort of tone arm that anyway nears approaching a cutting head
is the linear tracking type. Unfortunately, we all know these can be
either useless or (if they really work properly) pretty expensive.

Graeme Jaye

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