Yes, I'll go with 1] as a weakness. 2] may well be a red herring, most especially in my arm where the joint is very close indeed to the axis of the stub-arm.

 Not putting words in your mouth, just wondering if you might actually know something about the tonearm to support your arguement, but it seems you don't so I'll honour your request and not waste any more of your time on this subject.   cheers

Hello,

Some interesting points here. I am the distributor and the comments provoked a few thoughts. The reference to the SME V being "low mass" is slightly off-base. It's "medium-low", if anything. However, it was designed to get the most out of high-compliance cartridges, and it does succeed. I have a V15iii mounted on one, and it's the only tonearm that I have used it in where I heard the benefits of a high compliance cartridge, without the audible problems of a flimsy POS tonearm.

Detachable headshells do affect the sound. They are popular for people like me who like to swap cartridges often, and who hate to mount cartridges directly to tonearms. I have huge hands; I am tall; I don't like fiddling with tiny screws around an expensive arm and expensive cartridge. But, it is a compromise.

As far as the tonearm lift is concerned, are there lifts that "sound better"? Is it better to use one that isn't massed produced, and therefore less likely to work? Is it preferable to eschew lifts altogether, and go "commando"? Would it be a better arm if a completely new armlift was produced that somehow broke new ground in arm-lifting methodology? A better mousetrap? Should the price of the arm go up several hundred dollars so the most luxurious armlift possible can be fitted? Every cost is magnified. I believe it makes no difference what tonearm lift is used, as long as it works. Low-production items have poorer reliability. So, buying a ready-made part makes sense for everyone involved (except for people on the internet).

The same criticism can be leveled at the DIN plug (though it isn't mentioned in the marketing spiel, and not shown in the pictures). It is also a commonly used item. Oh the horror! I suppose analog would be much better if every company was forced to produce unique headshells, armlifts, DIN plugs, etc....

As far as specific headshells are concerned, is it preferable to supply the most expensive headshell available, and add the multiple layers of margin, making the arm less affordable (especially for those that already have super-duper kick-ass headshells)? Is it better to omit "free" headshells and assume the buyer already has umpteen headshells at his disposal? In that case, some buyers would criticize the lack of "free" headshell. Manufacturers can't win that game.

Considering all the complications of making a product, it's better for everyone involved when standardized parts are used. Sibatech prefers to keep the traditional dealer-network model, so all expenses are magnified (every cost has to be weighed, no pun intended). Yes, there are always better ways of doing things. Some people would say that all pivoting tonearms are crap. I have 2 air-bearings here, and prefer the simplicity and ease-of-use of a pivoting arm. Does an air-bearing sound better? Yes, but they aren't easy to use, or maintain or set up. They also sound worse when the bearing gets dirty, or air-pressure drops.

Best Regards,
Phillip

Well i think its a nice looking arm.......!!!

Hello Chris,

I will tomorrow after some rest.  Sorry I am just now answering.  I had many half-finished projects that were abandoned in the weeks leading up to RMAF (I'm sure some of you can relate).  One is for my patent attorney.  It's good to have business associates that can take equipment in lieu of payment.

Regards,
Phillip