I saw that video as well and thought the designer came across really well under Fremer’s scrutiny.
Even though it is not an aesthetically beautiful design, as mentioned in some of the less than generous comments above, I always admire form following function philosophy to achieve the optimum sound q, and admire the innovative thinking evident in this design. I wonder if the negative comments based on looks alone would be dispelled after just listening to one - especially on the fluted classic…
Agree, it is great to see the boundaries still being pushed in an established medium such as vinyl, and this arm looks to have gained a lot of attention for its performance, especially in relation to price.
Aesthetically (only, not how they work), it is still some way off something like an Audio Origami PU7 Ti Tonearm, in terms of how it’s brought to market as it were, but surely the Supertrac has to be a welcome addition to the market to move uni pivot tonearm design forward.
I do have a Tiger Paw Javelin as well as an Aro and a Supatrac Blackbird, also a Syrinx PU3, Ittok LVII and maybe some others.
Thread Title ‘ARO - again?’ Personally I would love to see this done as the Aro is such a lovely sounding arm. Tiger Paw basically made an updated version of the Aro (and did a fantastic job) but the very fact that some 40? were made and then production ceased goes to show such endeavors are not all easy.
I find it hard to read too much into anyone’s comments (including mine) regarding what arm is better than another further than just opinion. These arms do have differences in presentation and sure you can measure each ones ability to track a passage of music but even this would not be the fairest comparison (every arm/cartridge combination would likely provide different results).
If I could only keep one arm… nope, just can’t answer that! That said if it was the Aro it would be as it is such a simple joy to use and while (like all arms) it has its shortcomings I worry about them less than when listing to any of my other arm. That said my wife hates it (jiggles too much). Her absolute favorite is the Ittok. The Ittok is also such a old friend and never lets me down when it comes to just enjoying the music. Ittok is old but was serviced and rewired by J7 some time ago.
The Blackbird is a formidable arm and sounds every bit as good as all the others, and better in some areas. Every one of these arms has its strengths. Like the Javelin the Supatrac keeps some of the sublime subtleties of the Aro while adding more base control and top end extension. The Javelin also does the same but falls short of the Supatracs bottom end control and drive but then the Javelin does better in the top end. There is no free lunch.
Most of my cartridges are Linn’s (Troika, Karma, Asaka, Asak, Klyde - older ones). I guess I tend to own things I wish I could have afforded when I was a teenager in love with audio!
It’s obviously the same basic design as Scott Strachan’s Syrinx PU7, but that design was infamous for having bearings that didn’t work very well, and would go ‘out of true’ if anyone so much as looked at the tonearm.
Have Audio Origami managed to ‘tame’ it over 30 years on? It is, to be fair, a good looking arm (with a headshell that will look pretty familiar to any Ittok or Ekos owner).
Audio Origami PU7 is a super arm but not the same as a Syrinx PU3 I am led to believe (perhaps someone knows more on this - look similar but not). Many Syrinx PU3’s working today with no issues on bearings, not heard that they had issues (as bad as the Ekos?).
Thanks for sharing
Really interesting reflections and a fascinating read.
Appreciate the time taken to collect those thoughts and share with the forum.
Tonearms can be a thing of great beauty, just by themselves.
To my mind, an LP12 “looks best” with a classic Ittok or Ekos. These two combinations just “look right”.
Back in the 90’s, had the pleasure of owning a Syrinx PU3 ( on a Pink Triangle) and is probably one of the nicest tonearms I’ve used.
The Aro is such a well balanced design. Maybe a little quirky. But that’s part of its charm. However, the idea of using a uni pivot design is maybe a bit terrifying.
I’m a big fan of Adam’s blog @ hifiaf dot com . I’ve been back and read the different stories so many times, without tiring. It had some small influence on my own recent LP12 refurbishment and addition of a rebuilt Troika.
As part of that same project, J7 Johnnie lovingly refurbished our Linn Ittok and did an amazing job of allowing it a new lease of life.
It’s all interesting …
But isn’t it a small world ?
Same here. When I auditioned them back to back in 1989/90, I wanted to prefer the Aro - it was about 2/3 the price of the Ekos - but the Ekos won out.
Every time I hear an Aro I’m reminded of how unipivot and conventional bearing arms each have their own signature, and how far the current state of the art in arm design has to go.
I’m happy enough with my 2006 Ekos SE, but I’m surprised that it’s only had minor modifications in its lifetime. Every year, I keep expecting that Linn will announce a replacement.
Way back when, 1979, I had a Hadcock Uni pivot + Entre cartridge. It was a perfect combination. These things stick with you but can never be recreated. So it was the Ekos. The SE must sound especially wonderful.
The early PU2 bearings could be tricky, I think due to the vertical bearing design where one side is rubber damped and the other not and neither are on the same plane as the horizontal bearing. Getting it set up just right was not easy (and don’t even start me on the mass ring!), but it was an interesting design and and early example of the “single ground path” thinking that also informed the Aro. I have one boxed up somewhere that was the last one made, or so I was told.
I have a picture of myself and Clive when I did a factory tour. He’s a legend, and IMHO, the Aro, 01, CDS1, NDAC, and 552 are Naim’s best ever products!
Yes, this arm looks interesting, as does the Wand prototype turntable as well - Simon Brown is pushing the boundaries. The carbon fibre arm looks purposeful on a Technics deck, and the the 10.3" Wand fitted to an LP12 would be an interesting proposition, given the longer length to supposedly decrease distortion…
“Our 10.3” arm is a great way of having 2/3 of the benefits of the 12" arms in a more compact package. It is designed explicitly to be the longest arm you can fit on a Linn LP12 or Technics SL1200 family turntable, inlcuding the new GR models (or similar compact turntables). Special mounting kits are available to make this even easier."
The longer I look at that the nicer it gets. Just the shoe lace which looks cheap. There’s a solid alternative in the box I believe. Wish that had been on demo at the NW hifi show. Maybe next year?
Agree, it is growing on me the more I look at it, but it’ll never be as pretty as something like an Ittok, as that tonearm is one of the most visually pleasing with the LP12 as far as I’m concerned.
I do wonder if there’ll be a MK2 Supertrac arm, a version where the aesthetic can be diluted down to be a little less imposing.
I had an Ekos 1 and upgraded to the SE at the same time as I bought the Keel. That was a big step up! I can’t separate the contribution of each component, but my sense is that the lion’s share of the improvement was from the Keel.
If I had been bothered to audition each separately and if I found the SE brought only a small improvement, I would have gone for it anyway, as my Ekos 1 was getting long in the tooth and was beginning to suffer from the well-documented sticky tracking dial problem.
Speculation aside, I recall that going from Ittok to Ekos 1 was also a major upgrade, which fuels my faith that there may yet be more to come in that department.
My Aro dates from 88, even has the old logo on its head shell. Still sounds pretty good to me. I’ve mounted the Lyra Kleos a Sl wee while back and seems to be a smiley enough combo.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the ideal be hide the Aro had a let’s fill a market spot, make some money and have fun making beautiful music. Very user friendly once setup correctly (which is half the fun).
Imo way above average sound quality even in this modern market. Has a real boogie factor, would highly encourage anybody to purchase a good secondhand unit and enjoy.
Hard to find good complete accessories and box these days.