

I do not know because audio is merely a hobby for me but I think the 3D arm eliminates more of the unwanted vibrations and allows one to hear with less colorations the signal from the cartridge. Then I read that file B was made using the 3D Printed tonearm.
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I do not know how to describe it but listen to their voices a the end of file A and then file B, that sense of control was pronounced to my ears. But there just did not seem to be any one area of the frequency that was more pronounced than any other on file B. I did listened to both files multiple times over a couple of days.
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Before I launch into my thoughts on what I heard, please keep in mind this is only a hobby and I am not a professional reviewer. But then file B started up and everything was more stable, a bit more relax, and simply better in all areas. But honestly, file A sounded like a turbo-charged version of my turntable. In fact my wife commented that it sounded like our turntable. I spin my records on a VPI Aries II with a 10.5 tonearm which carries a Lyra Helikon and immediately on hearing file A I thought I was listening to my setup.
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To begin with and just as a point of reference i downloaded the files onto my Mac mini, which is used strictly for my digital music, then dropped them into Audirvana, which channeled the music to an Ayre QB-9 (DSD) DAC. There are times when a record sounds too "hot" or sibilant, and those rare records do sound better on the Classic. I assure you-my preferences might make me sound like a subjectivist-to-the-extreme, but the nicely recorded Vega album sounded as though Ms. Last night I played the new Suzanne Vega album on the Thorens. I have a tubed pre-amp and amp and as soon as I hear "linear" as a qualitative term, my eyes glaze over. It is not "better" except in systems in which a "linear" source does indeed sound "better" to that particular listener. While I have nothing but respect for Mikey's ears, "linear" is not a qualitative adjective. I suspect that the Thorens is not as well damped or quiet or "linear" and that the "non-linearities" or "distortion" or "resonances" are beneficial, much in the way that dithering is sometimes beneficial to digital sound. On the Classic, music sounds a bit sterile and dull. Music played through the Thorens sounds livelier, more vibrant, punchier. I much prefer the sound of 90% of my records on the Thorens. Both have identical cartridges (Benz Gliders LO) and both have nearly identical phono stages and both are hooked up to the same pre-amp and system. I have a VPI Classic and a Thorens TD124. And that was "File B".Īfter Munich Franc Kuzma will send me 4 Point arm tubes wired through with two different wire brands and we'll have more "fun"! Obviously preferences are preferences and everyone is entitled to theirs but there was no doubt here about which sounded more linear, less tonally colored and more truly detailed. Perhaps the lively arm produced higher SPLs? I don't know. As for level differences, I don't know how that's possible since the only variable was the tonearm: same everything else. However, as with listening to loudspeakers, the ear is easily fooled into preferring the brighter one. I played them back at the Listen Up event in Denver recently and there was no doubt which one sounded linear and which one sounded resonant and colored. The printed arm sounds far more linear and truly detailed played back through a high resolution system. I suggest they get better computer speakers or whatever it takes to hear what are clearly two very different sounding files!Īs for which was which, I found the results confounding because "File B" is the printed arm and "File A" is the metal arm. 39% voted for "File B".įirstly, the 17% are wrong. Playing Weightġ.5-2.0g (1.7g nom.This one was really interesting! 17% of voters said the files were identical. The 2400 Cartridge has a metal body which improves bass power and clarity, this also ensures a secure connection to the arm. This is my I think I paid 65.00 for this one.Ģ400 Cartridge Increased resolution is gained by the use of a low mass Vital diamond in a tapered cantilever.
