Yamaha's New Tonearm

[super10018]

I read Michael Fremer’s report on Tokyo International Audio Show 2017 Day 2. I was surprised to see this photo of Yamaha’s new tonearm and table. Mr. Fremer’s comments as follow.

The prototype features an arm with a straight pipe and a head shell that does not have an offset angle. Hopefully that will be corrected upon its introduction!

How could Yamaha make such mistake? Maybe they did this on propose? If so, what did they try to achieve? There is still skating force for an arm like that.

 

[davidsrsb]

I am trying to decide if the cartridge is angled in the headshell

 

[lcsaszar]

Might be the arm base is not fixed but is moving on a circle (auto adjusting or more likely servo driven).

 

[Hiten]

Yamaha turntable
from video it looks like long screw slots on very thin headshell so one can offset the cartridge by rotating it.
Regards.

 

[gtownsend3590]

Maybe they're doing something like this.

ViV Lab Rigid Float /CB Tone-arm | highend-electronics, inc.

 

[super10018]

Yes. That was what I thought at first. But even for this kind of arm, it is fundamentally wrong. There is still skating for this kind arms.

 

[rickmcinnis]

Look at the base.

there is something unusual about that mounting. Usually the pillar would be in the center but it is not.

Could it be that they are moving the tonearm pillar in an ellipse as the arm travels across the record?

Don't really see how this would be better but it is unusual. Would it allow easier cartridge alignment? Reminds me as something like the old MARANTZ turntable, the RABCO arm and the NAKAMICHI turntable - in that mechanical vein.

 

[walterwalter]

From the picture it is clear that arm has underhung instead of overhung, so it looks like the same geometry as with Rigid Float or 47LABS. IMHO it is a very questionable solution, replacing certain problems with other ones.

 

[jcarr]

Here is a webpage by a Japanese audio manufacturer who prototyped the same tonearm design, with offset angle and without. His initial plan was to provide both versions of the tonearm and let the customer choose, but after comparing the two, he decided that it was a waste of time to put the offset angle version into production.

Google Translate

 

[Kay Pirinha]

I've seen many arm designs like this one at contemporary TT's for DJ service. I also don't understand it. Btw, lack of offset angle in a rotating tonearm doesn't primarily lead to skating forces, which always are an issue, but it leads to heavily erratic horizontal tracking angles with most probably no zero points.


Best regards!