There are two camps out there, one that prefers fixed tonearm headshells and the other that prefers detachable headshells.
What's your experience regarding your tonearm?
Cheers,
What's your experience regarding your tonearm?
Cheers,
Hi,
Given a given tonearm, you don't have any choice.
Fixed is clearly better but less convenient.
rgds, sreten.
Given a given tonearm, you don't have any choice.
Fixed is clearly better but less convenient.
rgds, sreten.
If you are an SME 3009 owner I believe you can swap arms over between the 2? Happy to be corrected if this is misinformed.
Hi,
Not easily, because of the wiring, but given rewiring the
knife edge bearings make swapping relatively painless.
Whilst fixed is better, arguably for the 3009 nowadays
most retro users would and do prefer detachable.
rgds, sreten.
Thank you. For some reason though the pivot end was plug in like the graham. I jumped RB250 to SME309 so am not knowledgeable on the classic arms and only just learning as part of working out what to do with a second turntable I inherited. 3009s have a significant following and hoping like 355F1 to learn a bit.
If you are playing 78s. it's detachable all the way. You can set up different stylii in multiple head shells and switch quickly.
Detachable is definitely convenient.
Disadvantages:
Rigidity must be maintained, yet mass can be an issue especially at the end of the tonearm, where it has the greatest effect. Not necessarily a problem with cartridges like the Denon MC's (or a 78 cartridge, maybe), where a low mass tonearm design can be a detriment.
For high compliance cartridges, you want a low mass arm.
I don't think it's impossible to have a detachable headshell and low mass, but the solutions I envision are expensive. I think you could do an excellent job with a tapered interface, but this is the most expensive to machine and not by just a little (the inner and outer taper tolerances must be in the 10-thousandths of an inch minimum, and could, probably should considering the size [diameter] required, be tighter if you can pull it off). It's also susceptible to "locking" making removal difficult.
Very tricky area, but doable if the manufacturer is willing to go to the extreme.
Detachable arms (connection close to the pivot) also are a solution to the low mass problem, but again, costs more $$ and the price, you would expect, could be the killer.
Disadvantages:
Rigidity must be maintained, yet mass can be an issue especially at the end of the tonearm, where it has the greatest effect. Not necessarily a problem with cartridges like the Denon MC's (or a 78 cartridge, maybe), where a low mass tonearm design can be a detriment.
For high compliance cartridges, you want a low mass arm.
I don't think it's impossible to have a detachable headshell and low mass, but the solutions I envision are expensive. I think you could do an excellent job with a tapered interface, but this is the most expensive to machine and not by just a little (the inner and outer taper tolerances must be in the 10-thousandths of an inch minimum, and could, probably should considering the size [diameter] required, be tighter if you can pull it off). It's also susceptible to "locking" making removal difficult.
Very tricky area, but doable if the manufacturer is willing to go to the extreme.
Detachable arms (connection close to the pivot) also are a solution to the low mass problem, but again, costs more $$ and the price, you would expect, could be the killer.
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I have realised my confusion here. The SME 3009 series III had a fixed headshell, but pluggable tonearm.
Every 'table I've owned (and that's been quite a few!) from around 1970 to the early '80's had a removable headshell. The Linn Basik Plus was the first I owned which employed a straight, cast tube. Overall, I would choose the fixed headshell over removable. Disadvantages of removable being ultimate rigidity, one more set of contact points, and possibly, alignment on the arm tube.
Convenience (if you like to use multiple cartridges) and the ability to tighten cartridge screws detached from the arm are advantages to a fixed headshell.
Advantages of a fixed headshell would be rigidity, greater precision/consistency in casting/extruding process. The only disadvantage may be clumsy and/or over-tightening of cartridge screws causing damage to the arm bearings. 😉
Convenience (if you like to use multiple cartridges) and the ability to tighten cartridge screws detached from the arm are advantages to a fixed headshell.
Advantages of a fixed headshell would be rigidity, greater precision/consistency in casting/extruding process. The only disadvantage may be clumsy and/or over-tightening of cartridge screws causing damage to the arm bearings. 😉
I've gone the opposite direction. I went from a Linn Akito on my LP12, to a Jelco 370H, which has a removable headshell. The improvement was immediately apparent. I'm also running a Technics SL-1200M3D with the stock arm. I'll never go back to a fixed headshell, unless it's diy.
jeff
No more fixed head shells for me either... (Schick and cloned SME 3012)
I do use low compliance moving coils..
I do use low compliance moving coils..
How do the prices of the fixed and detachable versions of the SME 3009 SII Improved compare?
I have one of each but plan to sell one.
I have one of each but plan to sell one.
Not all detachable headshell tonearms are built the same where the headshell attaches. A lot of tonearms just use the pin to pull the headshell in against a rubber gasket, seems to be the majority of them.
The better JVC and Micro Seiki tonearms use a different arraignment that results in a very stiff connection. They still use a helical thread to pull the headshell in but at the end of it's travel the inside barrel or collet collapses tight around the headshell resulting in a very stiff coupling. Other companies may use this as well, they usually talk about it in the product literature.
I'm a big fan of interchangeable headshells, makes swapping carts so much faster and I keep my carts mounted on spare headshells as well.
One other thing, I recently saw someone posting on a forum about tightening up the connection by using thicker rubber washers. DO NOT do this, the added stress on the helical thread will damage and distort it.
BillWojo
The better JVC and Micro Seiki tonearms use a different arraignment that results in a very stiff connection. They still use a helical thread to pull the headshell in but at the end of it's travel the inside barrel or collet collapses tight around the headshell resulting in a very stiff coupling. Other companies may use this as well, they usually talk about it in the product literature.
I'm a big fan of interchangeable headshells, makes swapping carts so much faster and I keep my carts mounted on spare headshells as well.
One other thing, I recently saw someone posting on a forum about tightening up the connection by using thicker rubber washers. DO NOT do this, the added stress on the helical thread will damage and distort it.
BillWojo
Fixed versus detachable? I just applied for a US patent for a detachable head shell. It is so detachable, that it would fall off the end of the tone arm if it were not for built-in stops to prevent that. There is no need for rigidity as it works very well.
Sincerely,
Ralf
Sincerely,
Ralf