Another tonearm id question

[cz606]

An acquaintance of mine is helping his friend work through his late father’s stereo equipment collection. Most things can be identified by name and model numbers but this tonearm doesn’t appear to have an easy identifier like name/model number.

That said, it looks pretty nice and they’d love to know what it is so they can learn more about it. Does anyone recognize it based on the pics below? Any help is appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[BillWojo]

Doesn't look like a commercially built unit. It could be a small boutique tonearm builder or a one off built by an audiophile machinist. Looks like it's missing a counter weight, in fact the whole stub is missing. As a machinist I'll give a thumbs up to the builder, nice work.
Be neat to try it out. See if you can find the missing parts. As far as value this is the wrong forum to ask that in.

BillWojo

 

[tnsilver]

^ agree with Bill. This doesn't look commercial and it sure looks like some of the parts are missing. Looks like a telescopic design with a VTA tower. The design appears to aim high.

 

[orthophonic]

I remember it, early 90's or so, it was a commercial product, can't remember the name. Either Absolute Sound or
Stereophile reviewed it.
I don't see any missing parts.

 

[tnsilver]

yes, you're right. It's a Tri-Planar Mk-VII U2 tonearm but it sure is missing the entire CW and back part.

 

[orthophonic]

Yes, Triplanar, and your right, missing counterweight.

 

[orthophonic]

Looks like it is still being made also.

 

[cz606]

Thanks so much everyone! Got a few more pictures that seem to go with the arm. Seems like it is a special tonearm.

 

[bimasta]

It's considered one of the great tonearms ever made, though of the High End — and yes, it was commercially made for over 25 years, and no, it is not "a one off built by an audiophile machinist." Your "acquaintance who is helping his friend work through his late father’s stereo equipment collection" may find some other equally jaw-drop gear, but also not know what it is. Is this thread a put-on?

 

[cz606]

Thanks for the info. I do appreciate it and was asking about the arm sincerely. I love audio but am more of a mid-fi guy than really high end. My nicest table was a Denon Dp-1200 before buying a VPI HW-19 and Yamaha YP-D8 from this collection a week ago.

This arm is in a class way above anything I’ve ever owned or seen in person so I didn’t know what it was when asked. My acquaintance is the person helping the family identify and sell pieces in the collection and I only know him from buying a few pieces from the first items they had to sell.

Sorry if my lack of knowledge of high end audio makes the thread read like a put on. It wasn’t my intention and is not the case.

 

[tnsilver]

^ No worries. I haven't seen one in person either. Why the apology? It's all cool buddy. Your dad seems to had been a classy audio guy. It's real interesting.
Ask us anything you want - the collective wisdom of this forum is unbelievable and exceeds any single individual's. Always better having a second opinion.

 

[cz606]

Thanks! It wasn’t my father’s stuff. I actually have bought a few pieces from this collection, though knew nothing about this one. I responded to let folks know I wasn’t pulling anyone’s leg, just legitimately didn’t know what the tonearm was.

And I agree that the person whose collection this was sure seems like he was a classy audio guy. I’d have loved to have met him and talked audio.

I’m taking the two tables I bought from the estate to my favorite technician in a couple days. I can’t wait to get them back and will be sure to share some pics with the forum when I get them hooked up. Thanks, again, for the help.

 

[bimasta]

The YP-D8 punches way above it's weight; the tonearm is a real good one. Anecdote: I was helping friends move. A woman set the YP-D8 down on the ground (it was too heavy to hold) just as the driver backed up the huge U-Haul. I yelled "STOP!" too late — he ran over the TT. One side was crushed, anniliated — dustcover smashed, platter bent, etc. I watched helplessly and it was hard to watch. But oddly the other side was undamaged, that beautiful arm was still perfect and they gave it to me.

It has a great VTA-on-the-fly design built-in, long before it became "trendy", and the bearings have the lowest friction of any tonearm ever measured (acc'ding to TVK). The design/engineering might owe some help to Yamaha's motorcycle/machine-tool division. I suspect it will be better than my SME II/Imp, but won't know till I try it.

I still haven't used it because the armlift mechanism (controlled by a cable from a lever in front) was ruined by U=Haul, and it has no cueing device... so I'll have to move it with my finger every time, which gets nerve-racking on rare and valuable LPs.

 

[phastrone]

Glad to hear the opinion of the YP-D8 arm...Does anyone know who built that arm for Yamaha? (I have a YP-D9 with the same arm and I’ve been curious about it...

 

[bimasta]

I'm a real "fan" of that arm, Phastrone — even though I've never used it! Just by studying its engineering. The VTA adjuster is brilliant. If your arm doesn't glide up and down easily, just be turning the knurled knob at the bottom, then it has a problem very common to this arm. I know how to fix it easily DIY (if you need to) — I've fixed a couple for other AK members, just by sending simple instructions.

As for "who built it for Yamaha", I've only seen that VTA feature on a Vestax TT... and I think Yamaha is more capable of that level of sophistication. But I don't know for sure.

Yours too has an arm-lift lever on front, not mounted on the arm itself. So it's hard to use on its own; I have to cue it manually, as mentioned above.