Pivotal arm vs Linear

[Analog1]

Ok, any opinions on which style is better?

Does linear have less tracking errors?...more accurate

Is one easier to repair/find parts for?

I have presently a Kenwood KD-77FC linear turntable, and was wondering if I'm missing something over that of the pivotal arm turntables.

Thanks, Analog1

 

[theophile]

The implementation of the arm style is more important than the type used,whatever the approach that is taken.
Kenwood never really made a great linear tracking turntable(that I'm aware of).
There are an abundance of cheap and extremely nasty linear trackers on the market.Either wait for more replies or do some more homework.
If the body of the turntable is plastic and the arm is plastic,the odds are that it is a cheap and nasty turntable(I know of one exception).
One of the supposedly best turntables in the world uses a linear tracking arm(Walker Proscenium Gold),many of the contenders for the title are fitted with conventional pivoting arms.
I'd love to hear the turntable which could definitively be determined to be the 'best'.:yes:
I doubt I could ever afford to own it though.

 

[bordeno]

In fact, the linear tracking arm, in a perfect world, does not have tracking error, crossing every groove at a perfect tangent as opposed to fixed pivot arms which so cross at only two places.

Whether even the finest implementation of a linear tracking tonearm makes any difference in what you hear is the subject of great debate. Countless other factors affect what you hear when playing a record.

And aesthetically, IMHO linears pale alongside jewel-like, beautiful S-shaped tonearms.

 

[BrocLuno]

What do you do when it needs fixing? Most external S or straight arms can be diagnosed fairly easily. Not so with linear trackers. However, when they are right (B&O comes to mind) they are very good.

 

[merrylander]

Much depends upon how well the design is implemented. My PX-2 linear moves across the record the same was a minute hand moves around the clockface. In both cases you 'know' they are moving but there is no way you are actually 'seeing' the movement. I have had other linear trackers that were cute little puppies that wagged their tails. So on a good linear the tracking error should never exceed ~0.02 degrees and the resulting distortion would in essence be unmeasurable.

I also have Rega Planar 2 that recently had an RB300 arm mounted. As Rich observed, it is only dead-on at two places, but my protractor shows that it is never greater than 2 degrees off and the resulting distortion is <1%. Of course with a fixed pivot tonearm you have to deal with anti-skating.

Whiuch sounds best? Using the same model cartridge in both I give the PX-2 the edge, but it is hard to define what exactly the difference is.

 

[goldear]

Implementation is far more important than is whether the arm is pivoted or linear.

In theory, with all things being equal (which they never are), a linear tracking arm is superior. But in practice, many linear trackers were lousy, because it is very difficult to build a really good linear tracking arm. Those tail-wagging servo designs, for example, were usually terrible.

FWIW: I use a Eminent Technology II (linear tracking) tonarm on my Linn, and it sounds great. But I've heard a number of pivoted arms which I think sound every bit as good.