Dear Dsa: I respect your idea that the unipivots is the way to go. IMHO the bearing design ( that is very important in many differnt ways ) can't tell any one ( per se ) how good is a tonearm ( if reviewer have unipivots they have not because are unipivot designs, things are a lot more complex that the bearing subject. ).
Here is something that could help you to understand or at least a different point of view on how complex is the cartridge/tonearm relationship, you can see that " things " are not so simple like you imply about unipivot tonearms:
+++++ " The only measurable " cartridge parameters to arm matching. " that I know is what almost all already knew about effective tonearm mass along weight/compliance cartridge where the result ( resonance frequency ) must be ( or have to be ) between 8hz to 12hz ( more or less ).
+++++ " . Share the reasons the match works well " +++++
I have almost non " true/measurable/repetitive " reasons about other that the one above.
The relationship between a tonearm/cartridge ( other that the one mentioned ) is extremely complex for say the least.
I already say many times that I own/owned so many tonearms not because I'm a tonearm collector but because trying one cartridge with different tonearms let me to obtain ( know ) where that cartridge show its best quality performance.
I find with several cartridges that even ( in one tonearm ) when the resonance frequency value is 5hz-6hz those cartridges could perform better than with other tonearm where that resonance frequency is on target: 10hz, reasons?, any one you name could be true but we can't know for sure!!!
My very long experience ( in deep cartridge/tonearm quality performance research ) on the subject tell me that there are not simple explanations about, let me explain:
IMHO almost every tonearm and cartridge each one design parameters contribute ( more or less ) in the final quality performance.
Take the tonearm ( for example ):
- bearing design: unipivot, linear tracking/air bearing, dual pivot, gimball/jewel, etc, etc. Each one bearing design has its own signature " color " ( in the right color word meaning. ).
- each tonearm bearing design is added with the " color " of the bearing build material ( ruby, air, magnetic, steel, ceramic, etc, etc ), how is this?, hard to say how contributes and in which " quantity " to the final " color tonearm performance ".
- we have to continue adding more " colors ", tonearm shape: J, S, straight, etc, etc. Each design has its own resonances, dissipations vibrations speed, etc, etc Which one is the right one?, IMHO almost no one can say it.
- continue on the adding color to our quality performance matched final " picture ", tonearm build material: aluminum, steel, ceramic, titanium, wood, hybrid, plastic, etc, etc, etc. Each one of these tonearm build materials has its own characteristics: self damping, elasticity point, self resonances, easy to vibrate, etc, etc
- fix or removable headshell in each tonearm bearing design type/bearing build material/shape tonearm/tonearm build material/etc/etc. How many combinations here? !!!!!and each combination give us a different quality performance.
- we can go on on this: headshell shape, headshell weight, headshell build material, tonearm dynamic or static balance way, internal wiring, counterweights?
Now, we can go to the cartridges own parameters:
- MC or MM.
- magnet type
- coil material
- output level: infinite number!!!
- cantilever material
- cantilever length
- stylus shape
- body shape
- build material shape
- cartridge weight
- cartridge compliance
- internal impedance
- suspension type
- suspension build material
- cartridge channel balance
- cartridge channel separation
- cartridge frequency response
- tracking ability
- tip mass
- etc, etc, etc
Well, IMHO all those single cartridge/tonearm each one parameters/characteristics ( between others ) contribute to the final great or poor tonearm/cartridge quality performance. I can't say for sure the reasons but I can say again that is extremly complex to say the least. " +++++
this is not only my experience and the experiences of many other people in fact we are ( Guillermo and I ) in the tonearm design right now where we already made an in-deep research about.
Maybe you are right and the unipivot tonearm design is the way to go, like I say I respect your opinion.
Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.
