Why the sudden popularity of 12 inch arms

Halcro
" I had my Regar Planar 3 turntable for 30 years (despite hearing Linns and Sotas) because nothing new sounded significantly better to me. "

This combo I have heard and the Linn is a LOT better to my ears than the rega 3. I demoed both models at home back at home in 1985 before I moved from my old $129 pioneer to the stratosphere price of the then Linn.

Fortunately or unfortunately it was hearing the Linn that got me to this obsessive compulsive luv of music and hifi to play it on.

BTW, Just bought the new Gutter twins LP ( Mark lanegan from Screaming Trees and Greg Dulli from Afghan wigs) - brilliant, dark and haunting. Sonics quite good as well.

Also picked up the new Akron family, Hot Chip and mark Callaghan ( Smog) LP's great stuff.
New Rhianna and Timbaland Lp's are great as well - no great sonically unfortunately - a little compressed.

Gidday Mate! Yeah, I had to let that one go... Mr Halcro has helped me too much. The Linn should be night and day to the 3. Mr. Halcro waits for the one he can hit out of the park. The new rig will be the last, I bet. And there's NO WAY anybody goes back from a Raven. Had to let that by as well... Hey, do you ever buy LPs with MUSIC on them? Z.

Z

Define MUSIC?? Please don't tell me you are talking about Dianna Krall or alike??

I beleive I gave a hint of some new release pop/rock/alternative music I like.

BTW, I am going to have to go over to halcro's place to listen to the Raven/ Cobra since we both live in Sydney.

All else being equal, a 12" inch arm should be better than a 9" arm (who can argue with more inches is better, guys?). The trouble is, there is no way to make all else equal. It is hardly a technological breakthrough to make an arm longer, but to do so, one must increase mass, particularly inertial or effective mass because the heavy cartridge will be hanging way out there on the end of a lever. Either that or a lot of mass has to be removed from elsewhere which compromises rigidity.

It is much easier today to make the compromise in favor of longer arms than in the past because of the available material. One can use carbon fiber impregnated material, cast magnesium, titanium, etc. But, it is not necessarily the case that any given arm can be scaled up to a longer length with ease; some designs might suffer too much in the other areas of concern, such as rigidity.

So, it is a matter of designers making their choice of tradeoffs. But, to say that one aspect of design, specifically length, is so important that a long arm is inherently superior, as someone mentioned that Roy Gregory has suggested, I don't buy. I will take a "short" Triplanar, Vector, etc., any day over the VPI arm.

Hey guys.....don't underestimate the Rega Planar 3!
It MUST be wall-mounted and the Hadcock GH228 is a far better match than the Rega arms.
I simply don't gel with the sound of suspended decks.......do any of you see a similarity here - Caliburn, Criterion, Walker Proscenium, Rockport Sirius, Raven AC?
Have you heard the VPI HRX?