TW-Acustic Arm

Well, personally I am impressed from GerryM5 that he tries to get in contact with some Germany Audiophiles. I guess he knows that most are not able to answer in english language even when all Germans have it in school to survive outside the own border :-)
The German forums have mainly 2 attributes:
-to show who is without work/lives at Hotel Mama
or
- to get something cheap from a Dealer or Manufacturer, and it is pretty boring anyway.
Most forums are marketing platforms, I have no problem with that, but what amazes me for years is the fact, from the real competent Designers I never find any "comments or buddies who do him a favor" but from those who are glad that some think positive about their real world average products, they are endless.
Let's try to save the good Standard here :-)

Der Tonarm,
Thank you for clarifying yourself. I know that because you are in marketing that many issues regarding how people perceive a product to those who are early adopters add relevance to purchasing decisions.

I am a business major myself and understand fully the concept of marketing and product placement. With audio products in the marketing mix, the 4 P's, product, price, place and promotion they do not seem to garner the same role as regular commercial products, because in audio, everyone is waiting for someone to comment on the product, the early adopters of such a product help make the sales or help to prevent sales. In mainstream marketing of a commercial product, the interest is garnered at a much larger scale and the community is a lot larger. For us audio minions, the community is so small that word of mouth and posts in these forums are really golden words for some and help many others to fully understand what is going on with the particular product that is being referenced. Many people are blowing off the magazine reviews to get impressions from audio products in these very forums. If I was marketing a product for the audio community, (I would ask my marketing manager who works for me in my business)I would use tools to search out the most popular products from the low end to the high end and focus my tactics on the products that are most asked about or wanted by fellow audio interested people. Again, a small niche. Now I am way off topic.
Hey where are you in Germany? I am in the Rheinland Pfalz region, Kaiserslautern area.
I know what forum you are talking about, the same one with the Forumslaufwerk. I never tried to keep up with that topic.

Syntax,
Great idea. I agree. That is why I made my comments regarding the early adopters and people who will get a chance to use the product and submit their impressions. That is one reason that this very forum exists. I can’t wait to hear some impressions as I am looking at adding another tone arm to my turntable, a non-TW one. Perhaps this new one will fit my needs.

Ciao,
Audioquest4life

Hi DerTonarm,
you are not informed quite well.
The 10.5 was egineered by Michael Wiedemann / Thomas Woschnik.
I know Michael for several years now. This design is not his first one. He has done many designs over the years.
But now, with the knowlegde of TW, he was able to design the ultimate tonearm, as he understand it.
It has nearly nothing in common with the arm, he introduced in the german AAA forum.
This arm was engineered and is build in Germany/Ruhrarea.
It has nothing in common with products, which components where bought in for cheap and sold in a shiny package for a lot of money (e.g.stepups from a Bavarian seller).
Cheers
Wini

Hi Wini,
glad to meet another German user from TW's Marketing group after DT got 4 - four - private emails from TW.
2 Answers from you here at A'gon and both for TW products. Nice.
cheers for you too.

Hi Wini, - o.k. first of all: Syntax you won the bet ...
If TW and Mr. Wiedemann do think they have designed - based on their knowledge... - the ultimate tonearm as they do understand it, this is certainly great for them, but not my problem.
There will certainly be enough "claqueures" (sic....) in their camp to further promote those ultimate products.
Fine.
We will see in due course - in 1-2 years - the used market price for the TW 10.5 (because there will be enough first hand buyers who will part again in due course with this ultimate tonearm...).
That will be the first real judgement.
We will see.
BTW - TW has sent me 3 emails as PM yesterday and congratulated me on my expertise and in-depth knowledge of his products and their flaws and virtues.
So you see - he and me, we really are on good terms.
That one quote of you however is puzzling:
***It has nothing in common with products, which components where bought in for cheap and sold in a shiny package for a lot of money (e.g.stepups from a Bavarian seller).***

I don't understand..... you mentioned (and I know that was true at least yesterday..) that TW is based in Herne/North-Rhine Westfalia.......... is he now about to move to Bavaria ?

You mistake my comments in one vital point. I am not in here for bashing any products for the joy of it.
What I can't stand is that every decent new launched product is hailed as the holy grail and the "ultimate".
I look at those products (mechanical ones - TTs and tonearms - NOT amplifiers) and see off hand several aspects of its design which I know do compromise its performance.
That is the reason why I ask for some earned laurels first before allowing any product to be called state-of-the-art right away.
Well - in any case, in early summer you are most welcome to discuss here a turntable I have designed and which will be presented here on Audiogon as well as in some international audio magazines.
It has 4 times the price tag of the TW's Black Night - so most german audiophiles won't be able to afford it.
However they will learn a lot about turntables.
But they won't like it at all......