Alphason HR-200s

[Direct Drive]

I went to the Chester Group Audio Show today to primarily meet up with Mike Knowles of Alphason. It has been 35 years since we last saw each other. He dropped out of audio in the 90s. We spoke last year and I was thrilled to hear he was back and making his tonearm again. I bought no13 of his HR100 (he reminded me it was Heathrow Show 1982!) and no5 of his Sonata TT. Always rated his front end. The Flat Earth brigade were at their Sondek height during this period which I never bought into.
Mike is a real innovator with his one piece arm tube (1982), in titainium, and the up grading of psu on TTs...I will never forget the first hearing of his Atlas psu on my Sonata.....the bass. Staggering. Really bought home the importance of the psu. The HR-100 was a brilliant arm and still is.
The HR-200s looks to be equally impressive in either 9" or12" . I'm ordering one...thinking 12" but Mike has said he will make me 10.5".....dilemma!
They look stunning. Stupid I should have taken more photos rather than talking.

 

[JR Maltese]

Anything about the pricing? I would consider 9". I did go to his website, but there are no numbers. Not even specs, let alone pricing...

 

[108CY]

I owned the sonata with HR100S from the age of 12 I remember assisting mike at the Penta Hifi show at that age it was amazing. I ended up owning many Sonatas and modifying many too also owned a few symphony turntables a very rare turntable now. The arms certainly looked very interesting and very well made and finished Mike is a certainly very talented designer the HR100S was way ahead of its time. The 200s prices are certainly very reasonable by modern standards.

HR-200S, 9 inch, 5-pin DIN at base of arm,
1.1m OCC Inter-connect £3,789.00

HR-200S, 12 inch, 5-pin DIN at base of arm,
1.1m OCC Inter-connect £4,089.00

 

[Gregm]

Going against the grain, I would suggest you go for what the designer suggests -- if it's 10.5, then go for that.
(Simon Yorke once told me he would make me a 7" arm if he could get the geometry to work... because the shorter the pivoting distances, the better it is)
Currently I have a 13 arm and I think it sounds good (authoritative, good bass, low discernible distortion)... most probably because of its looks : long and serious looking, it dominates the TT

BTW, I too had the HR-100S on a pink triangle anniversary (or was it "export"?).
Great sound!

 

[DasguteOhr]

I owned the sonata with HR100S from the age of 12 I remember assisting mike at the Penta Hifi show at that age it was amazing. I ended up owning many Sonatas and modifying many too also owned a few symphony turntables a very rare turntable now. The arms certainly looked very interesting and very well made and finished Mike is certainly very talented designer the HR100S was way of its time the prices are certainly very reasonable by modern standards.

HR-200S, 9 inch, 5-pin DIN at base of arm,
1.1m OCC Inter-connect £3,789.00

HR-200S, 12 inch, 5-pin DIN at base of arm,
1.1m OCC Inter-connect £4,089.00

+1
A wonderful piece of titanium hr 100s , love that tonearm plays better some modern tonearms.. gurantee