Klaudio’s Pivoted Linear Tangential Tonearm

[Klaudio/Peter]

I would like to introduce Klaudio’s Pivoted Linear Tangential Tonearm. It combines the advantages of the conventional pivot arm and linear tracking concepts. It simplifies installation, and allows for ideal setup using a wide range of cartridges.

Users are aware of the benefits and issues with pivoting and linear tracking tonearms. I’ve experienced many of them myself. After Klaudio’s ultrasonic LP cleaner launched, I began developing a new tonearm with inspiration from a bus windshield wiper.

I had several development goals in mind. I wanted a tonearm that could accommodate a wide variety of cartridges. I also wanted an easy installation process, and consistently reliable setup. It took about five years of prototypes, testing, and improvements to produce Klaudio’s current tonearm.

Here is a video of the tonearm showing some of the features.

 

[Bruce B]

Great job! Saw this in action at the the Audiofest here and was impressed!

 

[Bill Hart]

Is this a different tonearm than the one I thought you introduced several years ago in the States, when you were still selling the US cleaning machines (I still have mine and use a Kuzma Airline so appreciate the benefits). Not meant to be criticism, just curious.

 

[Ron Resnick]

Hi Peter,

Thank you for posting the introduction here!

I, also, have Bill's question. Is this the same exact model you demonstrated for me at Ki Choi's house on a NVS Wave Kinetics turntable about five years ago? Or is this a new version of your tonearm?

 

[Solypsa]

I had the great opportunity to visit Peter at his workshop last Friday. What an amazing audio playland; where every thing is hand made and unique. The tonearm needs to be experienced in person imho as it is visually complex but a model of simplicity in use. Changing carts is a 2 minute affair

 

[Solypsa]

 

[Solypsa]

 

[Klaudio/Peter]

Hi Peter,

Thank you for posting the introduction here!

I, also, have Bill's question. Is this the same exact model you demonstrated for me at Ki Choi's house on a NVS Wave Kinetics turntable about five years ago? Or is this a new version of your tonearm?

Yes, Basically it is same tonearm but upgraded version with little lighter arm and motorized up/down lift, also at ending point.
Also we preparing for a new version of tonearm will accompany the turntable debut in Aug.23 Seattle Audiofest.

 

[Ron Resnick]

Yes, Basically it is same tonearm but upgraded version with little lighter arm and motorized up/down lift, also at ending point.
Also we preparing for a new version of tonearm will accompany the turntable debut in Aug.23 Seattle Audiofest.

Thank you, Peter, for this explanation!

 

[bonzo75]

View attachment 108473

what drivers in the 16a, and in the Altec? What are the other speakers and amps?

 

[Solypsa]

All the amps and all the preamps are made from scratch by Peter

Lets let him weigh in on the ( super cool ) speakers ....

 

[Klaudio/Peter]

I had the great opportunity to visit Peter at his workshop last Friday. What an amazing audio playland; where every thing is hand made and unique. The tonearm needs to be experienced in person imho as it is visually complex but a model of simplicity in use. Changing carts is a 2 minute affair

Appreciate to explain it for simple and quick changing.
The technology that reduces the tracking error is an improvement of the existing tonearm, not a truly linear tonearm, and the Klaudio tonearm does not reduce various errors, but completely eliminates them by fundamentally removing them.
This is a tonearm that has created a genre of tangentially moving pivots with really linear tracking.

 

[marty]

If I understand the mechanism correctly, the movement of the arm across the record is driven by the stylus drag in the groove which then moves the base slightly to maintain tangency. (This is different than other moving pivots with linear tracking such as the Reed 5T which moves the arm in response to a laser driven servo motor). My question then is that as long as the Klaudio uses the stylus drag to move the base containing the moving pivot, is there a need for anti-skate and if so, how is it accomplished? (I can't quite see the arm details well enough in the previous posts to get a sense of that). LOVE the autolift at the end of the side and the electronic cueing.

 

[Kingrex]

If I understand the mechanism correctly, the movement of the arm across the record is driven by the stylus drag in the groove which then moves the base slightly to maintain tangency. (This is different than other moving pivots with linear tracking such as the Reed 5T which moves the arm in response to a laser driven servo motor). My question then is that as long as the Klaudio uses the stylus drag to move the base containing the moving pivot, is there a need for anti-skate and if so, how is it accomplished? (I can't quite see the arm details well enough in the previous posts to get a sense of that). LOVE the autolift at the end of the side and the electronic cueing.

I remember listening at your house one night. You got up and walked to the table, then I heard the sound change. I asked what you did and you asked did, I hear something. I said yes, I sure did. You said you adjusted the magnetic tracking force and had to do it with every record as the arm moved from the outer to inner groove. I believe it was irritating enough you got rid of a pivot arm for a linear tracker.

I am myself considering a new arm. I am experiencing breakup with new modern highly dynamic records. Pretty much every one. I don't know why. In looking around, I see many designers are very concerned about the resonance of the arm. It makes me wonder where the major gains lie. Is it antiskating, arm resonance, alignment. The variables you can not influence with proper setup. What about the arm makes the magic.

 

[Klaudio/Peter]

Klaudio tonearm just naturally track the groove without any skating issue.
You can find more in youtube video for Klaudio tonearm.

 

[Klaudio/Peter]

Yes, Basically it is same tonearm but upgraded version with little lighter arm and motorized up/down lift, also at ending point.
Also we preparing for a new version of tonearm will accompany the turntable debut in Aug.23 Seattle Audiofest.

My mistake Seattle Audiofest will be June 23-25. not Aug. Sorry

 

[marty]

I remember listening at your house one night. You got up and walked to the table, then I heard the sound change. I asked what you did and you asked did, I hear something. I said yes, I sure did. You said you adjusted the magnetic tracking force and had to do it with every record as the arm moved from the outer to inner groove. I believe it was irritating enough you got rid of a pivot arm for a linear tracker.

I am myself considering a new arm. I am experiencing breakup with new modern highly dynamic records. Pretty much every one. I don't know why. In looking around, I see many designers are very concerned about the resonance of the arm. It makes me wonder where the major gains lie. Is it antiskating, arm resonance, alignment. The variables you can not influence with proper setup. What about the arm makes the magic.

Good memory Rex. Yes, that was the Reed 3P which, like any pivoted arm, requires anti-skating adjustments. The problem is that setting can never be linear across one side an LP. The 3P has such fine on-the-fly anti-skate adjustment that knowing what adjustments to make depending on where the needle is on the LP side is quite predictable. Three adjustments are usually needed for best sound from the outer to the inner most grooves. That's impossible to do with a conventional string and weight system. See post #658 for more detailed discussion here:

Alexx V arrive in NJ

Marty and I have known each other since 1970 and have stayed close during essentially all of the intervening years. Audio has always been a core bond between us as we each advanced in the very elite end of this hobby. Since Marty has been one of my closest friends for so long I know him quite...

www.whatsbestforum.com

For this, and other reasons, namely distortion that accompanies tracking angle error which is inherent in all conventionally pivoted arms, I think conventional pivoted tonearms should be banned! Their liabilities are just too numerous to try and correct. The sonic advantages of a linear/radial tracking arm are obvious however the caveat is that like all arms, performance is a function of execution not just design. When LT's are set up correctly they can be quite wonderful and dare I say, make quite a bit of magic. A well executed good pivoted arm can also be quite lovely sonically, but they are all inherently flawed by comparison and their limitations are present from the outset that not even proper set-up can overcome.

 

[Kingrex]

I think I have my system tuned well enough I am hearing a loss of "musicality" as the arm tracks from outer to inner. I hear a change. Sort of a loss of dynamic excitement. I am looking. Budget is going to be the biggest issue for me. I saw one linear tracker at a show and JR warned me to analyze the attachment of the arm to the tube. He said it had to have 0 play. An arm is supposedly suppose to be rigid. Otherwise it will chatter. The arm I saw wobbled all over.
The Klaudio looks interesting. I wonder what the tolerances between all the connection points are as well as the rigidity of the multiple "shafts" and associated bearing points. Is there an issue with binding over time. I have a lot of dust in my house. I live in a city and enjoy open windows. My floors and equipment are covered in a week. And I have a puffy poodle. Hes a swiffer of sorts. Brings it in and blows it about.

 

[Klaudio/Peter]

what drivers in the 16a, and in the Altec? What are the other speakers and amps?

The driver is my duplicate of 555 & 597.
Altec is actually A4, but the main enclosure is also I made.

I think I have my system tuned well enough I am hearing a loss of "musicality" as the arm tracks from outer to inner. I hear a change. Sort of a loss of dynamic excitement. I am looking. Budget is going to be the biggest issue for me. I saw one linear tracker at a show and JR warned me to analyze the attachment of the arm to the tube. He said it had to have 0 play. An arm is supposedly suppose to be rigid. Otherwise it will chatter. The arm I saw wobbled all over.
The Klaudio looks interesting. I wonder what the tolerances between all the connection points are as well as the rigidity of the multiple "shafts" and associated bearing points. Is there an issue with binding over time. I have a lot of dust in my house. I live in a city and enjoy open windows. My floors and equipment are covered in a week. And I have a puffy poodle. Hes a swiffer of sorts. Brings it in and blows it about.

 

[microstrip]

I think I have my system tuned well enough I am hearing a loss of "musicality" as the arm tracks from outer to inner. I hear a change. Sort of a loss of dynamic excitement. (...)

Well, in this hobby we can always "train" to listen to differences, becoming sensitive to them. There is no doubt that sound quality of an LP changes from outer to inner - the linear speed changes from about 50 cm/s to half this value. Unfortunately many symphonies have extremely dynamic finales with very contrasting dynamics in the few last minutes of the LP. In my experience linear trackers are less sensitive to such effect.

I have no doubt that if I was a "serious" vinyl listener I would feel tempted to invest in a Dereneville Linear Tracking tonearm! Just to inform, my linear tracking experience was mainly with the sucessive versions of the ET and the Forsell tonearm, that I still own.