Has ANYONE heard any negative commnets on the SAFIR from actual users? Be curious if it was a cartridge mismatch or table mismatch. Yes maybe those that bought are biased but I'll tell you something, I had ZERO intentions of buying this arm but the US Importer said have a listen, no obligation. Listen for 7-10 days then send it back. Well once heard I knew it wasn't going back. Yes cartridges have made nice improvements, different tables are easily heard but nothing in the analog chain has brought about what the Safir has done.
Hi SOS,
I was in a similar situation, I had no intention to buy but simply accompanied my friends to audition the XL DC. Turned out the dealer had the Safir mounted, and by the end of the day he sold 4 Safir and a XL DC!
Regarding the Safir, not necessarily a negative comment, but an observation that I would be interested to know if other users share similar findings. I replaced my 4Point14 with the Safir on a JC Verdier pairing with a Dynavector XV 1S. To my ears, the Safir outperformed the 4Point14 considerably in every area but one, which is the soundstage width. While the Safir’s imaging at the outer edges are better defined (same for the imaging anywhere else in the soundstage) than the 4Point14, the soundstage width just seem to be so slightly narrower. In this area, I found my Rockport airbearing linear tracking arm again offered a very slightly wider soundstage than the 4Point14, but the imaging also not as defined as the Safir. I can’t help but wonder whether this slight soundstage width difference is caused by the tracking errors of a 9” arm vs 14” and linear tracker!
I would be very interested to know if other Safir users, especially those who have used the 4Point14, Airline or other linear tracking arms share similar findings!
Hi Thekong,
i intend to use the SAFIR in the future on a Platine Verdier as well, and as i loved my XV-1s with 11“4P and Airline in the past (but already sold some years ago), I am biased toward Dynavector, too.
Would you please post some pictures of the SAFIR on the Platine Verdier? Until now I have just used it with 12“ tonearms.
here are two pics of my Platine Verdier. They show a tonearm mount similar to that on which my Safir will be mounted mid of February. Its a one-piece-design made from an aluminum alloy very similar to what J.C. Verdier used with his turntable. This alloy could be anodized, but I think its shiny look-and-feel is stylish.
@phoni looks like that tonearm "pod" sits well below the surface of the platter. The one the Safir will be mounted on will it be taller? I would guess it should be close to the height of the platter, maybe slightly shorter. Just trying to picture best how this will work.
here are two pics of my Platine Verdier. They show a tonearm mount similar to that on which my Safir will be mounted mid of February. Its a one-piece-design made from an aluminum alloy very similar to what J.C. Verdier used with his turntable. This alloy could be anodized, but I think its shiny look-and-feel is stylish.
One of the issues with the enclosed pods of this type is that potentially the safir can bottom out at the base of the pod . I had this concern with the Brinkmann Balance . There is a shim piece to raise it - but then you are way off level position if you bottom and don't reach the correct VTA out you are out of luck.
It is outside of the comfort zone with the Brinkmann.
To best solve it with the Brinkmann- I think I would have to use a outboard armboard -- then you have to be concerned with getting the correct PS distance with the short 9" arm.
With the Balance the height of the pod is closer to the height of the platter than your Plantine. Hopefully you will be ok.
I ended up being able to use the safir with the Balance- but if I were to look toward a more permanent solution with more VTA adjustability I would use an outboard armboard.
Further, As well as the safir performs - it is far less friendly for VTA and with the extended below the bearing post it makes mounting more challenging. The offset bearing assembly of the 4 point 11 and 14" are a dream to set up and I personally do like the option of the removable headshells.
Alas, we are talking F1 with the safir and perhaps NASCAR with the regular 4 point. You give up a lot of set up friendliness with the safir.
Further, As well as the safir performs - it is far less friendly for VTA and with the extended below the bearing post it makes mounting more challenging. The offset bearing assembly of the 4 point 11 and 14" are a dream to set up and I personally do like the option of the removable headshells.
Alas, we are talking F1 with the safir and perhaps NASCAR with the regular 4 point. You give up a lot of set up friendliness with the safir.
Safir mounted on a Kuzma XL DC would be far simpler with the very accurate fully height adjustable tonearm tower and being able to manoeuvre the tonearm tower in any direction horizontally for the distance from the platter spindle etc.
@phoni looks like that tonearm "pod" sits well below the surface of the platter. The one the Safir will be mounted on will it be taller? I would guess it should be close to the height of the platter, maybe slightly shorter. Just trying to picture best how this will work.
Safir mounted on a Kuzma XL DC would be far simpler with the very accurate fully height adjustable tonearm tower and being able to manoeuvre the tonearm tower in any direction horizontally for the distance from the platter spindle etc.
The folks at Brinkmann have all mounting details for most tonearms worldwide. So there is no problem to mount a Safir on a Balance. Important is the mounting distance of 212 mm. In this regard the Binkmann basis are rotatable. So it's easy to dail in the correct distance. On the other hand, franc also offers various tools to compensate a platter height being too high.
The folks at Brinkmann have all mounting details for most tonearms worldwide. So there is no problem to mount a Safir on a Balance. Important is the mounting distance of 212 mm. In this regard the Binkmann basis are rotatable. So it's easy to dail in the correct distance. On the other hand, franc also offers various tools to compensate a platter height being too high.
As I stated-
it is the bottom pillar that is the issue it extends too deeply into the pod.- it pretty well meets the bottom of the pod. The distance is no problem in the standard pod with an offset mounting hole and rotatable pod.... it is the bottoming out that is the issue. An extended pod solves for the bottoming out- yet will be a challenge on P to S.
I have mounted the Safir on the Brinkmann so I am keenly aware of what the issues are.
I don't think Franc needed to do much work to make the SAFIR9 work & fit the Kuzma XL DC TT due to the multiple positional variability possible in the X, Y & Z planes with the XL DC's tonearm tower which is therefore capable of any tonearm fitting the XL DC TT.
I wouldn't be surprised if Franc also used the XL DC TT to design, develop, build and test the SAFIR9 ?
Hi Thekong,
i intend to use the SAFIR in the future on a Platine Verdier as well, and as i loved my XV-1s with 11“4P and Airline in the past (but already sold some years ago), I am biased toward Dynavector, too.
Would you please post some pictures of the SAFIR on the Platine Verdier? Until now I have just used it with 12“ tonearms.
Gotta love the Verdier & it's...lets call it "industrial chic". I've been delighted with mine for 20 years, but even I have to concede it looks like it was assembled on a farm out of ploughing equipment!
Thanks a lot, thekong! Looks really good!
This is the original French version of the Platine Verdier, in contrast to the version of Auditorium 23 in Germany from phono and mine.
Did you have any issues with the springs in the feets, as you already use the not original light, but heavy metal towers and tonearm baseplate, that are much more heavy than the original wooden ones.
And what do you use as add on for the platter?
Love the pictures- and I’m going to ask an off topic question - appologies
I see you’re on a microscope table - which stillpoints are those and what do you hear over the feet on the table itself? Do you also have stillpoints under the motor unit?
