[andyr]

Why on Earth would you need a second tone arm?

What a bizarre question! 

If you only have the one arm - as I have had for 40 years - then it involves a few hours work to change cartridges ... which might happen when:
1.  the  cart you mainly use has to go in for retipping, or
2.  you decide you'd like to try a different cartridge - as different carts generally have better presentations of different types of music.

If you have 2 arms then, for #1 you simply remove the cart and keep on enjoying vinyl with your other arm/cart combo.  For #2, you can try out the new cart without disturbing the setup of the main arm/cart.  Then you can decide which cart should go on which arm. 

After 40 years with only 1 arm (though not the same arm throughout that time!  ), I am about to move to a 2-arm setup.  A new 12" UP which I have heard and sounds terrific ... and a NOS Magnepan Unitrac which I have had on the shelf for a few years (which is currently being re-wired with 1877 silver wire, removing the antique Amphenol plug at the base of the pillar - replacing this with a standard Cardas DIN plug - and bypassing the pins at the end of the arm-tube so as to connect straight into the cartridge pins).    The Unitrac will be used with my Grado Reference Reference1 (only 6gm) and the 12" UP will have mounted my Benz Ebony LP (9gm) - to be upgraded later this year with the much heavier Benz LP-S (16gm).

So I will at last have the luxury of 2 arms.   


Regards,

Andy

[neobop]

I just put some new plugs on my Unitrac arm cable.  Guess what, it has silver wire.

[neobop]

Looks nice, but those MDF platters give me the jitters.  VPI for me.

Must be a price point thing.  MDF isn't very durable. If Avid doesn't offer an upgrade somebody else probably will.  Nice looking deck, as the Brits say. 
neo

[andyr]

I just put some new plugs on my Unitrac arm cable.  Guess what, it has silver wire.

What exactly do you mean by "put some new plugs on my Unitrac arm cable", neo?  My Unitrac has internal arm wiring from 4 pins at the headshell end, through to a green Amphenol socket at the base of the pillar.  Then there is an amphenol plug at the base of the pillar, which has wires which go to the phono stage.

If you "put some new plugs on your Unitrac arm cable", I would suspect that you put some new RCA plugs on the end of the detachable cable from the arm pillar (which was silver)?  Not a new plug at the base of the arm pillar? 


Regards,

Andy

[poseidonsvoice]

I just put some new plugs on my Unitrac arm cable.  Guess what, it has silver wire.

What exactly do you mean by "put some new plugs on my Unitrac arm cable", neo?  My Unitrac has internal arm wiring from 4 pins at the headshell end, through to a green Amphenol socket at the base of the pillar.  Then there is an amphenol plug at the base of the pillar, which has wires which go to the phono stage.

If you "put some new plugs on your Unitrac arm cable", I would suspect that you put some new RCA plugs on the end of the detachable cable from the arm pillar (which was silver)?  Not a new plug at the base of the arm pillar? 


Regards,

Andy

Curious. Relevance to this thread?

Thanks,
Anand.

[neobop]

Curious. Relevance to this thread?

Thanks,
Anand.

A particular, germane to the discussion of the usefulness of a second tonearm, and provision for such.


Andyr,
Yes, the cable going to the preamp appears to be silver. I haven't rewired the arm. Check that the cueing mechanism doesn't rattle. If it does, a pinch of modeling clay should fix. I dare say no more, the thought police are about.
neo

[poseidonsvoice]

A particular, germane to the discussion of the usefulness of a second tonearm, and provision for such.

Okay. But how? Curious minds want to know (especially newbies like myself!) what is it about the installation of new plugs on a Unitrac arm have to do with second tonearm installations, or of the Ingenium turntable etc...Is a Unitrac arm commonly used as a second tonearm? Is the Unitrac arm, your second tonearm? What? 

I dare say no more, the thought police are about.
neo

This is the vinyl forum, however, that's why there are so many threads, to discuss...well different topics.

Best,
Anand.

[neobop]

Hi Anand,
The Magnepan Unitrac is a somewhat rare vintage arm that has nothing to do with the Avid. I was providing Andyr some info that hardly seems worthy of a new thread. In my judgement, the possible usefulness of this info (to Andyr or any other Unitrac owners) was more important than staying on topic.
Regards,
neo