[Minn Mark]

I don't understand why tonearm manufacturers, and similarly turntable makers, have gone away from removable headshells. At the very low and very high ends of the cost spectrum there are still some options out there (Technics to SME) but it seems a great waste of the hobby to not be able to have several headshells with cartridges to swap and experiment with. One would think in an economic downturn these guys would be looking for new ways to attract customers to buy turntable/tonarms and of course cartridges.  So....who do we have to kill to bring removable headshells back into the main stream?

Mark

[Sonny]

I don't know, never had a removable headshell, probably easier to mount the cartridge, but I would think it's about reducing vibration, etc....I would expect that any attachment could induce more opportunity for things being loose, etc...
T
T

[srb]

If a tonearm and cartridge are properly set up, the vertical tracking angle (VTA) will be adjusted based on that cartridge's dimensions and cantilever position.  Swapping in another headshell with a different cartridge would most likely always result in some kind of mistracking compared to the optimum setup adjustment.
 
That's why some elaborate (and expensive) turntable setups have multiple tonearms, each one adjusted to optimize that particular cartridge.
 
Steve

[Minn Mark]

I guess maybe my 50+ year old ears don't hear those differences. I have an old Technics TT with a couple headshells and dont bother with azimuth, VTA (non ajustable anyway). I am upgraing my SOTA and am considering a Rega 301 tonearm (I know--no removable headshell) and was interested in their pkg insert comment that they don't consider optimization of VTA to be of benefit versus the time/effort required.  I have fooled around a bit with VTA on my SOTA Comet (by raising/lowering the base of the tonearm), and unless I reach extremes, I dont hear any difference, and it doesn't seem to matter as to the tracking either-until extremes. I really wish I was closer or more convenient to attend a local "audio society' or the like, as I think discussion of these experiences and opinions really enriches the audio experience/hobby.
Thanks for your responses so far....

M

[TheChairGuy]

I love the hot-swappable notion of removable headshells...but, not as smitten with the reduction in sound quality having extra physical joints.

The vinyl resurgence is not (at least, yet) a mass market phenomonon.  It's still limited to a tweeky upper crust willing to pay a premium price for what seems to sound better / more realistic / easier to listen to music technology.

When you see a dearth of $250 turntables to choose from (again)...you'll see a lot more removable headshell units. 

There's excellent used choices from vinyl's mass heyday of the 70's and 80's about at reasonable prices...sticking to some of the more hardy, technically excellent brands - Technics, Denon, JVC and others - there's a lot of those with removable headshells about 

John 

[Wayner]

Keeping in mind the old saying, "you don't get something for nothing", brings up several points with and without removable headshells.

First, a removable head shell is easier to install a cartridge on, it's easier to swap cartridges, easier to inspect the stylus for wear and easier to check connections. If you break a wire or connect, it's easy to fix, or replace.

Now that is is removable, here are are some negatives. It's an extra electrical connection, a point of contact failure from spring loaded contacts, possible extra vibration, because they are removable, they get lost.

For non-removable heads, they are hard to install a cartridge on. If you break a wire off, it may mean there is a chance re-wiring the tonearm may be the only fix. It's a bitch to quickly change out cartridges.

The good side is there are less electrical connections, less parts to rattle loose. A more solid tonearm assembly means a happy tone arm.

I guess it all depends on your needs.

Wayner

[Norman Tracy]

Good question Mark,

As is so often the case in hi-fi land there are two diverging trains of thought on the issue of removable headshells.
Removable designs emphasize ease of use and flexibility. Non-removable designs emphasize performance. My version of the history of this split goes something like this….

Once upon a time in the late 1970s early 80s the vast majority of hi-fi turntables featured removable headshells. This was the heyday of the Japanese direct and belt drive turntables and the majority featured J or S shaped arms with the bayonet mount headshell as still seen in the iconic Technics and the SME arms that provided their inspiration. In particular Japanese audiophiles were famous for keeping several cartridges mounted and aligned for quick swapping depending on mood and which complements the music. All of us enjoyed the ease of mounting these provided; the downside was the all too typical electrical gremlins from intermittent contacts.

Then along comes Linn in the person of Ivor Tiefenbrun. The gospel of LP playback according to Linn was that the path through the tonearm down into the base and backup through the platter bearing, platter,  and onto the LP surface needed to be as rigid and stiff as possible. Never mind the tonearm pivot in that path or the fact Linn advocated a felt platter mat under the record; things must be stiff! This led to many deformed cartridge bodies and stripped mounting screws as Linnites tried to get that thing torqued down really, Really, REALLY tight in the pursuit of PRAT (Pace Rhythm and Timing). With the must-be-rigid train of thought gaining traction the finger tight detachable bayonet mount headshell came to be viewed as Pure Evil. The iconic designs from this school of thought have to be the Rega RBxxx series and SME Series V. Both Rega and SME invested the considerable coin to have die cast moulds made so their designs could feature headshells (or more accurately  cartridge mounting surfaces as it is no longer a separate piece) that are part of a continuous cast arm assembly  from the cartridge end all the way back through the bearing and counterweight mounts.

Fast-forward (opps, we’re talking LP not tape) to 2010 and we see both types of designs flourishing. Given the inertia and dogmatic adherence to received ‘wisdom’ many specialist designs retain the fixed headshell. The belief it is more theoretically ‘pure’ among many dovetails nicely for small manufacturers with the lower build costs of the simpler fixed headshell designs. Countering that are the audiophiles who never gave up on their bayonet mount headshell arms. Growing tired of watching their older designs fetch top dollar/pound/euro/yen on ebay SME reintroduced their J shaped designs with bayonet mount headshells. Pragmatic audiophiles enjoy the ease of use a removable ‘shell brings.  Hardcore audiophiles like those using the SPU cartridge built into a bayonet mount headshell demand it.

Speaking of exotic cartridges built into a bayonet mount headshells I will close with a couple of pictures of one of my fantasies. I used to really lust after the Fidelity Research tonearms back when all I could afford was Sony. These were designed by a Japanese master named Mr. Isamu Ikeda. His current designs are built by his company Ikeda Sound Labs. Production is so low and cost so high one rarely hears about them in the west. The stuff of dreams, and note the removable headshells!

[Ericus Rex]

Vinyl super-tweakers like removable headshells so they can also have control over the mass of the tonearm itself.  Many of those Japanese tonearm makers' headshells are interchangeable and often vary in weight.  Changing between different weights can allow someone to try a wider range of cartridges with varying compliance values.

[Wayner]

Rega arms are investment cast (also known as lost wax), not die-cast. This method is a low-cost, medium production method that has high tolerance acceptability. This keeps tooling investments low, but at the same time, offers a rather high volume output, before re-tooling is required.

The Linn tables had almost an occult following, but I think that as time has proven, they have generally fallen out of favor by many vinylphools, and I for one would not seek to own one. So much for their dynasty.

Technics still has sold more tables then many companies, combined. Good bang for the buck at any rate.

Wayner

[drphoto]

I literally just finished mounting my new Denon Dl160 on my Rega arm. Know what I did? Just yanked the arm off the table. Sounds scary, but no biggie, even for a newbie like me.

Way easier to do it this way. I mounded the Grado w/ the arm on the table, and it was a PiTA.

[Wayner]

That's how to do it. The Rega plinth's mounting hole has virtually no slop, so the P to S distance will remain.

Fire that bad boy up!

Wayner 

[drphoto]

If Linn tables have fallen out of favor, the prices don't reflect it. I wanted one, because of nostalgia. It was the first high end system I heard 30 years ago.

But I would have spent way more than I was willing in order to have one.

The internet is both good and bad when it comes to deals. Now everyone seems to know what stuff is worth. Seems hard to stumble across a Linn (or any other vintage stuff of note) in a junk shop for next to nothing. But then again, there are guys like Ed (eclein) who scored those sweet JBL's for $50. Jerk. 

[doorman]

A "tricked out" Linn is (still) a formidable performer IMHO.
Wether or not it's cost effective is another question.
Don

[Elizabeth]

In the fixed vs removable i voted with fixed. Just bought two TTs A Rega P5 with the RB700 arm, fixed. No problem mounting the Benz Glider. Even added two shims under base for VTA. Then other new to me TT, a Kuzma with Stogi S and a Dynavector 17D3. The Dyna WAS hard to adjust due to tiny cantilever, but that would have been the case with or without detachable headshell.
Mostly i think the detachable headshell is a huge mass on end of arm. Both my TTs have very low mass at headshell end of arm. Look at the huge massive bodies of the detachable headshells. So, for detachables: uber massive, extra connections to cause loss of signal. I'll take the Rega and Kuzma arms, no problem.
And, basically all the detachable arms are VERY out of date designs. There have not been any NEW detachable designs in years. But a LOT of new designs for fixed, and more coming all the time.
(almost) All the detachable designs are "J" or "S" shaped arms. Historical relics IMO.
(Dual has some straight arm detachables, but with a different head form than the basic detachable arm head, and the Duals have thier own connection problems)
(Then Denon has, along with other designers, detachable ARMS, which are another variant, and one that holds more promise IMO than detachable headshells)
The one great reason FOR detachable headshells is swapping carts. For that they are great. Otherwise fixed are better.

[jsaliga]

Not out of date.  Not J or S shaped.  And not even close to being a relic.

This is as modern a design as anything else in SME's current lineup of magnesium tonearms, having more in common with the SME IV and V than the 3009 Series II (which is a great "classic" arm and still in demand)

--Jerome

[TONEPUB]

Agreed, the 309 is a great arm, I've got a couple of them.  And, yes, scarily close to the iV.Vi and V.

[Scott F.]

Personally, I'm a fan of the bayonet mount. Sure,you have all of the issues talked about but I love the convenience of being able to swap a cartridge in less than 3 minutes.

Certain cartridges (like any other piece of gear), sound best on certain genres of music. I love the fact that when I want to rock out and get the best sound, I just reach up and grab my Music Maker. Then when I want to listen to jazz or classical I grab my Yamamoto. Female vocals, grab the Soundsmith rebuilt Dynavector, something bright, grab the Van denHul and so on.

Here is a quick pick of a headshell rack I built for my Opera LP5/Dynavector 507 MkII arm that sits right above my table.










When it comes to the material the headshells are made of, it makes a difference too. The Yamamoto Blackwood headshell tends to dissipate some of the structure-borne vibrations making the sound more relaxed and open sounding.

[Wayner]

A "tricked out" Linn is (still) a formidable performer IMHO.
Wether or not it's cost effective is another question.
Don

That's kind of where I was headed. Sure I'd take one if someone gave it to me, but I think there are other tables out there that have bigger bang for the buck (I'm taking about some of the older ones, here). I also kind of feel the same way about a Sota, but maybe if I had one I'd feel different.The only Sota's I'm interested in are big bucks at least for me. I have to put myself in denial mode to stop from collecting more, or I'll have to add on just to make room.

Wayner