What direct drive TTs accept 12" arm?

I owned many high performance DD and belt drive TTs.

What makes/models high performance DD TTs are suitable for 12" arm?

If no such TT fits above application, what makes/models do you suggest to modify for 12" arm?

A Technics 1200 pro technician said someone once offered a 12" suitable arm board for this TT (the board possibly fastened to hinge bracket for lid).

Decades ago I purchased new Denon DP-59L, .006% W&F, servo tracer tonearm, -82 dB rumble (minimum use). I consider replacing the OEM arm w/12" arm. What is formula to calculate minimum distance from spindle center required for 12" arm?

Pre or post-mods/upgrades, I prefer TT perform well enough to justify eventual use of $4k SME 312S or equivalent quality arm with removable head shell or changeable wand.

Long search for this information was negative. I'm surprised how unpopular is the idea of mounting a good 12" tonearm on a high performance DD TT.

Thanks for your time and consideration!

 

You are going about this the wrong way, IMO. It seems that you are just basing the ides of a 12" arm and a DD table on some sort of ideals. There are too many other variables overlooked. Yeah, you could put together a nice DD/12" table but it wouldn't necessarily be any better than many other belt-driven, 9" designs. There are a lot of other design aspects and quality of other parts to be concerned with instead of just focusing on one drive type with a limited number of alternatives and the length of an arm tube. I believe the reason that you can't find much info on such a combo is that it really isn't the best bang for buck set-up and those looking for the best playback have found that with belt drive and for the majority, 9" arms. You can up the budget and go with a 12" arm on many belt drive tables, so that still leaves the DD options few and far between when looking at other aspects of quality.

If you must find a table for a 12" arm, then the way to do that is to look at the arms first. These will list the mounting distance on their spec sheets. For instance, the SME 312s lists its pivot to spindle distance as: "Distance from pivot to turntable centre 295.60mm". So you then can look at turntables and see if they have the required distance available on their surface as well as having a suitable mounting surface within that region. Denon made some tables that could be utilized as well as the Technics SP-10. These motors can be mounted on custom plinths to accommodate longer arms. There are probably also a lot of old US, UK, and German transcription tables that would also work. The trouble becomes that the cost of these parts might result in an end product no better than what can be readily purchased in a belt-driven, 9" format when considering only sonic performance. Ease of use and serviceability, and warranty are other considerations that make the readily available new options more appealing for most users than purely more adventurous ideas.
-Bill

 

It's possible to adapt, one way or another, nearly any turntable to accept a 12" arm. I build custom turntables for clients all over the world, have much experience in doing so and am happy to help you in any way that I can. It would, indeed, be an enjoyable project to mount a 12" arm on a Technics 1200 series table. The most common combination of a direct drive turntable paired with a 12" arm is probably the Technics SP10 or SP15 in a custom plinth. Another option to explore would be an idler driver such as Lenco, Garrard, Thorens, Rek-O-Kut, Fairchild, etc.

 

I would not call the idea unpopular per se, just that it´s not very common for technical reasons. It takes a bit of knowledge and experience to fit a 12" to a 1200II, that is the challenge, not that it wouldn´t be good. I´m very sure it could be very good.

 

This has piqued my interested. I'm tempted to make one just because I want to see it, hear it, and photograph it!

 

Consider the Kuzma Stogi S12VTA tonearm. It fits on turntables designed for 9" arms.
http://www.kuzma.si/stogi-s-12-vta.html

 

Here's an old commercial for the Kuzma Stogi S12VTA tonearm detailing assembly and operation procedures:

 

The VPI direct drive turntable comes stock with a 12" 3D printed arm.

 

this guy (jrlaudio) is quite knowledgable table designer and seems to suggest the 12 arm supposed benefit of reducing distortion is not really worth the effort from what i can read of this....so i wouldn't. I've got a sl 1800 with stock arm. it's ok but I may upgrade the arm someday....but not to 12"
http://www.vinylengine.com/turntabl...p=466024&hilit=ar+arm+rega+conversion#p466024

 

All depends on how much $$ you want to spend.
Wave Kenetics NVS ref table
50k for table, 15k for each tonearm or bring your own

 

or a JVC or Denon vintage DD motor in a steel plinth with tonearm pods.

 

As mentioned above....VPI Direct Drive --

http://vpiindustries.com/table-direct.htm

 

Was going to suggest yesterday, but couldn't remember model numbers enough to even Google them. I was really surprised that Technics' (expensive) rebirth into audio (http://www.technics.com/us/products/r1/su-r1.html#features) is completely digital, with no chance to even add a turntable. Considering that they're playing at the high end, I think it be cool if they re-released the SP10/15, made available a drop-in plinth in your choice of exotic veneers, and then 3 or 4 armboards to allow various well-respected 9-12" arms.

 

magnetic drive Brinkmann Bardo supports 12" tonearms.

 

That's a great idea.

 

Technics SP-10, SP-10 Mk II, SP-15, and SP-25 can accept 12" tonearms, have plinth choices, and can even handle multiple tonearms. I use the SP-25 with an Audio-Technica ATP 16-T as one of my options. It's reliable, durable, low maintenance, performs great. Why not? There is an armless Denon model, the DP-75 and a few other Denons which can be replinthed and do the same, also, there is a Micro-Seiki which can added to that a JVC manual deck which can be used as a separate armless turntable. There's you some options for attainable money.