Why doesn't anyone make an elegant tonearm lifter?

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by thirtycenturyman, Feb 26, 2015.

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  1. thirtycenturyman

    thirtycenturyman Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Chicago
    Being in the midst of a vinyl resurgence begs the question; why are there so few options out there for a good looking, high quality tonearm lift.

    There are only three options that I am aware of:
    1) Q-Up (still manufactured)
    2) Original Thorens Q-Up (out of production)
    3) Audio Technica Safety Raiser (out of production)

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    Of the three, the safety raiser is the only one that doesn't look like a child's toy that was made in Taiwan for 1 cent. That said, they go for $150 plus on eBay.

    Is there some kind of patent that is getting in the way or maybe there's not enough demand or something.

    Maybe I should start a Kickstarter campaign.

    * Please save your snarky "why don't you just pay attention to when the record ends" comments.
     
  2. Colin M

    Colin M Forum Resident

    Expressimo Audio
    [​IMG]
     
  3. KT88

    KT88 Senior Member

    A. There is no money in it.
    B. There are not that many serious music lovers who find manual tables annoying.
    C. They only fit certain tables with flat plinth areas.
    D. Audiophiles are so neurotic that they want to find fault in everything sent to them, despite it only being a very low cost product. ie , see A.
    E. The Expressimo units, which I sold years ago for the same price as the "direct price" would not function 100% of the time, were hard to set-up, and made an audible "thunk" sound through the tonearm when engaging the arm. When they did work, they worked OK, but it was never something that I wanted to fool with on one of my tables.
     
  4. I've got two TT connected. A stock Denon DP 500m and it 's low rent tone arm! It drops like a rock. Then, I have a Technics SL-1210MKII with a Jelco 750 arm thats drops into curves oh so smoothly.
     
  5. Bolero

    Bolero Senior Member

    Location:
    North America
    a lifter that works with Technics 1200's would do well, IMO
     
    TarnishedEars likes this.
  6. EasterEverywhere

    EasterEverywhere Forum Resident

    Location:
    Albuquerque


    How about our snarky "Why don't you just buy a vintage turntable like a Thorens?" comments.
     
  7. thirtycenturyman

    thirtycenturyman Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Chicago
    I actually have a TD166 MkII with a Mayware Formula 4 tonearm. Sounds pretty good too
     
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  8. McLover

    McLover Senior Member

    There is an elegant tonearm lifter, it is called a Thorens TDW 224. It even changes the LP discs for you and maintains correct VTA. If this does not do it for you, maybe it is time to consider other options.
     
    ThorensSme likes this.
  9. Schwinnparamount

    Schwinnparamount Forum Resident

    I need one of those lifters in spite of the fact that I own a pretty decent turntable and consider myself a proto-audophile. Why? When I fall asleep in my chair with an empty scotch glass on the side table and the stylus in the groove, I eventually wake to the irritating sound of the stylus bouncing off of the record label at the end of the deadwax. Maybe it's irrational, but I fear that I am damaging the diamond. Certainly, I am causing undue wear on the TT motor with it's gratuitous revolutions while I snore peacefully in my chair.
     
    johnny q likes this.
  10. Ghostworld

    Ghostworld Senior Member

    Location:
    US
    I one day watched a bunch of videos of all the different models of lifters and the only one that seems to work smoothly and set up cleanly is the Q-up. No wonder, if I'm not mistaken it's originally a Thorens design. Good old Swiss. If you're going to get one, that's my recommendation. I but I do agree it sure looks cheaper than it's asking price.
     
  11. eurekaiv

    eurekaiv Active Member

    Location:
    Orange County, CA
    I have the old monitor audio lifter (very similar to the exspressimo) on my main table at home (HW-19) and a Q-up on my Planar 2 at the office. I paid $40 on eBay for the monitor and like it way better than the Q-up, which I'd have been happy with for $5.95 instead of $59.95. I also found it much easier to set up than the Q-up. It has a set screw for cripes sake. I have scotch tape on my q-up holding the dang thing in place—$60 for the priviledge of having to tape my Q-up so that pushing the lever back down doesn't kock it out of alignment. And the Q-up takes up a much larger footprint making it more difficult to position. Both the monitor and Q-up make an audible noise when they lift the arm. The metal lever is perhaps a tad louder.

    Someone really needs to make something better. If project really sold 250k tables last year as Fremer has suggested, none of which have a auto-lift afaik, there's a market for something nicer.
     
    Last edited: Feb 26, 2015
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  12. thirtycenturyman

    thirtycenturyman Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Chicago
    sturgus, Manimal and nitsuj like this.
  13. thirtycenturyman

    thirtycenturyman Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Chicago
    After watching videos of these, it looks like the Safety Raiser has the best action. It looks to be somewhat damped so as not to "thump" the tonearm quite so hard.
     
  14. Ghostworld

    Ghostworld Senior Member

    Location:
    US


    Is this what you're talking about. The Stylift? It looks to me like the arm makes contact with the lifter way before the record is over. That would be a no-no.
     
  15. Ghostworld

    Ghostworld Senior Member

    Location:
    US
    Yeah, that looks good. And The Levitator ($88) seems to "borrow" its design. But the Levitator isn't as smooth as the Safety Raiser, which looks to have a hydrolic damping.

     
    Last edited: Feb 27, 2015
  16. Ghostworld

    Ghostworld Senior Member

    Location:
    US
  17. ggergm

    ggergm another spring another baseball season

    Location:
    Minnesota
    I used an Audio Technica Safety Raiser for years. I finally gave up on it as just being too annoying. It didn't work right about 5% of the time, either lifting the record too early or not at all. Records cut right up to the lead out groove are the problem. While its action is smooth, it's a finicky device. I finally realized it's not that big of a deal to get out of your chair and cue up the tonearm at the end of the record.

    That said, I do have a second turntable in my system that's a fully automatic. It's for when I'm listening through my whole house music system and may be in the kitchen, cooking, or upstairs in the shower when the record finishes. But this is an unusual situation. Most people don't have the sound from their stereo pumped throughout the house.
     
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  18. Brother_Rael

    Brother_Rael Senior Member

    Christina Hendricks would be my idea of an elegant....oh you get the idea!
     
  19. thirtycenturyman

    thirtycenturyman Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Chicago
    Yeah, I watched that one. I do not like that at all. I also don't like the loud thump the bare metal makes.

    Also, it was out of focus for 90% of the video which leads me to believe the guy may not be as thorough about setup as I am so maybe he didn't have the Stylift optimally positioned.
     
  20. Colin M

    Colin M Forum Resident

    Oh he got it into focus? I didn't last that long.
     
  21. ptmconsulting

    ptmconsulting Member

    Location:
    Long Island, NY
    I use a finger. Just lift the tonearm off the record when it is over.

    If you are going to play music and listen to it from another room then play CD's.
     
    RONENRAY, shirleyujest and Bill like this.
  22. Colin M

    Colin M Forum Resident

    I don't have one, but there's many a piece that after it finishes I just want to sit in silence. Not have to jump up and stop the hissing.
     
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  23. eurekaiv

    eurekaiv Active Member

    Location:
    Orange County, CA
    That's the one. I have no problem with it lifting before a record is over. There are probably a few albums in my collection cut within a few mm of the label that would lift before ending but I never play any of them because they sound terrible at that point anyway. And any of these options are the same if you don't get them optimally positioned. Positioning properly is what I would consider part of the set-up procedure. I had a less difficult time finding the sweet spot with the Stylift (forgot that's what it was called) then the q-up.

    Edit: Just watched the video. I don't think the user spent much time getting it set up properly. It looks too high so the arm is hitting the weight and not lifting right away. It should lift right when it starts touching the weight. Interesting that it came with a sponge when new.
     
    Last edited: Feb 27, 2015
  24. John76

    John76 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Midwest
  25. thirtycenturyman

    thirtycenturyman Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Chicago
    Re: Original post; "* Please save your snarky "why don't you just pay attention to when the record ends" comments."

    I have been buying more CD's than records as of late, but only because they are super cheap right now. I still loves me some vinyl.
     
    RONENRAY likes this.
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