Currently it fits any Linn, SME or Well Tempered Amadeus. I'm working on Rega, ARO, VPI and Continuum Caliburn mounts which will be available any week now. The job of a tonearm is precise and simple. I'm not convinced that synergy will apply to this arm. It seems to me that if some arms work worse than others on a particular deck then there is either something wrong with the arm or the deck.
Here's a quote from one of the DIYers at Lenco Heaven who has built a clone of my arm bearing design: ...and the response:
(Photo by hifiaf.com) Blackbirds have the third mounting hole for Linn cartridges and it is accessible with screwdriver or Allen key through the string-lift hole.
That does look nice on the Well Tempered, I prefer the more integrated finger lift you have on this one. Looks like one of the wires is almost touching the record, though
The first Blackbird for VPI customer is happy: "First impressions are excellent, definitely leaves the JMW Memorial Tonearm in the dust. More Bass and tighter, separation is excellent and overall great soundstage. Working through a load of albums as we speak and loving what I am hearing." http://www.supasound.com/photos/vpi.jpg Reproduced with kind permission of the owner
The string lifter has now been spotted on Schröder, Javelin and Linn Ittok. www.supasound.com/photos/ittokstring.jpg www.supasound.com/photos/stringjavelin.jpg
Has anybody mounted one, preferably a 12", on a Garrard 401, I could see it looking right and possibly rather stunning on a black painted Garrard, might have to reassess the direction I'm taking my 401.
I've been using Blackbirds on my 301 for 18 months. In fact I invented the Blackbird specifically for my two 301s because I didn't really like the SME 3009 II arms which had served them since 1963. My Ekos 2 sounded much better. I knew that the 301s deserved better arms, but I could not afford any of the arms which interested me (e.g. Kuzma 4point), so I decided to have a go at building the best sounding tonearm in the world by going back to first principles. I did not expect to reach the Blackbird's level of performance so promptly. I actually prefer the look of the Garrard 401 to the 301, and the Blackbird would look made for the 401 as they share a 1970s rectangular black and silver theme.
I should point out that every Blackbird comes with both types of finger lifter, the string one and a rigid one. I think for most people once you get used to the string you won't want to go back, but if you can't stomach it, the rigid one is a pleasure to use as it's long enough and 12mm higher than the cartridge top. Unlike other uni-pivots there is no roll, so using the rigid lifter is just like the reassuring feel of a gimbal arm, not the wobbly sea-sick uni-pivot fumble. The string lifter has meant that I can stay in the sofa while commanding my young children to turn over the record, with no fear at all that they will not ace the procedure. I'm 18 months into that with no errors or disasters so far. The string is more natural and intuitive, and safer for cartridges.
I just don't really like the looks of the string lifter and I think it would interfere with many dust covers, so you couldn't close it during play. But just my personal preference. Have you got many requests or feedback to implement some type of cueing mechanism, or are all your customers content to hand cue all the time? I went for a few years with no cueing lever on one arm, and never worried much about it, but eventually began to really miss it, and now can't imagine doing without. Same with a dust cover that I can close during play, never thought that was so important, but am kind of spoiled now, especially since I often repeat play a record a few times so it would get pretty dusty without the cover Anyway, good luck, looks like you are starting to build some momentum and get quite a few arms out in the field, and working on new updates.
It was a temporary measure on my first prototype. It didn't take long to realise that it was easier to use, more comfortable and safer for cartridges than the finger bars on my Ekos 2, Rega and SME arms. In fact it has been so reliable and comfortable to use that I have not bothered working on a lever lift for the Blackbird yet. I will one day, but the string works so well that a lever is not urgent at all. But don't take my word for it - a loop with a spare inch pointing up can be applied to any arm.
You are not alone, which is why I supply the rigid one too. You can push it down sideways after cuing. This doesn't normally cause the stylus to skip. Only a few. Most customers report that they are getting on surprisingly well with the string. Thank you - yes, momentum seems to be building steadily. Ultimately it's about the sound, and Blackbird users are very happy indeed with that.
The range of decks carrying a Blackbird continues to widen... Brinkmann Bardo http://www.supasound.com/photos/bardo.jpg Owner: "...best vinyl playback I've heard at home."
It sounded great, but I'm also really pleased with how the Blackbird looks on decks like this. I couldn't quite do it justice in one smartphone snap, but it just looks made for decks like the Bardo and VPI scout. The wide flat arm tube seems to echo the shapes of the plinth and platter in a way that circular arm tubes don't. But it's the sound that matters and my customer said that from memory he thought it sounded better than the Lagrange/10.5/A90 sitting next to it, but that wasn't set up to play, so sadly we couldn't do a direct a/b comparison yet.
