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Nottingham Tonearms and Accessories
ACE Space arm upgrades - June 2006
All Nottingham arms are a unipivot
design. Unipivots are usually designed with the pivot sitting in a silicone
bath. The problem with this design is that the silicone bath takes quite a while
to settle down and so the arm will change in sound as it plays the record. Many
unipivots also use the offset stabilizer weights or eccentric counter weights to insure proper azimuth.
Nottingham has cleverly solved this
common problem. Nottingham arms use side stabilizer bars and tiny ball bearing
chases to maintain azimuth. Nottingham has also developed a proprietary damping
material the viscosity of which is such that it does not flow and does not
require ‘settling time’. This material is applied to the centre pivot and the
stabilizer bars. Nottingham uses carbon fiber tubes with the fibers oriented the
length of the tonearm not wrapped around it. This greatly increases the
strength, resonance control and rigidity of the arm.
Nottingham also uses an unusual
headshell design. The headshell has an orientation that is in direct line with
the tonearm and not offset in any way. The headshell also has no finger lift.
These two features insure that the arm is properly balanced from side to side
and that no uncontrolled resonances are running around the headshell.
The Interspace arm has many of the
performance features of the more expensive arms, specifically; long grain carbon
fiber, unipivot design and in line headshell.
The ACE Space arm has the same
basic performance features as above. This arm uses the same long grain carbon
fiber tube but also uses a second tube as a liner. This helps dramatically with
both rigidity and resonance control. The ACE Space also uses a threaded allen
screw to make the selection and adjustment of VAT a simple step.
The Space 294 arm is basically the
same as the ACE Space but in a twelve inch length. The added length reduces the
tracking error. This arm was designed specifically for the Space 294 table.
The two Anna arms (12" or 10") were
upgraded based on the success of the ACE Space arm. The Anna arms are
Nottingham’s current statement, combining all the damping and strengthening
techniques they know to give an illusion of music that is totally non-fatiguing.
"All our arms sound the same - ‘a family of sound’ - we think they have
to, if they didn’t some would be right and some would be wrong. Whether you
buy an Interspace arm or Anna arm the differences will be very subtle but very
worthwhile having. We can listen to an Interspace arm for hours otherwise we
would not attempt to put it on the market. Happy listening!" - Tom
Fletcher
Wave Mechanic Power Supply
The Wave Mechanic external power supply, pictured to the left of the Dias
at the bottom of the 'Introducing Nottingham' page, was made especially for Nottingham Analogue and comes standard with the
Dias and Anna Log tables.
This power supply improves sonic performance by eliminating all kinds of
electrical problems which can plague your hi-fi. The Wave Mechanic can be
purchased separately as an upgrade for any Nottingham turntable and will provide
a clean waveform with stable voltage and frequency.
The power supply has a frequency adjustment knob so you can set the speed of
the precisely and thus obtain perfect pitch. (A hand held strobe illuminator is
included.)
The audible benefits of the power supply are very clear. Detail, dynamics and
sound stage are all much improved, but perhaps the most evident feature is the
way that the whole pace and rhythm of the music sounds natural and true. Pitch
stability is impeccable, giving complete confidence and much deeper involvement
in the musical performance.
These benefits should not be expected to replace those from upgrading the
turntable, but rather to complement them. All of the Nottingham Analogue
turntables will benefit, whether your current one or your next one.
Living Voice Mystic Mat
The Living Voice carbon fiber turntable
platter mat delivers a substantial sonic improvement on all Nottingham
turntables. The Mystic Mat brings a quieter background, more detail, focus and
dynamics.
Quadraspire Turntable Supports
To
achieve maximum performance, don't forget to make sure your turntable is sitting
on a proper equipment support. Ask your dealer about a Quadraspire equipment
table or wall mounted turntable shelf.
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