Schick tonearms have been widely used on vintage Garrard, Lenco, and Thorens rebuilds and for good reasons. The Thomas Schick tonearm was initially designed as a modern alternative to classic tonearms like the SME 3009 and 3012 for vintage turntables, yet it works equally well with all modern turntables.
At the heart of the Thomas Schick tonearm are near-zero-tolerance ball bearings, which result in "a virtually frictionless and utterly quiet tonearm pivot that will offer like-new performance for decades to come". The wiring, which is said to be "very high-purity copper", is one continuous run from the headshell contact points to the RCA plugs, with an interconnect length of about 1.2 m. A DIN termination version is also available.
All Thomas' tonearms include a nylon-string-and-weight style anti-skate mechanism. No headshell is included - though Magenta Audio recommends one of Thomas' own headshells.
The Schick tonearm can be used with a wide range of cartridges, but Thomas suggests that cartridge compliance value should be below 20 µm/mN (22 for the nine-inch arm) with a large tolerance still keeping the resonant frequency in the desired range. The weight of the cartridge should be 5-6 grams or more. Ortofon SPU cartridges are all suitable, and mono cartridges with no vertical compliance at all can also be used. Decca cartridges are also compatible.
The Thomas Schick tonearm is available in three lengths, 9-inches, 10.5-inches, and 12-inches. Each version is available in different finishes, including Black, Gold, and Silver (the tonearm wand and tonearm lift mechanism in each finish are silver).
Available now, the Thomas Schick Tonearms tonearms will sell in Australia for $2895 RRP (all three sizes).
For more information visit Thome Schick Tonearms
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