Like what you see?
Subscribe to the Korf Blog!
- Be notified when new articles are posted
- Access members-only secret preview sales
- Get deals and discounts on Korf Audio products
Expect 1-4 emails a month. We will never ever spam you. You can always unsubscribe—no hard feelings!
The Korf Blog
The inside story: our research,
development and opinions
development and opinions
9 November 2017
Prototype 9, Mahogany Wood
Prototype number 9 has a 10 mm diameter solid mahogany rod. The wood hasn't been treated in any way.
Can't really call it a tube, right? The wiring had to be routed outside and is held by painter's masking tape.
Can't really call it a tube, right? The wiring had to be routed outside and is held by painter's masking tape.
As the results of the vibrometry are quite different from metallic armtubes, I think it's best to split comparison into 2 charts. First, we have our Prototype 2 (10mm/1mm wall aluminium tube) and Prototype 6 (carbon fibre tube) on the chart for comparison.
Wooden rod has very different modal resonances compared to tubes. A pronounced 350 Hz main mode is relatively benign in its amplitude, barely sticking above the average level of CF armtube. Most counterweight resonances are also effectively dampened and their effect on the cartridge is close to negligible. However, poor coupling between aluminium headshell and wooden arm rod allows the headshell to ring.
Subjective evaluation
Great news! No, it doesn't sound nearly as bad. In fact, it's quite pleasant to listen to. Reminds me of the sonic character of CF-based Prototype 6, but not as transparent and resolving. Still we are clearly back in the "acceptable" territory. With a better headshell matching this arm could do a lot more.
Result: ★★★☆☆
Result: ★★★☆☆
Next week, next arm tube!
Don't forget to subscribe to get the latest blog updates!