Anyone After An Alphason Arm?

by **JaS** » 17 Jun 2011 11:27

DJO wrote:Well it's you all who need to bring obvious proofs & measurements that a discontinued tonearm from a defunct firm is state of the art & you've to pay hundreds of $ for it used !

I think you are being a little unfair

The HR-100S may look a little old fashioned but it was state of the art back in the day and compared favourably to other super arms like the Zeta, SME IV, Syrinx PU3, Kuzma etc. I don't know what they fetch these days but it will definitely be in the hundreds for an arm of this quality? The fact that it was discontinued in the 1990's is neither here nor there.

Alphason HR-100S MCS £385 HiFi Review 1987

"Now whilst it is fairly apparent to even the most casual observer where the money goes with an arm like the Series IV. one has too look a little harder at a product like the Alphason HR-100S-MCS which tends to hide it's technology under a rather less obvious exterior.

Where the SME features a magnesium arm tube, the Alphason designer has chosen to use titanium for this part of the HR-100S, Unlike the other arms in this test, the Alphason's arm tube is S shaped and has a non-joint headshell: the platform onto which the cartridge is bolted is actually the result of opening out and flattening the end of the tube; a strengthening plate is then bonded to the underside of the platform. The tube is also internally damped.

The arm also departs from standard practice in the bearings it employs. Its designer, Mike Knowles, looked at all the different bearing choices open to him when he designed the arm and decided that he was not prepared to accept the compromises inherent in the available options. His answer to getting a bearing that would offer the lowest level of friction possible, with the minimum of unwanted play, and maximum robustness and reliability, was to use a ceramic material (said to be twenty times harder than conventional bearing materials) which is diamond polished for the pivots. The result is a bearing which he claims will be more resistant to the kind of abuse that some end-users of expensive arms see fit to inflict upon them: careless removal from arm clips, and changing cartridges with the arm still attached to the turntable, In the latter case this a useful provision as the arm cable is non-removable.

The version of the arm we tested comes fitted with Mono Crystal Silver cable throughout, van den Hul M.C. Cl-502 - hence the MCS designation - which caused no problems when being 'dressed' to suit either the Linn or Roksan decks."

Regards,
JaS

by **satanfriendly** » 17 Jun 2011 11:36

I don't know what they fetch these days but it will definitely be in the hundreds

A local respected dealer recently sold one for £700, so people obvioulsy value and want them.

by **JaS** » 17 Jun 2011 11:53

satanfriendly wrote:A local respected dealer recently sold one for £700, so people obvioulsy value and want them.

Ouch! I'd want a deck attached to the arm for that price - a nice low mileage PT TOO or a Voyd the Voyd would be nice :lol:

Regards,
JaS

by **willb** » 21 Jun 2011 00:03

Re: HR100s

Although I've never been lucky enough to use one myself, a lot of people (users & dealers) rated them very highly.

I remember seeing Mike at the Bristol show in 1991 (my first visit), and he couldn't afford a proper room, so set up in a "space" in the entrance hall, just below Linn's mega set-up on the terrace! No prizes for which one was better :?:

A couple of years later, a local dealer had some TT's from another guy who had recently closed (retired I think). The guys in the shop would try and get anyone who showed an interest in the Alphason Sonata to "pick it up" - well it's only a suspended deck isn't it?

"!!** me, that's a beast, what's it made of?"

Something resembling cast iron by the look of it (sub-chassis), and the arms were titanium, which was not common at all then, and it's not easy to work with either.... The fact that it's an "S" shaped arm is the only thing that's "old fashioned" about it IMHO. The cheaper arms (OPAL?) also came in MCS versions and were also very good.

Wish I could afford one!

Must go - Murray's breaking back!

by **DJO** » 22 Jun 2011 14:43

Yes but a RS 1 arm costs only 1000 $, it was used by Yé Yamamura for his Requiem TT and here we have a winner.

by **satanfriendly** » 22 Jun 2011 21:35

A winner of what?

RS 1 arm costs only 1000 $, it was used by Yé Yamamura for his Requiem TT

Most TT related objects made by Yamamura were 'one offs' and the Requiem is doubtful it ever really existed outside of prototype. I can't say the RS1 has ever been mentioned as an all time great before.

Give me an Alphason anyday thanks

by **DJO** » 22 Jun 2011 23:56

Because it's made in UK ?

by **satanfriendly** » 23 Jun 2011 00:25

Because it's made in UK ?

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I don't care where items are made as long as they are quality. The Alphason fits that bracket nicely. I also happen to use an Italian sourced arm.

by **DJO** » 23 Jun 2011 02:02

Yes but why is it so good after all those years and many new designs ? I'm searching for an explanation.

by **JaS** » 23 Jun 2011 02:50

DJO wrote:Yes but why is it so good after all those years and many new designs ? I'm searching for an explanation.

Who knows? Maybe the 80's was a golden age for tonearm design? Or maybe not much progress has been made outside of the real high end stuff since then? There are many 20-30 year old tonearm designs still in production, for example the SME IV and V, Hadcock, Moerch, Rega, Roksan Tabriz, Linn Akito, Jelcos etc and if Alphason had continued making the HR100S I'm sure there would still be a market for it? As it is, it's a fine sounding arm with limited supply so the used prices reflect this.

FWIW there are a couple of reviews in the library comparing it to arms of the time, but nothing beats hearing one

http://www.vinylengine.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3189
http://www.vinylengine.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=38042

And here's another from HiFi World
http://www.n.mackie.btinternet.co.uk/do ... erarms.txt

"It's beautifully refined and considered nature will run rings around an Ittok or a Syrinx in terms of detail and focus. Midband is extremely neutral and clean, lending instruments a mastertape-like solidity. Soundstaging is well proportioned, with fine spatial detailing and depth perspective. Tonal quality is good, with a smooth neutrality right across the frequency spectrum and no obvious colorations. Bass is punchy and well proportioned, never sounding leaden like a Zeta or 'lite' like the Grace. In so many ways, the Alphason is a real class act. The problem is that it isn't so fluent at music making. Vocals lack power and projection, rhythms are deconstructed rather than played, and dynamics aren't particularly impactful. Everything on the record is there in your listening room, but it never really sparks the imagination or gets the foot "tapping."

Regards,
JaS

by **ProfTournesol** » 23 Jun 2011 03:03

DJO wrote:Yes but why is it so good after all those years and many new designs ? I'm searching for an explanation.

Why is a Pink Triangle still so good after all these years? If you have a design that works well, then it will be hard to beat at any time unless there's a major advance in theoretical understanding or materials. Has there been a major advance in tonearm design? I think the advances really are in 'engineering quality for the dollar (pound)' so that what was 'top quality' trickles down over time. It sounds like the Alphason arm was uncommonly well engineered for it's time, much like an SME.

by **rolleye** » 23 Jun 2011 13:56

contrary to most peoples opinions about the Alphason HR100s, I couldn't get on with it at all, it just didn't have what i was looking for and in the end I went for a Helius Orion 3 which is what i still have on the Anni today.......
and I still think the above combo is better than the Export Vector/FXR II i have and i've still not found anything else i prefer.....just my 2 penneth :roll:

Maybe the 80's was a golden age for tonearm design? Or maybe not much progress has been made outside of the real high end stuff since then?

it was and there hasn't....imo of course

by **tim_bissell** » 24 Jun 2011 18:18

Interesting; the Helius Orion was around the same price, maybe slightly more, as that of the Alphason in the review; I have a recently serviced Mk. II on my (ex abandonflip) PT Too, and it sounds excellent there.
Cost of the second-hand Orion, plus a service and silver litz rewire by Helius was around £400, so if you want a classic 80s arm, maybe more fragile than the Alphason, an Orion could be a bargain.

-- Tim

P.S. the PT Too is beautifully set up, I'm glad I got it, but peeved I didn't go for his Anni when I had the chance!

by **rolleye** » 24 Jun 2011 19:08

you need an Anni Tim, they are just sooooo good, but make sure all is well with it before you part with your cash, I've heard of one or two horror stories recently ie knackered bearing, faulty psu and unusually a twisted sub-chassis!!

At £400 including arm, servicing and re-wire your Orion was a bargain imo