Tri-Planar U12 Tonearm A 12" tonearm that offers a 27% angular error reduction over smaller arms Tri-Planar was founded by Herb Papier. As a young man, Herb played trumpet in big bands and, later in life, owned a music store. In World War II, he received official recognition from the U.S. Navy for his expertise in chronometer calibration, a skill he continued to hone throughout his civilian career as a watchmaker. Eventually, Herb settled in Wheaton, Maryland, where he combined his talent for fine mechanisms with his love of music by creating one of the best tonearms the world has ever known. The U-12 uses gimbal avionic bearings placed at record height, and a stiff carbon-fiber armtube. Like all Tri-Planar tonearms it is renowned for being utterly invisible, letting your cartridge truly shine. Features Carbon fiber wand with coaxial damping Hand-polished components – rounded for resonance control Larger silicone-fluid trough Tonearm-rest integrated with damping trough for resonance reduction Pure silver internal tonearm wiring Avionic bearings Damped head-shell Clamping yoke design that firmly couples the armtube to the bearing tube Bearings with hand-crafted, hardened, and polished needle cones Bearings at record height Progressive anti-skating design Sophisticated system of decoupled counterweights Specifications Type: Gimbal avionic bearings Effective length: 308.80 mm Pivot-to-spindle distance: 295.6 mm Overhang: 13.2 mm Offset angle: 17.6° Effective mass: 15 g Bearing offset angle: 17.6°
