Vertere has introduced the third-generation of its Reference Tonearm, a move that claims to bring additional flexibility, ease of use/fine-tuning and, of course, improved performance.
Vertere founder and designer Touraj Moghaddam has gone back to ‘zero-based’ engineering principles: Don’t rely on traditional hi-fi thinking but bring the design process back to solid engineering and physics with some years of experience. The Vertere Reference Tonearm is wholly engineered to give complete accuracy and certainty in cartridge setup. The Vertere Reference Tonearm Gen III will be available in July, for £43,900, including a 1.65m HB Reference Tonearm cable
Reference Tonearm Gen III features and benefits
Vertere Reference Tonearm has unique split geometry, where in the vertical direction, the arm has a longer effective length than that in the horizontal direction. This split geometry ensures that the cartridge can track very low frequencies cut in mono and the higher stereo frequencies with absolute integrity. In addition, effective mass vertically and horizontally is different, allowing optimisation of both for performance.
Horizontal and vertical bearings are offset by 23mm to optimise tracking accuracy and information retrieval.
Several hundreds of micron-thick non-rotating Kevlar fibres provide the unique vertical and horizontal pivoting motion. The result is the first truly ‘noiseless’ and stiction-free tonearm bearing.
The counterweight assembly is fully articulated to regulate tracking weight when the record is warped – even with the slightest of movements of the Tonearm..
Rigid, light and non‐resonant are keywords for tonearm tubes and headshells and titanium is the most suitable material. The arm tube is machined down to a mere 0.4mm in wall thickness, maximising rigidity to weight ratio. The sculpted head‐shell is then fuse-welded to the arm tube to behave as one piece.
The Tonearm is engraved, allowing precise setting or repeat setting of the additional sliding effective mass control/fine-tune tracking force adjustment.
Anti-skate force is applied using a 30 micron thick non-resonant, frictionless silicone polymer strip. Noiseless and memoryless: this is gradually counterbalanced towards the last 1/3 of the record to give the ideal non-linear anti-skate across the playing surface. Optimal anti-skate force varies with tracking force, linear playing speed – far higher at the beginning of a record than nearing the playout area, over-hang – its effect is far higher nearer the end, and stylus profile, to name a few parameters.
Vertere’s unique transit clamping system allows secure transportation keeping the arm/cartridge safe and perfectly setup. In addition, this ensures exact performance after shipment and reinstallation. The use of the clamp also assists with mounting the cartridge safely and precisely.
The lift/lower mechanism is custom-built from solid stainless steel and has been precision engineered to ensure smooth, firm and accurate cueing.
Precise setting of VTA is made easy by a fine adjustment screw that’s additional to the main setting of arm pillar height.
Azimuth adjustment correction is made by a side-mounted adjustment screw, while the arm mounting itself provides a very fine adjustment of azimuth.
The Tonearm cueing light, integrated into the head-shell, helps when playing records and is an essential aid when setting up a cartridge. It discreetly and pleasingly illuminates the record grooves around the stylus contact point, making it easy to cue records precisely without disturbing the mood lighting. With its dedicated power supply, the light may be dimmed or switched off.
Internal wiring is a special version of Vertere Hand-Built Pulse cable, in one continuous run from the cartridge tags to the exit cable connector at the Tonearm base. All connectors and contacts are custom made with three times the standard thickness of gold plating.
The reference tonearm comes with a second tungsten carbide loaded counterweight to accommodate much heavier cartridges than standard. This heavier counterweight also has extra screw‐on end caps to increase the weight further if required.
Illuminated anti-skate dial and logos to the proprietary lift/lower mechanism and mounting plate