Tonearms - Hifiverse audio equipment catalog
Tonearms are sold separately for turntables that ship without an arm or for owners upgrading an existing deck. The arm carries the cartridge across the record and keeps the stylus at the correct geometry while the rest of the pickup moves freely with warps. This subcategory covers pivoted arms from 9 to 12 inches and tangential designs, while complete decks and cartridges are covered in separate categories.
How to choose a tonearm
Start with the mounting. Your plinth or armboard dictates the pivot-to-spindle distance and the cutout, so a 9-inch arm typically needs around 211 to 222 mm and a 12-inch arm close to 295 mm. Next, match effective mass to the compliance of the cartridge you plan to use, aiming for an arm-cartridge resonance between 8 and 12 Hz. Low-compliance moving coils suit heavier arms, while high-compliance moving magnets work better in lighter ones. Then look at the bearing. Gimbal arms run on two sets of ball races and stay stable, unipivots sit on a single point with very low friction but need careful leveling, and air-bearing linear trackers need a pump. Finally, check what you can adjust - VTA, azimuth, anti-skating and whether the headshell is detachable for quick cartridge swaps.
Key specs that matter
Effective mass for most arms falls between about 8 and 20 g, and together with cartridge weight and compliance it sets the low-frequency resonance. Effective length runs roughly 230 to 240 mm for 9-inch arms and 300 to 310 mm for 12-inch arms, and the longer arm gives lower tracking error. Offset angle sits between about 17 and 24 degrees, smaller on long arms. Overhang, usually 12 to 20 mm, completes the alignment.
Price ranges & what you get
Gimbal bearings, fixed headshells and basic anti-skating are standard on arms that cost less than USD 1,000. Between USD 1,000 and 5,000, arms add VTA adjustment during play, detachable headshells and continuous internal wiring to the phono plug. Above USD 5,000, expect carbon fibre or machined wood tubes, jewel or knife-edge bearings and magnetic anti-skating.
Related - cartridges & reading
An arm only works with a matched cartridge, so check cartridges for compliance and weight figures. Turntables lists decks with factory-fitted arms, and phono stages covers the next link in the chain. Our vinyl articles explain alignment protractors and arm geometry.