Tonearms — Clearaudio UNIFY 9"

The UNIFY 9-inch is the most compact length of the UNIFY unipivot tonearm from Clearaudio electronic GmbH of Germany. The UNIFY family is offered in four arm lengths - 9, 10, 12 and 14 inch - and all of them share one bearing concept, one set of materials and one mounting standard, so the 9-inch model is the variant meant for decks with a standard 9-inch arm base.

Key specs that matter

Measured from pivot to stylus, the 9-inch arm spans 239.3 mm, with an overall length of 300 mm. Overhang is 17.3 mm and the offset angle is 25.54 degrees. The arm is aligned to null points at 66.04 mm and 120.9 mm, the same pair used by every length in the family. The external counterweight balances cartridges from 2.5 to 17 grams, and the complete arm weighs 772 g with its counterweight fitted. Mounting follows the Clearaudio specification with a 24.85 mm bore diameter. Signal leaves the arm through a 1.1 m run of Clearaudio Sixtream Super Wire terminated with RCA plugs.

Engineering and use context

Movement is carried by a single-point bearing, where a hardened and precision-polished steel tip sits in a sapphire cup. Clearaudio pairs different materials across the structure - a stainless steel pillar forms the base, the arm tube is carbon fibre in black or silver, and the bell is aluminium. The maker states that this mix of materials is aimed at resonance-free behaviour, and that the weight reduction of the moving parts brings friction in the single-point bearing close to zero. Vertical tracking angle and horizontal tracking angle are set separately. The longer UNIFY versions keep the same balance range and weight, while their overhang falls to 15.14 mm at 10 inch, 12.50 mm at 12 inch and 11.63 mm at 14 inch. Anti-skating works through a small weight suspended at varying distances from a post fixed to the pivot assembly, so the force is changed by moving the hanging point rather than by a spring or magnet. Because the pivot sits on one point, the arm tube can also be turned about its own axis for azimuth.

Pairing

The wide balance range accepts light and heavy pickups alike, and the RCA termination lets the arm feed any phono stage with standard inputs. The standard bore used across Clearaudio arms means a deck already drilled for another Clearaudio tonearm can take the UNIFY 9-inch on its base.

Alternatives

The Clearaudio UNIFY 12-inch is the same unipivot arm in a 316.50 mm effective length with a 17.89 degree offset for turntables with a 12-inch arm base.