Тонармы — Scheu Analogue Cantus 12"

The Cantus 12 is the 12 inch version of the Cantus unipivot tonearm from Scheu Analog, the German turntable maker started by toolmaker and musician Thomas Scheu, who built his first turntable in 1985. After his death in December 2004 his wife Ulla Scheu ran the company, and since June 2025 it has been under new management, with an office in Dreieich and a workshop in Wiesbaden in the Rhein-Main area. The Cantus appeared in 2008 at GBP 760.

Key specs that matter

Scheu gives an effective length of 307.5 mm, an overhang of 14 mm and a mounting distance of 293.5 mm for the 12 inch version. The 9 inch Cantus has 229 mm effective length, 27 mm overhang and a 212 mm mounting distance. The arm is made of acrylic and is offered in clear or black, and the counterweight is made of tungsten. Scheu does not publish an effective mass for the Cantus.

Engineering and use context

The arm wand is not a tube but an acrylic truss, a lattice framework that Scheu designed to keep resonances to a minimum. The flat acrylic part runs from the bearing to the cartridge mount, so arm and headshell form one piece. The bearing is a single point, and the counterweight hangs below the pivot level. Tracking force is set by sliding the tungsten weight along a machined slot, and turning the weight sideways sets lateral balance. The wide spread of the truss around the bearing, together with the suspended weight, keeps the arm stable on its pivot without complicated fine setup. No bias compensation is fitted, as Scheu considers it unnecessary for this arm, and there is no arm rest. A stylus balance is needed to set the downforce. The longer geometry reduces tracking angle error across the side of a record compared with the 9 inch version of the same arm.

Pairing

The long mounting distance calls for a turntable with an armboard cut for 12 inch arms. Scheu's own mass-loaded turntables, from the Cello to Das Laufwerk No. 2, are belt or string driven, share one inverted main bearing design and use parts from German suppliers. Scheu's own cartridges are hand-built for the company by Benz Micro in Switzerland, sold since 1995 in three versions including the Ruby 3 and Kupfer L, and each one is measured individually before delivery.

Alternatives

The Scheu Analog Tacco MK II 12 inch is a unipivot tonearm with a conical wooden arm tube of thuja or amboina and 304 mm effective length.