Тонармы — Reed REED 2G 12"

The REED 2G 12-inch is the 12 inch build of the 2G, a gimballed tonearm made in Lithuania by Reed, the company of engineer Vidmantas Triukas. Reed calls the 2G a merger of the best parts of its 2A and 3Q designs with some new additions, and it also makes the arm in 9.5 and 10.5 inch lengths. On one European list the 12 inch option adds EUR 232.20 to a base price of EUR 3,406.40, and a US seller quotes USD 5,395 before options. Arms are built to the customer's specification, with a lead time of several weeks.

Key specs that matter

At this length Reed specifies 283.8 mm as the mounting distance and 295.6 mm from pivot to spindle, while overhang is 13.4 mm and offset reaches 17.6 degrees. Effective mass for the 2G varies from 14 g up to 22 g with the materials of wand and headshell. The pillar gives a height range of 28 mm to 48 mm, and vertical tracking angle is adjusted to within 0.2 mm. In standard form the arm arrives in matte seashell white with a wenge wand and a 1.0 m lead of treated Finewire cable ending in RCA plugs.

Engineering and use context

Two kinds of bearing make up the cardanic assembly - thrust rotation bearings turn about the vertical axis, while thrust pivot bearings, similar in concept to the Reed 3P, handle the horizontal axis. Reed chose this mix to keep bearing play out of the arm. A LEMO plug joins wand and base, which means a second wand of different length or mass can be fitted later on the same base. Swappable headshells work with an azimuth adjuster specific to the 2G. Bias is applied magnetically. Buyers can add a calibrated laser, a feature taken from the 3Q, for setting azimuth and arm height, priced at USD 1,500 on the US list. Alternatives to the stock cabling are Finewire C37 copper that has been cryogenically treated or a 5-pin DIN connector made by Cardas. Beyond the base colour, finishes include black, palladium and gold in matte or gloss, and wand woods include light or dark teak, Macassar ebony and cocobolo.

Pairing

A 12 inch arm needs a turntable able to take a mounting position of this length, and the adjustable pillar helps fit the arm to plinths of different heights. Picking a denser or lighter wood for the wand moves effective mass within the stated range to suit the compliance of the cartridge.

Alternatives

The Reed 2B is a Reed tonearm with ceramic ball bearings, two-screw magnetic anti-skating and support for cartridges weighing up to 35 g.