Тонармы — Acoustic Signature TA-7000 NEO 12"

The TA-7000 NEO 12 in is the 12-inch version of a tonearm from Acoustic Signature, the German turntable maker. It sits just below the company's flagship TA-9000 NEO and is also made in a 9 in version.

Key specs that matter

The 12 in version has an overall length of 358 mm, an effective length of 309 mm and a mounting distance of 295.8 mm, with an overhang of 13.2 mm. Total weight is 687 g and effective mass 13.9 g. The arm tube is conical carbon fibre with 3D damping. Bearings are a pre-tensioned gimbal with high-precision ball bearings. Internal wiring is 4N silver, and a 1.5 m Atlas Equator five-pin phono cable is supplied with RCA or XLR connectors. VTA and azimuth are adjustable, and anti-skating is set by a knob. Mounting is SME type. Finishes are black, silver, chrome or 24K gold plated. The warranty is five years for registered arms made after October 2020.

Engineering and use context

The carbon fibre arm tube is tapered and contains an internal lattice structure that adds stiffness and damping, so resonances in the tube are suppressed rather than passed to the cartridge. The gimbal bearing uses ball bearings of a type used in aerospace, pre-tensioned to remove play while keeping friction low. The arm axis is stainless steel for rigidity. A 12 in arm has a longer effective length than a 9 in, so the stylus traces a flatter arc and tracking error across the record is smaller. The higher effective mass of the 12 in version suits low-compliance moving-coil cartridges. The brass counterweight and an additional weight balance cartridges from 6 to 16 g, and the black version can be ordered with a 24K gold-plated counterweight. Cartridge tilt angle is 12.1 degrees on the 12 in arm, against 23.9 degrees on the 9 in. The package includes an adjustment template, base mount, screws and a toolset. An optional solid titanium headshell is offered. In the USA the 12 in silver version was priced at about USD 19,000 to USD 21,000. The 9 in version has an effective length of 239.3 mm, an effective mass of 10.2 g, a mounting distance of 222 mm and an overhang of 17.3 mm. With the SME-type base, VTA is set manually through the arm height, and the counterweight has a fine thread for setting tracking force.

Pairing

The TA-7000 NEO 12 in suits Acoustic Signature turntables with 12 in arm bases, such as the Montana NEO, and other decks with SME-type mounting.

Alternatives

Acoustic Signature's TA-9000 NEO is the flagship tonearm of the brand above the TA-7000 NEO.