Тонармы — Clearaudio TT3

The TT3 is a linear-tracking tonearm made by Clearaudio electronic GmbH in Erlangen, and the maker calls it the most compact model among its tangential arms. It works without any servo, motor or electronic help, so the only thing moving the carriage across the record is the groove itself. Prices include EUR 4,100 for the base version and EUR 4,800 with hard-wired Super Sixstream cabling, GBP 3,730 in the UK and CAD 6,970 in Canada.

Key specs that matter

Clearaudio lists a weight of about 690 g for the arm alone, with the base adding roughly 245 g, and outer dimensions of 275 mm wide, 95 mm deep and 45 mm high. The accepted cartridge weight range is 5.5 to 15.0 g, though Clearaudio notes that a cartridge should weigh at least 7 g net, and lighter bodies need an extra headshell weight. The body is black or silver aluminium, combined with stainless steel parts and the glass guide. Signal cabling ends in RCA plugs and comes as Super Sixstream or Direct Wire, each in 1.0 or 1.5 m lengths, and Silverwire and XLR versions are also offered. Warranty is 5 years once the card is sent back within 14 days.

Engineering and use context

Because the cartridge travels on a straight line toward the spindle, overhang is 0 mm and the offset angle is 0 degrees, so the stylus stays square to the groove from lead-in to run-out. The carriage rolls on dry-running, high-precision ball bearings inside a calibrated, polished glass tube, a layout Clearaudio patents as two-point tangential tracking, and the chassis is tuned against resonance. A short carbon stub arm holds the cartridge, and the carriage sits under a Plexiglas cover. The whole arm can be lifted away from the platter like a drawbridge and lowered back, with mechanical protection built in, and the cartridge is guided outward by hand for the next side. A height adjustment mechanism taken from the bigger tangential models lets vertical tracking angle be set during play, and the arm includes its own cueing lift. For upkeep, compressed air is used to clear dust and debris from the carriage.

Pairing

Optional armboards allow the TT3 to be fitted to selected turntable models. With its RCA lead the arm plugs directly into a separate phono preamplifier.

Alternatives

The Clearaudio TT5 is another passive tangential arm from the brand, weighing about 520 g and using V4 steel ball bearings on a polished glass tube.