Тонармы — Acoustic Solid WTB 313 12"

The WTB 313 12-inch is a pivoted tonearm from Acoustic Solid, the German turntable maker, with a hand-polished aluminium arm tube. It is also available as the WTB 313 Carbon with a carbon-fibre tube. The UK price is GBP 2,200. Acoustic Solid also makes 9 inch arms in its WTB range, so the 313 is the long version for turntables with space for a 12 inch arm.

Key specs that matter

Swiss precision steel ball bearings carry the arm in both the horizontal and vertical planes, mounted accurately and finely adjustable. The arm tube is aircraft-grade aluminium polished to a mirror finish. Effective length is 302.9 mm, overhang is 15.9 mm, offset angle is 17.3 degrees and the mounting distance from the platter axis to the pivot is 287 mm. Cartridges from 8 to 25 g can be fitted. The arm weighs 330 g without the counterweight, which adds 120 g for a total of 450 g. The signal cable runs without a break from the arm to the RCA plugs, and XLR termination is available on request. An electronic stylus force scale and a mounting template are supplied.

Engineering and use context

Compared with a 9 inch design, a 12 inch arm keeps the stylus closer to tangent with the groove from the outer edge to the label, and it gets there with a smaller offset angle and overhang. Ball bearings in both planes let the arm move freely with little friction while holding it without play, and adjustability lets the bearing preload be set precisely. Aluminium gives a stiff and relatively light tube, and the polished finish is applied by hand. The cartridge weight range is unusually wide and includes heavy moving-coil cartridges that many arms cannot balance. A continuous cable avoids a connector at the base of the arm, so there is no extra contact point between the cartridge and the phono stage. The mounting distance must be matched on the armboard, and the template supplied makes this easier. The stylus force scale lets tracking force be set accurately once the cartridge is installed. The long arm needs a turntable or armboard with room for its length, and Acoustic Solid's own turntables are designed to take it.

Pairing

Heavy and low-compliance moving-coil cartridges suit the arm's mass and weight range, and the RCA or optional XLR termination connects it to single-ended or balanced phono stages.

Alternatives

The Acoustic Solid WTB 213 is the 9 inch tonearm with a carbon tube and a 23.5 degree offset.