CLEARAUDIO STATEMENT TT-1 TANGENTIAL TONEARM

ABOUT

The Clearaudio Statement TT-1 Tangential Tonearm represents the pinnacle of tangential tonearm technology and the crowning glory to our Statement Turntable.  With the TT-1 liear tonearm, records are replayed as they were cut – in a straight movement with no curves, tracing the record groove without averaging the error as in a radial tonearm. Its development began at the beginning of the 21^st century but its lineage can be traced back to the 1970s.

Peter Suchy developed his moving coil patent in the 1970s, always convinced that linear tracking tonearms would best realize his fully symmetrical MC design. In the 1980s, Clearaudio purchased Souther Engineering, the Boston-based manufacturer of the Tri-Quartz tangential tonearm. Over the next 15 years, Clearaudio improved and refined this unique mechanical design that eschewed pumps and gears for a purer passive approach.

The breakthrough came with the Statement TT-1 arm based on a new glass tube with 2-wheel carriage mounted to a very rigid superstructure constructed of high-tech materials on a magnetically locking track. Developed in tandem with the Statement turntable, it was the four tower design of this massive turntable floating on the gyroscopic bearing with pendulum counterweight that provided the platform to realize this new implementation.

Prior to the Statement TT-1, Clearaudio linear tonearms used a tricyle carriage riding on 3 quartz rods (hence Tri-quartz) on a cantilevered structure made from acrylic and aluminum. Redesigning the carriage to 2 wheels and placing it inside a polished glass tube reduced friction while increasing point-of-contact pressure, increasing trackability, especially with a cartridge as heavy as the Goldfinger Statement. Constructed in a similar fashion to the Statement turntable using heavy pillars, Panzerholz, and aluminum damping plates, the rigid superstructure of the TT-1 solidly holds the glass tube, reducing vibrational energy. An ingenious track system was developed, accurately sliding the TT-1 superstucture into play position and magnetically locking into place.

The Statement TT-1 is designed optimized for the Statement turntable and Goldfinger Statement cartridge. A special version, the TT-1 MI, is a scaled down version for use on the Master Innovation, Innovation, and Master Reference turntables.