SUPATRAC NIGHTHAWK TONEARM
ABOUT
SUPATRAC Nighthawk
The Nighthawk is a new SUPA that achieves even higher performance than the Blackbird by relaxing some design constraints on effective mass, arm-board compatibility, and cost of manufacture. It's a medium mass arm with a 1" pillar, 8mm pivot bolt, and a more complex composite assembly, which extends arm length by 17mm and increases vertical torque reaction (TRAC). The Nighthawk delivers unprecedented performance.
Reactive Downforce
Loud passages increase stylus drag, producing oscillating vertical torque on most tonearms; the stylus can struggle to stay in good contact with the groove. The SUPA bearing pivots just below the record level so that bursts of stylus drag produce a slight downwards torque, just when it's needed.
That's how the Nighthawk hugs the groove with tenacity during punchy dynamics. Torque-Reaction Assisted Contact (TRAC) plays the hottest grooves with less distortion.
Perfect Timing
The Nighthawk is designed to resist the pull of the cartridge with unyielding rigidity on the microscopic scale. Only by maintaining a perfect position in the groove's time axis can a cartridge reproduce the true shape and explosive energy of a recorded signal. By directly opposing the oscillating drag forces from the cartridge, the SUPA bearing prevents scrubbing, chatter, and the resulting timing errors that can hinder the retrieval of music.
Universal SUPA
The Nighthawk is designed to be lightweight and stable, fitting almost any turntable, including classics like Linn, Technics, Garrard, Clearaudio, and many more. It can be matched with high-compliance cartridges due to its low inertia, and it comes with a mass adaptor to keep low-compliance cartridges under control, making it compatible with the broadest range of cartridges from Shure to Miyajima Monos.
Arm tube*******
The Blackbird's arm tube is made of two pultruded carbon-fiber tubes bonded together. The headshell area is reinforced with aluminum, and the left tube is filled with a damping foam. The arm tube is securely clamped to the thrust box using six M4 machine screws and captive steel nuts, ensuring high rigidity. The arm forms an exceptionally inflexible and dead structure with a tennis-racquet-class strength-to-weight ratio.
Length & Geometry
Due to its construction, the Nighthawk can be made in any length you desire. You can just specify Stevenson geometry instead of the default Baerwald. Headshell slots are 7mm long to accommodate a range of cartridges. Prices for arms longer than 12 inches are available on request.
Protractors
A protractor is included, making it easy to ensure accurate spindle-to-pivot distance, pivot-to-stylus distance, and offset.
Nighthawk Mounts
The standard Nighthawk mount is compatible with Linn, SME, Kuzma, Pro-Ject, Brinkmann, TW Acustic, and many other decks. The Nighthawk mount is not compatible with Rega-type mounts due to the thickness of the pillar. Custom mounts are available to order, priced on request.
Inertia****
A nine-inch Nighthawk has a base effective mass of roughly 10g. A mass adaptor is supplied with all SUPATRAC arms for compatibility with cartridges that suit heavier arms. Multiple mass adaptors can be used with very stiff cartridge suspensions because the SUPA bearing does not bear the arm's weight. It is possible to load SUPATRAC arms with a kilogram or more of mass with outlier cartridges, without compromising arm performance.
Finger Lifters
The Nighthawk includes an extra-rigid finger lift for those who prefer not to use the string finger lift. However, the elegant simplicity of the soft cord tress is recommended because it protects the cartridge from accidental downward pressure. With the tress, you can ensure that the stylus has engaged with the groove at the start of the record before releasing it, and you can grip it securely at the end of a record before lifting the stylus out of the groove. Many skeptics have changed their minds after discovering there is less stress with the tress.