The Zero
Tracking Error Tonearm
This Garrard
invention expanded state-of-the-art.. It eliminates tracking error, one of the
major causes of distortion. How tracking error was eliminated in a tonearm is
one of the most meaningful chapters in the history of audio engineering. The idea is
simple and straightforward. The offset head of a conventional tonearm cannot
remain tangent to the record groove at all points on the record, … so why not
hinge the head and make its offset angle variable?
The
execution of the idea required the creation of a hinged trapezoid (a kind of
double arm). The brilliance of the engineering that went into this complex
design is emphasized by the fact that both mass and friction have been kept as
low as in the finest conventional arms, while completely eliminating tracking
error. That the
project was worth the effort is apparent from the reviews which descended upon
Garrard. Typical was the one from the prestigious Hirsch-Houck labs, as
described in Julian D. Hirsch's "Product Test Reports" in Popular
Electronics.
''… tracking
error was unmeasurably low (under 0,5 degree) over the entir record surface.
The stylus force indications were very accurate, with less than .05 gram error
at 1 and 2 gram settings and only 0,1 at 3 grams. This tes,
incidentally, established that the Zero 100SB arm, in spite of its multiple
pivots, had negligible friction. As we see it, any cartridge made today can be
operated in this arm at the lowest tracking force consistent with the design of
the cartridge, without encountering difficulties of excessive arm friction.
The
anti-skating calibration was correct for equal playback distortion in both
channels (a very unusual occurrence among the many arms we have tested)
It boasts
high performance in its basic characteristics at a price that matches or
betters other record players of comparable quality. For example, only a few of
the most expensive direct-drive turntables we have tested have shown lower
rumble than the Zero 100SB.
… we found
the Garrard Zero 100SB to be one of the smoothest, easiest-to-use record
players we have seen. All its basic operating controls and their functions be
haved exactly as intended, with none of the "bugs" that so often
afflict mechanical systems. For example, when the cartridge is installed and
the arm balanced accordingto instructions, the unit is actually set up
correctly, without additional adjustments with a stylus gauge and tracking
error protractor to achieve optimum performance capablity."
Tonearm
Type: Variable offset (zero tracking)
Balance: Adjustable counterweight
Pivots: precision-loaded ball bearings
Stylus Force
Adjustment: Sliding weight
Anti-skating
Adjustment: Magnetic, with
spherical/ellipticaal calibration
Cue
Control: Viscous-damped for both
lowering and lifting