Sideways Uni-Pivot Arm - Torque Reaction Assists Contact
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Manual Error
An error in the manual had not been discovered because nobody has needed to maintain the bearing hoists. It is not known how long bearing hoists will last before needing replacement because no significant wear has been found in four years of tests.
Golden Ear Award!
The SUPATRAC Blackbird Farpoint has received The Absolute Sound's 2024 Golden Ear Award!
Lead Times
All SUPATRAC tone-arms are hand crafted, so lead times may vary. It is likely that you will receive your order after several months. We log each order on the schedule when payment is received and try to process orders in chonological order. However, although the order list is a good indicator of waiting time, working in batches of similar arm lengths means that arms may be sent out not strictly in chronological order. We are producing arms faster than ever, and plan to continue accelerating production. We thank you for your patience.Robert Harley Stunned
Robert Harley of The Absolute Sound reports in his Munich 2024 speaker round-up that the Döhmann / SUPATRAC / AIRTIGHT / Alieno / Cessaro room was "stunning in its realistic portrayal of instrumental timbre, dynamics, imaging, and ability to conjure up the illusion of the physical presence of musical instruments. It was like being transported to the recording studio by a time machine."
Audiophile Style Best of Munich
'The Computer Audiophile' chose the Döhmann / SUPATRAC / AIRTIGHT / Alieno / Cessaro room in his top four at Munich High End 2024 despite his open dislike of the vinyl format, and called it "the most concert-like experience I’ve ever heard". He was "surprised, delighted, and a bit scared by what this system could reproduce".
Stereophile on Nighthawk
Ken Micallef of Stereophile has described the Döhmann Helix One / Nighthawk / AIRTIGHT / Alieno / Cessaro room at Munich High End as "a pure thrill ride of physicality, power, and—yes—purity".
SUPATRAC Nighthawk
Our new Nighthawk tone-arm further explores the SUPA concept by relaxing the Blackbird design's constraints on size, weight and production cost. It is the result of an uncompromising quest for tracking performance, accuracy and musical pleasure. Prototypes were demonstrated at Munich High End 2024 on the Döhmann Helix One, the Grand Prix Audio Parabolica and Garrard 301. It will ship by Q4 2024 at 11,900 GBP, 12,400 GBP and 12,900 GBP for the 9 inch, 10.5 inch and 12 inch versions respectively. A £1000 discount is available to those who wish to upgrade Blackbird orders in process. Pre-order now to beat the rush.
Nighthawk First Impressions
Roy Gregory of GY8 says the Nighthawk has "all the bounce, energy and get up and go of the Blackbird, but underpinned by significantly greater weight, scale and power". Read his first impressions of a Nighthawk prototype mounted on a Grand Prix Parabolica at GY8.
Munich High End 2024
SUPATRAC tone-arms are being exhibited in three rooms at Munich this year. We are a partner in the Moonriver/OePhi/Lucas Audio room (Hall 2, ground floor, room F11) and the CH Precision/Vienna Acoustics/Grand Prix room (A 4.1, E101),. There is also a Nighthawk on the Döhmann Helix One in the Cessaro room (H4 F001). Please come to say hello and listen!
May 2024 Prices
SUPATRAC prices will rise on 1st May 2024. UK RRP for a 9 inch Blackbird Farpoint will be GBP 3900, 10.5 inch GBP 4300 and 12 inch GBP 4700. Orders paid before 1st May 2024 will be at current prices. This is necessary because SUPATRAC will be expanding production and support, and relying more heavily on dealers and distributors to cope with burgeoning demand.SUPATRAC at Axpona
SUPATRAC exhibited with Convergent Audio Technologies amplifiers and OePhi loudspeakers at AXPONA in Chicago. This was the first US demonstration of the Blackbird and our room was very busy following the giddy Tracking Angle review.
Tracking Angle Review
Michael Fremer says the SUPATRAC Blackbird is "not 'better for the money', but just startlingly better. Fundamentally better." Read his review and listen to $7,500 of arm and cartridge compared to $83,000 of arm and cartridge. He says "It was like the arm was laughing! I know that's nuts but listening to it was like watching a star athlete make the impossible look easy."
Mr Fremer Drops
Michael Fremer has uploaded high resolution files so that you can compare the SUPATRAC Blackbird with a far more expensive tone-arm using a Lyra Atlas Lambda SL. Many commenters have expressed a preference for the Blackbird after listening. This is why Michael said "its sonic and mechanical performance are remarkable at any price" and "it demands to be heard before you buy any new tonearm". He reveals which file is which here.
On Mr Fremer's K3
The indomitable Michael Fremer has uploaded a video of a 12 inch Blackbird on his Oswalds Mill Audio K3 turntable as a preview to his premier review of the Farpoint Blackbird on the Tracking Angle. Listen to five wonderful tracks from his extensive vinyl collection!
Roy Gregory Interview
Roy Gregory has posted an update on Gy8.eu which includes an interview with the sideways uni-pivot arm's inventor about how the ground-breaking mechanical bearing was born.
Blackbird on Helix
Döhmann Audio demonstrated the Helix Two Mk3 turntable at the StereoNET Hifi Show in Melbourne with a Blackbird Farpoint.
Audio Video Show Warsaw
SUPATRAC exhibited the Farpoint Blackbird to a packed room at the Warsaw hifi show with Moonriver amps and OePhi speakers and cables.
Nirvana Distribution
We are excited to announce that SUPATRAC products will now be distributed in Australia and New Zealand by Nirvana Sound.
Blackbird Farpoint Revision
SUPATRAC is excited to announce the Blackbird Farpoint, a revision to the Blackbird which improves performance and adaptability. More information is available in the press release.
UK Hifi Show Live 2023
The SUPATRAC room at UK Hifi Show Live was standing-room only for much of the weekend as crowds thronged in to hear what a modest system can do with a SUPATRAC front-end. We had many notable visitors including Alan Sircom, Mark Döhmann of Döhmann Audio, Kevin Wolff of CH Precision, Russ Andrews and many other dealers, distributors and fellow vinyl-fans.
Blackbird at Audio Works, Cheadle, Manchester South
Audio Works has a demonstration Blackbird and is hosting an open day on 28th September 2023. If you're in the region, don't miss it!
Gy8 Review
Roy Gregory at Gy8 says the SUPATRAC Blackbird is a "musical bargain of monumental proportions". Read his review to find out more.
The Ear Review
Chris Beeching at The Ear has awarded the SUPATRAC Blackbird five out of five stars, saying "my record playing world will never be the same again". Read his review to find out more.
News:
As of 14th June 2023 SUPATRAC tone-arms include a lever-lift. Blackbird-owners may request a free replacement bias rig which is compatible with widely-available lever-lift devices, or return their pillars to be converted at a price of £125.
News:
SUPATRAC's stand at Munich High-End 2023 was crowded throughout the four days of the world's biggest audio show. 
News:
Michael Fremer of The Tracking Angle devoted half of his day-four coverage of Munich High End 2023 to discussion of the Blackbird.SUPATRAC will be sending him a Blackbird for review.
News:
After auditioning, the Moonriver/Sonner/Pachanko/Oephi room replaced a €12,000 turntable with SUPATRAC's Technics SL-1200 Mk5/Blackbird/Audio Technica AT-33Sa and demonstrated to executives and engineers from the world's biggest turntable and cartridge makers.News:
It was standing room only as visitors thronged to the SUPATRAC room at the 2023 Bristol Hifi Show. Thanks to all who came to see and hear the Blackbird delivering new levels of dynamics and tracking accuracy via a modest portable system in A/B comparison with another popular tone-arm.
SUPATRAC Blackbird
The Blackbird is a new turntable tone-arm with a revolutionary patented* 'Sideways Uni-Pivot Arm' (SUPA) bearing which outperforms traditional tone arms. The sideways uni-pivot bearing directly opposes stylus drag at a single point of contact, eliminating microscopic play in the time axis and avoiding the scrubbing and roll movements which can degrade the performance of conventional uni-pivots. The Blackbird's SUPA bearing delivers unprecedented performance.* UK patent 2599073, international patents pending
SUPATRAC Nighthawk
The Nighthawk is a new SUPA which ekes out even higher performance than the Blackbird by relaxing some design constraints on effective mass, arm-board compatibility and cost of manufacture. It is a medium mass arm with a 1" pillar, 8mm pivot bolt and more complex composite assembly which extends arm length by 17mm and increases vertical torque reaction (TRAC). The Nighthawk delivers unprecedented performance. It will be available in Q4 2024 or sooner.
Reactive Downforce
Loud passages increase stylus drag, producing oscillating vertical torque on normal tone-arms - 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 Blackbird hugs the groove with tenacity during punchy dynamics. Torque-Reaction Assisted Contact (TRAC) plays the hottest grooves with less distortion.
Perfect Timing
The Blackbird 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 avoids scrubbing, chatter and the resulting time errors which can frustrate the retrieval of music.
Death Star Thrust Box
- Rigid frame
- Minimised inertia
- Low centre of gravity
- Paramagnetic
- Tough coating
Universal SUPA
The Blackbird is designed to be lightweight and stable, fitting almost any turntable including classics like Linn, Technics, Garrard, Rega 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 too, making it compatible with the broadest range of cartridges from Shures to Miyajima Monos.Arm tube
The Blackbird's arm tube is made of two pultruded carbon-fibre tubes bonded together. The headshell area is reinforced with aluminium and the left tube is filled with a damping foam. The arm tube is clamped firmly to the thrust box with six M4 machine screws and captive steel nuts for high rigidity. The arm forms an exceptionally inflexible and dead structure with tennis-racquet-class strength-to-weight ratio.
Length & Geometry
Due to its construction the Blackbird can be made in any length you desire. You may 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.
A protractor is included, making it easy to ensure accurate spindle-to-pivot distance, pivot-to-stylus distance, and offset.
Mounts
Mounts are available for Rega, Technics, Linn, SME, Jelco, VPI and others. Custom mounts are available to order, price on request. The standard base is compatible with SME, Rega and Linn mounting boards, schemes which are widely used by other turntables makers, for example Pro-Ject and Brinkmann.
Inertia
A nine-inch Blackbird has a base effective mass of roughly 10g. A mass adaptor is supplied for compatibility with cartridges which suit heavier arms. The range of compatible cartridges is extended by a ballast block which can be attached to the mass adaptor.
Wires
The Blackbird is designed for maintenance and modification. If you have specific wiring requirements, the internal wiring is easily replaced. By default the internal wiring is 30/0.04mm silk-covered copper litz. If supplied, arm cables come with straight or right-angle DIN connectors as requested.Finger Lifters
The Blackbird comes with an additional rigid finger lift for those who do not wish to use the string finger lift.
However, the elegant simplicity of the tress of soft cord is recommended as it protects the cartridge from accidental downward pressure. With the tress you can ensure that the stylus has engaged with the groove at the beginning of the record before you let go, and you can grip it firmly at the end of a record before lifting the stylus out of the groove. Many skeptics have changed their minds after finding there is less stress with the tress.
Manual
More information about the Blackbird, how to install it, and how to configure it, is available in the printable PDF manuals for Blackbird and Blackbird Farpoint.
A printable quick set-up guide is also available for Blackbird and Blackbird Farpoint.
Any Length or Geometry
- 9 inches for Technics/Linn
- 9.3 inches for Rega
- 10 to 12 inches or longer
- Baerwald or Stevenson
- Custom geometries
- Custom mounts
Reviews
A Tonearm Like No Other by Michael Fremer.
Gy8 - Breaking The Sound Barrier by Roy Gregory, Part 2 (listening) and Part 1 (design and mechanics)
The Ear - Blackbird Lets The Vinyl Soar by Chris Beeching
hifiaf.com was "blown away" in its Blackbird Installation and Review
hifaf.com update review - "unquestionably the best tonearm I’ve ever heard"
Prices
| Blackbird | |
| 9 inch | £3,900 |
| 10.5 inch | £4,300 |
| 12 inch | £4,700 |
| Nighthawk | |
| 9 inch | £11,900 |
| 10.5 inch | £12,400 |
| 12 inch | £12,900 |
| Custom colour | +20% |
| Custom length | +20% |
Export Prices
Prices without UK VAT| Blackbird | |
| 9 inch | £3,250 |
| 10.5 inch | £3583.33 |
| 12 inch | £3916.67 |
| Nighthawk | |
| 9 inch | £9,916.67 |
| 10.5 inch | £10,333.33 |
| 12 inch | £10750 |
| Custom colour | +20% |
| Custom length | +20% |
Enquire for overseas shipping prices.
Prices for custom mounts, including mounts for Technics SL-1200G, and other parts are available upon request.
How to order
If you are interested in buying a SUPATRAC product please contact a Supatrac dealer for demonstrations and ordering, or order direct from SUPATRAC. Lead times are updated at the beginning of the page.Distributors
China
Australia
Italy
Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia
All works including engineering drawings in this page are copyright Supatrac/Supasound 2020-2022 except for photographs used with permission.