Sideways Uni-Pivot Arm - Torque Reaction Assists Contact
“
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' 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
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.
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, or you can order the Blackbird with custom internal wiring. 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 pdf manual.