A straight 12-inch tonearm with a conical carbon-fibre tube and an ABEC 7 cardanic bearing, in the HG finish with hand-polished aluminium parts. For anyone fitting or upgrading a turntable with an arm that adjusts for azimuth and VTA.
EVO 12 CC HG: set-up and mounting
The HG version is recognisable by its hand-polished aluminium parts. The EVO 12 CC HG is the longest in the series: 304.8 mm of effective length and a 291.6 mm mounting distance, dimensions that call for a turntable with room to take it. The offset angle is 18°, the smallest of the three, and the overhang 13.2 mm, with null points at 125 and 251.7 mm. Effective mass rises to 10.5 g and suitable cartridges weigh 6 to 15 g; tracking force adjusts up to 3 g.
At the heart of the arm is an inverted cardanic bearing built to ABEC 7 tolerances, running on four stainless steel tips. It is a stable arrangement with very little friction, so the stylus can follow the groove without losing fine detail. The bearings are housed in a block made entirely of aluminium, and the outer ring is left open so that it cannot ring like a bell. The armtube is a single piece of carbon fibre, light yet rigid, and it narrows towards the cartridge end: the conical profile is there to stop standing waves building up along the tube.
The adjustments are the ones needed to set up a serious cartridge properly. A single screw holds the armtube, which can be rotated to correct azimuth; slackening two grub screws lets the arm be raised or lowered steplessly to find the right VTA. The silicone-damped lift can be matched to the chosen height as well. The counterweight is TPE-damped against resonance, the internal wiring is flexible high-purity copper, and the signal leaves through a gold-plated five-pin DIN socket. The arm rest is CNC-machined, and the arm is made in Europe.
Specifications
- Effective length: 304.8 mm (12-inch)
- Mounting distance: 291.6 mm
- Offset angle: 18°
- Overhang: 13.2 mm
- Effective mass: 10.5 g
- Cartridge weight: 6 to 15 g
- Tracking force: adjustable from 0 to 3 g
- Null points: 125 mm and 251.7 mm
- Headshell slot spacing: 12.7 mm
- Arm weight: 271 g excluding the flange
- Armtube: one-piece conical carbon fibre
- Bearing: inverted cardanic, ABEC 7, four stainless steel tips
- Bearing block: aluminium
- Internal wiring: high-purity copper
- Counterweight: TPE-damped
- Adjustments: azimuth and VTA
- Output: gold-plated five-pin DIN socket
- Finish: HG, hand-polished aluminium parts
