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Rakesh,

I think no one sane would feel that a better tonearm imposable. Anything is possible “better” but it is not the point. In my view, the point of selection an audio elements for own playback is not to find what is abstractedly “better” but to find what fulfills  person’s demand in sound reproduction.  I do not my position that 3012 is good and could not be better.  In fact I do not really care how absolutely better it is it.  But in what I have experienced in LP playback made me extremely content with 3012 and whatever I need/understand about Sound the 3012 handles perfectly fine. Can be a better sounding arm? Probably, but to acknowledge what is “better” would require me to understand what “better” might be. I do look forward somebody or something to demonstrate this state of “better” to me. Always do, not only in tonearms. We all do. This is partially what we all do collaborating about audio. Still, it is important to differentiate if this demonstrable state is “better” has any projection to a new state of sound understanding vs. it has to do only with audio person pay allegiance to myths, brands or just plain stupidity. 

In my experience the latest is the most common sentiment and it is unfortunate that I sometime was a subordinate of this sentiment.  Over time I had three 3012 tonearms and I did feel that they did the best among what I have tried. What a sane person would do – keep them and use them. Unfortunately I did not as in my interest “if anything better” made me to use other arms for different cartridges.  So, reaching a state of LP maturity (I hope!) , I would gladly exchange any of my tonearms to 3012 ( this is a standing offer).

About the V12, M2-12R and the rest of arms. I do not know what to think about them.  In my view my M2-12 is not as “relaxed” as 3012 and it has more rubber-like sounding lowering end. I do not know if this would apply to the V12, M2-12R arms.  Also, and it is very important to understand, that I use my better cartridges in 3012 and do not look any reference performance from my M2-12 (that runs just second cartridges). This is what differentiates my judgments from a judgments of a “reviewer” - I am concern ONLY about myself and do not have objectives to make my views to be universally applicable.

It is sad that we can’t borrow tonearms or cartridges and are forced to pay attention what others say. Pay attention that when I asked Frank Schröder how he subtract the advances of his tonearms out of better sound of his customers then instead of the answer I was given a stream of pure BS literature. This is a sign for me.

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