In the United States, the sales figures of vinyl records recently came to exceed those of CDs again: Are we living in the golden age of analogue now? Not really: Jelco stopped their tonearm production at short notice and even the arms of a traditional British manufacturer are not available as they used to be. But a ray of hope comes from the city of Bergisch Gladbach in Germany: Transrotor reached the point of manufacturing the TRA 9.

However, that would be as surprising as positive news even in times when there wouldn't be any problem regarding the availability of tonearms from other manufacturers: Next year, Transrotor founder Jochen Räke will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of his company, the Räke HiFi/Vertriebs GmbH (Räke Hi-Fi/Distribution Ltd.). At the very beginning, he designed and built his turntables on his own and for quite some time now, together with his team. They are not only sonically convincing, but also stand out against the mass of competitors due to their design, a fact that is also proven by numerous appearances of his creations in German film and television productions. Up to now, Jochen and Dirk Räke, who has steered the fate of Transrotor with his father for the past twelve years or so, have limited themselves to turntables alone. They equipped these decks ex works with tonearms from the two manufacturers aforementioned, who also produced special versions of their arms for Transrotor. But it was not only the daily interaction with these arms that made them gain a lot of experience. Dirk Räke, who is responsible for the set-up and adjustment of their state-of-the-art models Artus FMD and Argos - priced, by the way, in the six-figure range - at the request of customers worldwide, has also had a lot of equally exotic and extremely expensive tonearms in his hands for installing them on the respective Transrotor models. Among them appeared some rarities, which the author would have also liked to play with...

When father and son realized about two years ago that they might get into difficulties with at least one of their tonearm suppliers, they took the decision to design their own arm. As already mentioned, there was neither lack of practical experience with the best arms in the world nor lack of relevant knowledge and access to most modern production methods. Ease of use, simple adjustment and a certain mass were the requirements that Jochen Räke wrote on top of the specifications sheet. In addition to father and son Räke, it was Lars Hornung who played a not inconsiderable role in the development of the arm. By the way, the designer - like his three male and female colleagues at that time - already worked for Transrotor at the time of my first visit to Bergisch Gladbach in February 2001. So, there seems to be hardly any fluctuation of employees here.

But let's get back to our topic: With the tonearm tube, a resonance-free characteristic is of decisive importance. For this reason, the designing triumvirate decided on a two-part solution with a tapered tube that is connected to the bearing block. Their initial plan envisaged inserting into this conical tube a second, bought-in tube, which should have the headshell attached to its other end. With a large overlap, they were supposed to dampen each other. However, no standard tube with the extremely tight tolerances required for this application was available on the market. Therefore, the front tube is as well machined from solid material and then drilled. But it’s not only the different dimensions of the two tubes that lead to a resonance minimization. The experience gained in the construction of turntables allowed for a combination of different aluminum alloys in such a way that they provide optimum damping. But a tonearm isn’t just about controlling vibration, but also about their fastest possible dissipation. As a result, the idea of gluing the two tubes together was rejected. Thanks to the very small tolerances, both tubes touch each other over a large area and merely need to be fixed with three screws.

The bearing block is quite solidly built and completely flat on top. To check the horizontal alignment of the arm, a spirit level, which should be part of the accessories package soon, can be placed on it during the adjustment process. The arm that arrived in Gröbenzell is a serial model, but the manual, the packaging and the accessories do not fully correspond to the future scope of delivery. When considering a particularly clever detail this is a real pity. Although a simple template for adjusting the overhang is included with the arm, I rather prefer to use my proven Dennesen adjustment protractor. It has a tip that has to be exactly aligned with the tonearm pivot point, which greatly simplifies the correct installation of tonearms that show a small recess here. However, a small hole within the top-surface of the bearing block did not seem elegant enough to Jochen Räke, so a plastic 3D-printed detachable bridge will soon mark this point. That’s a great idea.

More important than such details, which are primarily important for those analogue aficionados who change cartridges frequently, is, obviously, what type of bearing the block encloses. The studies began with metal ball bearings from SKF, as Jochen Räke discloses. They certainly are of good quality, but like those of the competitors, they are mainly designed for high speed and load. Since these bearings are supposed to considerably heat up at high speeds, they must have a correspondingly large amount of play - and this isn't exactly what is paramount for a tonearm. Here, extremely low break-away forces and very little play are of crucial importance. So Japanese steel bearings are now used for horizontal bearing, while the arm is guided by ceramic bearings vertically. To get the bearings free of play, they are clamped against each other. However, the standard nuts intended for this application would not position themselves at an exact 90-degree angle on the axle, which subsequently would subject the bearings to uneven forces, Jochen Räke annotates. Therefore, special nuts are machined for this application that really form a 90-degree angle with the axle. Locking this with a second nut, however, would change the previously meticulously set tension. Thus, it was decided to secure the special nuts after having been tightened to the required compression with sealing wax instead of using another nut. It seems to me that almost no detail of Transrotor's first tonearm went unnoticed.

To install the arm, which, unlike the two cartridges with their names taken from the opera world, has quite prosaically been christened TRA 9 - this shortcut most likely standing for Transrotor Arm with a length of nine inches - the turntable specialists offer two mount types: a circular one with a bolt circle of 55 millimeters diameter and a longitudinally shaped one, which allows mounting on surfaces prepared with oblong holes for arms of the already aforementioned British manufacturer. No matter which of the two tonearm mounts is chosen: In the hole for the tonearm shaft there is a slotted plastic sleeve that is pressed against the arm with two Allen screws. This way there is, as Jochen Räke explains, on the one hand a disruption of resonances and on the other hand a prevention of the arm shaft being scratched during height adjustment. Anyone who changes pickups frequently will be quite familiar with this phenomenon: In the case of arm mounts without a sleeve, the tightened screws leave imprints in the arm shaft, making it difficult to fix the arm slightly higher or lower. The screw then seeks its way back into the previously created recess. This, though, cannot happen with the TRA 9.

To execute the height adjustment, Transrotor supplies a parallelogram made of perspex as well as two threaded rods which are screwed into the corresponding threaded bushes in the base plate, which also carries the lift and the arm rest. By means of the two rods the arm can be moved up or down very sensitively. However, the two rods should be rotated as equally as possible and the clamping screws of the plastic sleeve should not be loosened too much, so that the arm avoids tilting. This may sound complicated, but it will get easy to perform after one having installed the third cartridge.

During the quiet days around the end of last year Jochen Räke wired one of the prototypes and started the first practical tests. In the process he noticed that the low-frequent resonance of the arm appeared to be very pronounced. His remedy against it was to increase the mass of the counterweight, in order to bring it closer to the pivot point. When redesigning the arm, he also made sure that a substantial portion of the mass was located below the bearing point of the arm. However, a higher mass is not compatible with cartridges of very low weight. Therefore two chrome-plated brass weights are now placed under the black aluminum block. These can easily be exchanged for lighter or even heavier ones if necessary. The tonearm/cartridge combinations I tried out, however, didn't show any noticeable low-frequent resonances.

Thanks to the supplied gauge for the bore spacing, it turns out to be very easy to place the arm mount on one of the bases of the LaGrange exactly 215 millimeters apart. Adjusting the tracking force only coarsely after the cartridge has been installed and accurately after the final position of the pickup has been found is pure enjoyment for someone who appreciates precise mechanics. Moving the counterweight by screw is performed so smoothly and finely that even changes in the range of one or two hundredths of a gram are possible when using an appropriate gauge. The adjustment of the magnetic anti-skating force is just as pleasing thanks to the supple running mechanics. As already mentioned, the height adjustment of the arm can be conducted without any problems as well. Whereas the adjustment of the overhang is a bit less comfortable without having the aforementioned bridge at hand that indicates the tonearm pivot point. But nevertheless, it was not too long before the pickup I use in my current favorite tonearm/cartridge combination got installed: Instead of remaining resident in the headshell of Einstein's The Tonearm 12", the Transrotor Tamino now left for the headshell of the TRA 9. And before any comparison tests will be carried out, it's supposed to stay there for a while by sending its weak signals through the new inner wiring as well as through the balanced pure silver tonearm cable, which hasn't been burnt-in yet either.

For this purpose I have selected a few older records, but also relatively recent ones that I haven't had the time to listen to, such as Maceo Parker's Roots Revisited The Bremen Concert: Compared to the well-known studio recording, Radio Bremen's recording surprises with a maximum of clarity and subtlest transparency. The dynamics leave nothing to be desired, and the tonal colors tend more towards pastel tones: Everything is very pleasing, especially the grade of resolution and the richness in detail, but I have in mind that the Tamino used to offer stronger timbres and a bit warmer performance. Already the next record, Karl Seglem's equally exciting and calm album Nordic Balm on Ozella Music, reveals that the TRA 9 deprives the Tamino neither from its beautiful colors nor its rich bass foundation. Sigurd Hole's mighty four-string bass sounds warm, rich and complete. The cymbals shine golden, the bass drum unfolds gentle power and Karl Seglem's saxophone exhales inspired melodies smoothly and without harshness. Regarding the sound quality, this record is highly enjoyable as well. The joint force of TRA 9 and Tamino lets the two very differing recordings go and seek their own ways. This isn't really bad for a tonearm whose wiring hasn't even reached 20 hours of burn-in time.

Since I intended to hold back my comments for the time being, I switched to the Three Blind Mice reissue of You Are my Sunshine: Occasionally, there are slight distortions to be heard, and I do not know whether that is because the TBM records are often cut at high levels or the Tamino isn't exactly one of those wonder trackers. In my opinion, this wouldn't be a problem, as with many of the ultimate state-of-the-art cartridges, the sonic performance - and price - bear a reciprocal relationship to the tracking capability. But since this LP has sunk into absolute oblivion within my collection - I didn't even know that I owned it anymore - I can't tell how critically this randomly selected gem from my record rack has really been cut. For this reason I don't want to leave it with speculations about the abilities of the Tamino in the above mentioned discipline, but I would like to know what role the TRA 9 plays within the distortion issue that occurred.

Anyway, I can't avoid an early comparison with Einstein's The Tonearm 12", so I'm preparing to switch the Tamino over into the Einstein arm as soon as possible. The tracking force and height are still correctly adjusted, so it should be enough to install the cartridge, adjust the overhang and replug the tonearm cable. However, this is going to fail because the angled plug of the TRA 9 doesn’t fit into The Tonearm. This forces me to let Einstein's arm stay with its ForceLine phono cable. But no matter which arm and which cable is used: With "Willow Weep For Me" in the interpretation of the George Otsuka Trio, slight distortions remain to be heard.

Of course, before I reconfigured the TRA 9, I had listened to one of my test tune classics, Bang Baa-room And Harp. So I play it again, after having installed the Tamino to the twelve inch arm. It now enables the Transrotor pickup to shine in terms of spatial depth as well. It also helps the cartridge to attain a touch more openness than the Transrotor combo had previously offered. Nevertheless, the change of cartridge has hitherto merely confirmed that the Three Blind Mice are cut with more level than is good for the Tamino. Sonically, the Einstein arm equipped with the ForceLine cable offers slightly greater freedom and expanded spatiality than the TRA 9 with the included cable. Until now, however, this could merely collect a maximum of 20 operating hours.

Thus I can't help myself, but get the Tamino switched for a second time within an hour. Installed to the Transrotor arm again, it sends its signals through the arm's internal wiring, which isn't adequately burnt-in either, to the five-pin socket, where the ForceLine cable takes over to connect to Einstein's phono stage: Already with the first tones of  "Buck Dance" it becomes clear that the one or other spatial information and a bit of airiness have got stuck in the almost new phono cable of the TRA 9. The TRA depicts Dick Schory's percussion ensemble just as finely detailed as The Tonearm and lets it perform on a similarly spacious stage. This is really impressive - especially when you consider that the TRA 9 retails for only a little more than half of Einstein's twelve-inch counterpart!

I very much would like to make myself comfortable in the listening room with a few old and some not yet heard records. But then one might think that the TRA 9 solely harmonizes with the company's own cartridge. Therefore, I will refrain from any further aural enjoyment for the time being and install the Lyra ETNA into the Räke tonearm. Except for adjusting the overhang with the Dennesen protractor, this is a matter of minutes. I am already looking forward to the prospective delivery of the bridge to mark the tonearm's pivot point. This should finally make the TRA 9 one of the few tonearms that allow for an decidedly easy and quick adjustment.

Weight, needle compliance and tracking force - I really do achieve the recommended 1.72 grams here! - do not present the TRA 9 with the slightest problem. And after playing two record sides the ETNA has awakened from its deep sleep and performs just as convincingly as the Tamino. The ETNA is characterized by its tremendous vibrancy and enthusiasm, the Tamino by its enormous tonal colorfulness and authority: I can't reach a decision here, like I can't between a tangy winegrower's sparkling wine or a full-bodied red wine. It's nice when you can have both, depending on your personal mood. The TRA 9 doesn't remotely force you to commit yourself to one or the other.

By claiming that the Transrotor arm is easy to adjust, I deprived myself of any excuse that I could have put forward against trying out any other cartridge. Since I want to explore the range of suitable pickups, I will now try a rather exotic system, namely a prototype made by Van den Hul, which carries the designation Colibri-XGW, but differs from the standard Colibri model by the thick, lacquered copper wires that lead from the generator through one side of the wooden L-shaped miniature housing, where they serve as - extremely thin - connection pins. This cartridge is one of the rather light representatives of its kind and requires a tracking force of 1.35 to 1.5 grams. The needle compliance though is not indicated on the hand-lettered wooden box. The Colibri can be perfectly balanced and even the low tracking force can be easily adjusted without having to change the two chromed weight units in the counterweight. I haven't listened to the cartridge for several years, but the sound proves coherent right away. With a tracking force of 1.45 grams and a record with radial offset, the relative movement of the cantilever to the housing is a little too much in my opinion, although this optical impression isn't reflected in the sound. For the Van den Hul, the effective mass of the TRA 9 is at or slightly above the upper limit. Surprisingly, the relative movement decreases significantly as soon as I reduce the tracking force to 1.40 grams. Transrotor's tonearm comes up to show a probable higher flexibility than I would have expected. As to me, teammates such as the Tamino or the ETNA do better match the TRA 9. However, don't be irritated by the fact that the investment required for these ultimate top-class cartridges is almost twice as high as that for the TRA 9: Transrotor's first in-house development does also these full justice!