Fidelix 0 SideForce Tonearm

Has anyone seen/heard one of these before?

I know the straight Viv Labs arm has been getting some love. Is there anything else in that design that works in conjunction with the straight arm, that this Fidelix doesn’t have?

I was looking at these a while back and spoke to the manufacturer. He likes to make lots of alternative and foo bordering bits. I was a little concerned with the finish of the arms but this may have come on?

I couldn’t find much about it other than he made a straight and a bent version and only put the straight one into production.

There is / was a website? There were several lengths available. If they are like the Viv labs in some respects the shorter version may be a better bet. The Viv labs still has me confuzzed - it does a lot that flys in the face of traditional understanding but they do sound very dynamic and better than a lot of arms out there.

Yeah :+1:, it was the short one I was looking at but when I went to share I stumbled on the long version it seems.

I’ll add it to the list. I’m going to get set-up with my Decca arm and head initially then add another arm with my IO.

http://www.fidelix.jp/products/0%20SideForce/index.html

Two very different presentations the io and the decca. Sounds like you’ll be conversing some fun bases.

1 Like

Yeah, I didn’t mean to have two arms but the deck has two arm boards so it seems stupid not making use of them :smiley:

1 Like

I still have a Thorens TP16 tonearm I want to do that experiment with but need to get a ‘straight on’ mounting TP14 headshell.

TP16
s-l400 (2)

TP14
thorens_tp14

Can you completely disable the bias on those? It’s been ages since I had one in

Probably or it certainly could be disabled. But the TP16 arm comes with a headshell where the offset angle is built in. The TP14 has the offset angle incorporated into the armtube & the headshell is straight. So TP16 with TP14 headshell gives a close approximation to the Fidelix.

1 Like

This could be a bit pricey.

Indeed, need to find an old unwanted scuffer.

1 Like

Yes, I see the aim. I’ve probably got one here somewhere - I’ll have a root about

2 Likes

Jack lent me one but I was too slow to do anything with it & needed to give it back as he’d got a buyer for the arm it had come on.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/255883111400?mkevt=1&mkcid=1&mkrid=710-53481-19255-0&campid=5338468473&toolid=10001&customid=cdec4598-8a98-11ed-9704-323530613338

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/165841454932?hash=item269cebc754:g:arkAAOSw4f1je9GQ&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAAoMmHS9LU1npX1BS4QARu0PliNuuCBJXPy8EK3ALnpis%2BsB5RtiNqPWJqQAyWljGZeyKk8kMIYciK3rWrS1kyMTxBHSXZsZ%2FuHeuByt%2B4T2ABiglJ6kjw5WjQpl%2BZ%2B1cfJA2dlbvTsohZQbab5xtIS74rHcSTpBckDQDrJdGIyKCbgvmyHCWZVPwd1eQtwHRwQ8ysZcGVVf8%2BDzD%2BSrUJQ1M%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR7irs6euYQ

The technics detail on that webby is a tad confusing, assuming it’s a translation.

Have i interpreted it correctly, the bearing is essentially a unipivot with a straight arm and head shell?

Also the case made for it is that its increased tracking error is outweighed by the lack of dynamic play in the bearing combined with removal of stylus movement induced by the offset angle?

No offset is a curious thing. A friend runs his Viv Labs with a ‘Swing’ headshell - I looked closely at this several times and although the swing wriggles about all over the shop when cueing no discernible movement was visible when playing any of the test records we had to hand (I guess I was expecting is to Skew a bit, distort / have issues tracking) I’m sure @Wayward may be able to offer some thoughts on the Viv arm as he’s been playing with one for a year or so.

I’d need to see one and a drawing to understand it. He really didn’t explain it very well. The only bit i understand is the straight arm and headshell, ie no offset.

Viv labs man :wink:
“We believe that elbowed shaped arm with offset angle and overhang setting affect seriously to the sound quality because of side force fluctuation, which can never be canceled by anti-skating machanism. So we dare to choose completely straight (i.e. NO OFFSET-ANGLE) structure. You may ask “What about trucking error?” , and the answer is, “The trucking error is a little bigger, but the sound is much better.” You can hear no distortion even with 7” model.”

More here

1 Like

I have great difficulty in discerning exactly what the arm does sonically because I’ve only heard it with the components I have it with.

It looks all wrong but tracks well even on the inside of an LP. The system here sounds very fast @Kevin said that he thought it sounded “up front”, not sure if it was a negative! But I expect the arm has quite a bit to do with that, beyond the Garrard 301’s forward nature. It’s nicely made and easy to set up. I like the idea of how the bearing is huge and sits in an oil bath which maybe has some isolating properties? I also like how you just plonk it down on the plinth with no drilling or anything else. :grin: It’s really heavy!

It flies in the face of just about every convention…



3 Likes