Yes I see, a practical design refinement, undoubtedly, since then.

DarkLantern blog - darklanternforowen.wordpress.com

A bit of internal dampening material in the tonearm also helps IMO

Not sure if that made it to the other production models.

There is a point to the Point...
Actually there is a number, as one of my design mantras is that every part should do at least three things.
The main point is that it is for cueing. This is the most ergonomic place for unrestrained unipivots like The Wand. I had a bad experience cueing a VPI tonearm many years ago (Mike Jones' one). The cueing lever is on the side like 'normal' tonearms and thus the whole thing falls over when you cue it. Not nice.
It is also part of managing to integrate the headshell into the arm without structural weakness. (Most arms are saying 'bend here' at the termination of their headshells, worse even in detachable headshell arms.....)
Finally it integrates it visually and cools cool, I have a number of Design Awards backing me on this......(but it always comes down to personal taste)

The stylus sighting hole is on the two retailer ranges of arms (Plus and Master) but the direct sale 'Classic' range omits it, as befits something that is minimalist and stripped back to give bang for buck. Personally I rather like the look without the hole being more minimalist.

Must get back to putting the first coat of Danish oil on their half a dozen 'Pre-Production' turntables.....

Simon Brown
Design Build Listen Ltd,
Makers of The Wand Analogue Products
Distributor of Hana Cartridges

Almost wants me to get one of those Pre-production TTs.

I bought that VPI off Michael Jones and had no problem with the cueing. In fact, if anything it taught me how to use the Wand!

Lift via arm tube end, gentley place down. No problems. I also do the same with my DV505.

Think I was as much startled but the un-expected movement of the VPI. Guess you'd get used to it.

Remembered Point #4 and #5 of the point;
-Angled cut distributes resonances
-Avoids using a separate cueing rod thing which can resonate

Obvious joke on the picture above; very transparent cartridge you have there....

Simon Brown
Design Build Listen Ltd,
Makers of The Wand Analogue Products
Distributor of Hana Cartridges

Haha!

I mainly used a Cartridgeman Music Maker III on it, as well as a Dynavector 20xL and 20x2H.

Very transparent indeed.

I sold the TT to someone who lives down the road from me, on my street. Wish I still had it.

Original Wand 12 inch is still used on my Aura, currently with Panzerholtz Denon 103r cart.

simonb, do the later Classics, or the retailer versions, have any change to or additional damping inside the C-Fibre tube, perchance?

DarkLantern blog - darklanternforowen.wordpress.com

Yes, the retailer versions have a slug of foam in the armtube behind the cartridge.
There have been about a zillion changes to the Classic since you used it.
Biggest one was a change of bearing, most of the others were fit and finish but earthing a lot better too.

Simon Brown
Design Build Listen Ltd,
Makers of The Wand Analogue Products
Distributor of Hana Cartridges

My feeling back then was that The Wand Classic could benefit from a touch of dampening of tube resonances - but then the slightly extended overhangs & warmth was part of its appeal

I doubt that you'd want to go as far as say the Funk Firm FX rigidity.

DarkLantern blog - darklanternforowen.wordpress.com

Another RMAF Report; Our former Distributor, Marc Phillips has written this great piece for Part Time Audiophile about Rocky Mountain Audio Fest  www.parttimeaudiophile.com 

Also this weekend; Melbourne Show this coming weekend (19-21 Oct) in the Magenta Audio Room with Kiseki cartridge.

And more Shows;  Then Old Forge Distrubution is back in action with at the Washington CAF Show.
Meanwhile there will be Wand tonearms in the Input Audio rooms at a couple more German Shows, Analog Forum in Krefeld and Mitteldeutsche HiFi Tage before the end of the year.

Simon Brown
Design Build Listen Ltd,
Makers of The Wand Analogue Products
Distributor of Hana Cartridges

A pic from Part-Time Audiophile, a dedicated report on Old Forge Studio's RMAF room....

DarkLantern blog - darklanternforowen.wordpress.com

Thanks Owen!

Simon Brown
Design Build Listen Ltd,
Makers of The Wand Analogue Products
Distributor of Hana Cartridges

Nice comments from Art Dudley of Stereophile about The Wand Turntable, saying;

 I decided to revisit their room so I could hear the new 14-4 turntable ($4200) from the same New Zealand company behind the carbon-fiber unipivot tonearm known as the Wand—seen here in its 10.3" Plus version ($1600). With EMT's JSD Lime cartridge ($0000) and the Pure Audio Vinyl phono preamp ($4500) also in the system, the Wand combo did a marvelous job playing "Dust" from the album Vanished Gardens by Charles Lloyd and the Marvels plus Lucinda Williams, as well as the brilliant title song from Frank Sinatra's Only the Lonely. The sound was tight and well-balanced, with decent drive and grunt.
Read more at www.stereophile.com/content/caf-sunday-morning…

Simon Brown
Design Build Listen Ltd,
Makers of The Wand Analogue Products
Distributor of Hana Cartridges

Yes I read that, well done Simon.

Gold at Capital Audiofest 2018 (Washington DC) with Pureaudio.
www.avshowrooms.com/capital-audiofest-2018-awards-showreport.html  

Simon Brown
Design Build Listen Ltd,
Makers of The Wand Analogue Products
Distributor of Hana Cartridges

Excellent!

DarkLantern blog - darklanternforowen.wordpress.com

Belated discovery of Enjoy the Music visit to our room at RMAF...

www.enjoythemusic.com/RMAF_2018/becker/page7.htm

Nice comments about both Wand and Pureaudio.

Simon Brown
Design Build Listen Ltd,
Makers of The Wand Analogue Products
Distributor of Hana Cartridges

Turntable progress report....
A stack of production spec plywood chassis awaiting Danish oiling and assembly.

Shipped the first one to Germany last week for a Show (and need to send others to France, UK and USA)

Packaging and literature is still a work in progress (but on order)

Simon Brown
Design Build Listen Ltd,
Makers of The Wand Analogue Products
Distributor of Hana Cartridges

The basement must be getting a bit crowded now Simon.
Hopefully contact you re one of the new Hana carts around May.

Yes, hence the selloff of old turntables.
Did force a tidy up / reorganise over Christmas. Copied the nice black (Mitre10) shelving GaryM has.

Simon Brown
Design Build Listen Ltd,
Makers of The Wand Analogue Products
Distributor of Hana Cartridges

Hah! I'm actually using Rackit from Bunnings. The 400kg one. Parts stock is all very tidy now. 😜

____________
Pureaudio
www.pureaudio.co.nz/
www.facebook.com/pureaudio.co.nz/

Yeah, the Mitre 10 ones are rather pathetically rated at only 350kg. Not enough for a proper German turntable, I'll have to stick with plywood structures for now....

Simon Brown
Design Build Listen Ltd,
Makers of The Wand Analogue Products
Distributor of Hana Cartridges

Thanks for finding that!
I would have loved to hear it myself. Do like solo Cello.
(Not quite the same on my laptop....)

Simon Brown
Design Build Listen Ltd,
Makers of The Wand Analogue Products
Distributor of Hana Cartridges

Nice plug for the bristol show

www.the-ear.net/news/bristol-show-2019

Manager & Product specialist at Rapallo AV & HI-FI

Thanks Deano,
You are more on to it than I am!
Will be used with a Van den Hul cartridge as my UK Distributor does those too.
Mind you, it has to get there first. Given to NZ Couriers on Monday and not made it to Auckland yet....

Simon Brown
Design Build Listen Ltd,
Makers of The Wand Analogue Products
Distributor of Hana Cartridges

Feb 7, 2019 19:45:58 GMT 12 simonb said:

Thanks Deano,
You are more on to it than I am!
Will be used with a Van den Hul cartridge as my UK Distributor does those too.
Mind you, it has to get there first. Given to NZ Couriers on Monday and not made it to Auckland yet....

You are most welcome, im sure your turntable and Van den Hul cartridge will be sublime

couriers are a nightmare, recently sent a projector from East Tamaki to North shore it only took 8 days

Funny thing is, an order from Australia landed the next day after order was placed

Pay peanuts and what do you get? 🙈

Good luck with the show!

Manager & Product specialist at Rapallo AV & HI-FI

At 37.43, Fremer hints at a very positive review to come re:The Wand arm.

Great review of the 12” Wand in the latest Stereophile, starting on page 31. The headline...”Simon Brown the Magician”.
Well done, Simon! 😊

AMR-iFi R&D