Earlier this year ‘The Wand’ tonearm made its UK debut at Sound & Vision: The Bristol Show with County Durham-based Decent Audio. Now, it is available from selected UK dealers for the first time.

Developed by New Zealand-based company Design Build Listen (DBL), The Wand unipivot tonearm is available in three lengths: 9.5″, 10.3″ & 12″ and three specification levels, The Wand Classic, The Wand Plus and The Wand Master Series. In all cases the first thing you’ll notice is The Wand’s unusual looking large diameter carbon-fibre arm tube which is cut off at a sharp angle, hence effectively negating the need for a traditional headshell. Instead, the cartridge bolts straight to the arm via a fixed metal block. The cartridge angle is fixed but with an adjustable overhang.

The tube is said to be four times stiffer than an arm of more conventional dimensions. The counterweight and bearing housing are a composite assembly, keeping mass as close to the pivot point as possible and therefore structural resonance to a minimum. Within the bearing itself the pivot point rests into three ball bearings inside the arm tube.

The 9” arm, being mounted at a pivot-to-spindle distance of 222mm, can be used as a drop-in replacement for Rega tonearms. Design Build Listen also manufacture a range of adaptors for Lenco, Throens, SME and the Linn LP12. The ‘Master Series’ also features sockets rather than a supplied arm cable, allowing the customer to choose their preferred audiophile lead.

DBL’s The Wand unipivot tonearm is available now, priced as follows (incl. VAT):

9.5” length     10.3″ length   12″ length

The Wand Classic   £899               £999               £1,199

The Wand Plus        £1,099            £1,199            £1,399

The Wand Master    £1,999            £2,199            £2,599

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