Soulines – KiVi M3 Tonearm

Soulines KiVi M3 tonearm is based on the “mass distribution” principle respect and understanding, which resulted in the unique design of the bearing yoke and arm tube, becoming a one piece element. Following that principle, required also a specifically designed counterweight assembly, as well as a captive uni-pivot bearing, or a “false” uni-pivot. Combination of all these elements resulted in the tonearm with the impeccable tracking abilities, life-like dynamic response and neutral sound, allowing cartridge to show its virtues.

Captive uni-pivot bearing consists of three hardened stainless steel balls and a precisely machined stainless steel pivot. The pivot point is centered between the balls which are in turn held captive by the Derlin cup. This bearing may look as a “classic” uni-pivot, but in fact it is a more sophisticated design, eliminating the unwanted “skating” of a “classic” uni-pivot bearing. In operation this bearing behaves and “feels” more like “rigid” bearing (gimballed) design tone arms, preferred by the majority of end users, due to easier cueing.

Tapered arm tube (wand) and bearing yoke are designed as a one piece component and machined from a solid Derlin (POM-engineering plastic) block to the highest accuracy and precisely drilled all the way through, afterwards. This is an expensive and complex manufacturing process involving many machining operations, but in turn produces an almost ideally shaped arm tube and in this case a bearing yoke as well. That shape without joints is very stiff, far more so than a standard arm tube and also as the taper extent to the thickness of the arm tube walls as well, with the walls being far thicker near the pivot, it effectively reduces standing waves, spreading them in a way that a parallel sided arm tube can not, and also channels away sound-damaging resonances further from the head shell/cartridge, where they have the most negative impact on the sound. Being a non-resonant material, Derlin (POM) also contributes to the more natural sound, without the ringing/rattling and other disturbing side effects that might occur when the arm tube is made from aluminum, stainless steel and other similar materials.

Derlin arm tube with the upper bearing yoke part also forms the bearing carrier. Mass loaded lower part of the bearing yoke which is aluminum made carries the counterweight stub and the side stainless steel stabilizers and it is rigidly bolted to the Derlin arm tube and the upper bearing yoke part.
Such assembly balances (and stabilizes) masses around the arm in such a way that when the cartridge tries to twist the arm at music frequencies the inertia of the arm alone holds it steady and also contribute to the efficient damping of the resonances which will inevitably reach the pivot bearing end of the arm tube, pointing them out of the Derlin arm tube with the upper bearing yoke part to the mass loaded lower part of the bearing yoke, stainless steel stabilizers and counterweight assembly and not reflecting them back towards the head shell/cartridge.

Further, such arrangement places the center of mass of the moving arm parts just below the pivot point and approximately into the same horizontal plane with the LP record, thus allowing almost perfect LP record grooves tracking, which in turn results in excellent dynamic response and neutral sound.
Being already balanced by its specific design, the KiVi M3 tonearm allows an elegant counterweight and VTF (vertical tracking force) adjustment solution. In order to achieve the required VTF (vertical tracking force) for the wide range of cartridges, from the light (5g) to the heavy ones (up to 15g), the KiVi M3 tonearm is supplied with 4 different stainless steel counterweights which are used in the pairs-combinations. Counterweights are of the same diameter, but different thickness (weight) and fixing the counterweights pair in the desired position (required VTF) is gained by tightening-rotating them towards each other; along with simplicity in use, it also allows precise setting of the VTF up to tenths of a gram.
Central arm pillar is precisely machined from the stainless steel and the phono 5-pin output socket is located at the bottom of it, when the tonearm is acquired separately.
When the tonearm is included with Soulines turntable models, instead of 5-pin output socket the quality phono interconnect cable is permanently attached (soldered) at the bottom of the central arm pillar.

Arm height or VTA (vertical tracking angle) is adjusted by vertical movement of the central arm pillar in the aluminum arm base. Locking the tonearm at the desired height is done by two M4 grub screws located at the vertical collar of the arm base.

The head-shell is machined from aluminum alloy, sand-blasted and powder-coated in order to damp as much as possible the sound damaging resonances transmitted from the cartridge body to the head shell. It is rigidly bolted to the arm tube aluminum insert, in a way where the semicircular upper part of the arm tube wall is clamped between the aluminum insert and head shell. Along with clamping the aluminum insert also serves as a grounding post, effectively grabbing RF and EMI interference occurring close to the cartridge and passing them through the grounding wire all the way to the phono pre-amp chassis.

Cartridge Azimuth is adjusted by the rotation of the Azimuth adjustable counterweight, located at the back of the bearing yoke; Azimuth counterweight’s correct position is secured by its M4 grub screw.

The anti-skate thread is attached exactly in the horizontal plane where the pivot tip is in contact with the bearing balls, meaning that it pulls only in that plane, thus not trying to twist the arm as it pulls.
Further, the tonearm wires, which usually represent a problem, as they inevitably offer resistance to the arm movement, because they bent as the arm move, are assembled in a way to enter the central arm pillar below the pivot point and as close to it as possible, so that the effect is minimized.

Specifications:
– pivot to spindle distance: 222-224mm (223mm ideally)
– effective length: 240mm
– effective mass: >15
– VTA adjustment: yes
– quality digital scale for the cartridge VTF measurements is included, measuring the cartridge VTF at the “LP record” level (plane)
– delivered without interconnect cable