ViV LaboratoryRigid Float /CBnewViV Laboratory Rigid Float /CB - latest version with carbon wandThe latest version of the Rigid Float tonearm, the brand new "Rigid Float /CB" is in. Besides some minor updates the new version is identical to the original version, same unique features. But the ...6390.00

ViV Laboratory Rigid Float /CB - latest version with carbon wand

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Ships fromApple Valley, CA, 92307
Ships toUnited States
Package dimensions?" × ?" × ?" (15.0 lbs.)
Shipping carriersUSPS or UPS
Shipping costFree
Original accessoriesBox, Manual
AverageResearch Pricing

The latest version of the Rigid Float tonearm, the brand new "Rigid Float /CB" is in. Besides some minor updates the new version is identical to the original version, same unique features. But the most important difference and a major upgrade is the newly developed tonearm wand, which is made of carbon. It is extremely lightweight with a very high stiffness and favorable resonance characteristics. We were shocked about the improvement in performance of the already fantastic sounding original Rigid Float tonearm. 

We have one 7 inch CB show demo unit for big savings in stock. Ask us for pricing on that unit.

120 years of vinyl and still revolutionary ideas to optimize playback... ViV lab’s latest product is a tonearm of remarkable performance with unusual and very innovative features.

The Rigid Float tone arm won "Product of the Year 2013 Award" in Germany (image hifi) and the "Most Wanted Component 2013 Award" in the US (StereoTimes), Stereophile’s "Recommended Component Award 2014" and a 5 Star Award (July 2015) by The Ear magazine in Great Britain.

Clement Perry wrote: "...I too must concur with Stephen’s assessment of this unique and innovative arm. Mine is the 9" variation and it provides a remarkable sense of neutrality coupled with scale and textures never realized from my analogue rig..."


Also, check out a new review in the German magazine "LP"...

Thomas Schmidt concluded: "...the Rigid Float tone arm improves even the best systems to a quality that hasn’t been heard before - and that by high (such as Van den Hul The Condor) or by extremely low (Miyajima Shilabe) compliance..." "...I cannot say exactly which of the innovations makes the difference, but the Rigid Float tone arm is without a doubt an absolutely, uniquely exceptional phenomenon in analog sound reproduction..."  CLICK HERE to check out the review.

The Rigid Float tonearm is a brand new STRAIGHT tonearm design with (magneto-fluid) OIL FLOATED PIVOT and NO OFFSET-ANGLE structure. Very easy installation, just to put anywhere - no mounting neccassary. It now comes with the original Nelson Hold headshell.

Key features:

OIL FLOATED PIVOT - ViV Lab’s original oil floated pivot (magneto-fluid = magnetically induced oil) not only gives perfect bearing performance but also isolates the arm from the vibration via floor or turntable. At the same time this pivot shuts out the reflection of the vibration generated by the stylus. As a result, the sound has highest purity with high dynamics, sharp focus and very low distortion. We are sure no one has ever experienced such a sound from vinyl disks.

NO OFFSET-ANGLE STRUCTURE - We believe that elbow shaped arms with offset angle and overhang setting seriously affect the sound quality because of side force fluctuation which can never be cancelled by an anti-skating mechanism. So we dare to choose a completely straight structure. You may ask "...what about tracking errors?", and the answer is - the tracking error is a little bigger but the sound is better. You can hear no distortion even with the 7" model.

EASY INSTALLATION - Unlike other tonearms, "Rigid Float/Ha" is very easy to install. You don’t have to drill your turntable plinth. Just put it anywhere on the turntable plinth. You can also put it outside the plinth of your turntable, f.i. the 13" version of the tonearm (template for optimum installation provided).

WIRE - Silk jacketed 4N silver inner wire and rhodium plated terminals ensure minimum signal loss.

AVAILABLE IN 3 LENGTHS - 7", 9" and 13" and 2 color variations - Black/Metallic and Black/Gold.

AZIMUTH - Latest version of the tonearm (Rigid Float/Ha) provides easy Azimuth adjustment.

HEADSHELL - The Rigid Float/Ha tonearm comes with ViV Lab’s original "Nelson Hold" headshell. This headshell provides a special "Press Screw" that can be tightened or loosened for resonance control of the cartridge.

REVIEWS & FEEDBACK:

Jason Kennedy, The Ear (July 2015) concluded:
"...the Rigid Float is a rather unconventional arm and one that ignores traditional approaches to cartridge alignment, but like another idiosyncratic design, the Well Tempered, it produces superb results. It’s one of those analogue audio products that makes you realise that the conventions followed by the majority are not necessarily the only options. There is clearly room for thinking outside the box and the Viv Labs engineers are to be applauded for their inventiveness..."  CLICK HERE to read the entire review.

Roy Gregory, The Audio Beat (Feb. 2015) wrote:
"...hearing a record with the Rigid Float has a gloriously unimpeded sense of energy and momentum. Dynamics are quick and crisp, and forward motion has the sort of speed, freedom and grace that I normally associate with sliding on ice. If a really good conventional tonearm is able to corner better, like a sports car on low-profile tires, the Rigid Float makes it seem like there are no corners at all. Musically speaking, this thing just glides through the track..." 

Michael Fremer, Stereophile (Aug. 2014) wrote:
"...the midrange was gloriously smooth and images were rock-solidly three-dimensional. Bass was meaty and full bodied, yet well controlled..."

"...my take is that the Rigid Float - either because of its underhung geometry, or its non-grounded bearing system, or both - has a singularly smooth, lush sound that some listeners will instantly crave..."

Stephen Yan, The StereoTimes (Oct. 2013) wrote:
"...the RF tonearm can be very strongly and enthusiastically recommended!"

"...because it is so transparent and neutral, it will brutally and honestly tell you what you may not know about your system, ...it’s like an implacable polygraph device..."

"You will, definitely and most assuredly, thank the RF for giving the truth to you, at a price which, while not cheap, actually costs less than many high end pick-ups on the market nowadays. From this perspective, and considering the amount of technology and innovation packed into this device, I believe my use of the word ’bargain’ is not misplaced..."

"...so in case you were interested, yes, I bought the review sample..."

Mal Kenney, Part-Time Audiophile - THE Show Newport Beach (June 2013):
"...there’s no fixed pivot, no offset, no anti-skate, and a combination of power and subtlety that you’d guess would require a lot more engineering than letting a tonearm float in magnetic oil. Whether the arm’s ability to track without the familiar microdistortion is based on its strange pivot or whether it’s down to the damping... this arm is clearly a performer!"

Uwe Kirbach, Image HiFi Germany (Jan. 2013) wrote:
"...this arm is nothing short of an audiophile sensation! ...the recordings sound strikingly direct and immediate, with intense dynamics. Drums and percussions come without restraintment, lively, with great three-dimensionality, depth and micro details..."

"...even when not perfectly setup the Rigid Float always played clean and clear, powerful with authority - it was always immediatley obvious that we have something special here..."

"...I know of no other similar superior, compatible tone arm. I can’t say what percentage of this is due to the genius bearings and what percent is because of the the skating-free straight arm... The resulting impression of ordinary tone arms is comparable to perfectionizing the chassis of a car on a gravel road, while the Japanese arm glides on asphalt, or better said, on oil."

Prices for Rigid Float /Ha: 7" $4390.- / 9" $4590.- / 13" $4990.-
Prices for Rigid Float /CB: 7" $6390.- / 9" $6590.- / 13" $6990.-

web: www.highend-electronics.com

ViV laboratory Ltd. is a company from Yokohama in Japan. Designer and director is Mr. Koichiro Akimoto. ViV Lab designs and manufactures speakers, amps and accessories of extraordinary design and quality. ViV Lab’s new ideas and innovative products bring a fresh breeze into the audio industry and are a result of Mr. Akimoto’s outside-of-the-box thinking.

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