The Nottingham design uses side stabilizer bars and tiny ball bearing chases to maintain azimuth. Nottingham has also developed a proprietary damping material the viscosity of which is such that it does not flow and does not require settling time. This material is applied to the center pivot and the stabilizer bars. Nottingham uses carbon fiber tubes with the fibers oriented the length of the tone arm not wrapped around it (like a bandage). This greatly increases the strength, resonance control and rigidity of the arm. Nottingham also uses an unusual headshell design. The headshell has an orientation that is in direct line with the tone arm and not offset in any way. The headshell also has no finger lift. These two features insure that the arm is properly balanced from side to side and that no uncontrolled resonances are running around the headshell.
The Interspace arm has many of the performance features of the more expensive arms. Long grain Carbon fiber. Unipivot design. In line headshell.
The Ace Space arm has the same basic performance features as above. This arm uses the same long grain carbon fiber tube but uses a second tube as a liner. This helps dramatically with both rigidity and resonance control. The Ace Space also uses a threaded Allen screw to make the selection and adjustment of VTA a simple step.
The Ace Space 294 arm is basically the same as the Ace Space but in a twelve inch length. The added length reduces the tracking error. This arm was designed to go with the Space 294 turntable.
Tom Fletcher, on Nottingham tonearms. - All our arms sound the same - a family of sound - we think they have to, if they didnt some would be right and some would be wrong. Whether you buy an Interspace arm or Ace Space 294 arm, the differences will be very subtle but very worthwhile having. We can listen to an Interspace arm for hours otherwise we would not attempt to put it on the market.
