Clearaudio TT5 Tangential Tonearm

The TT5 is Clearaudio’s most affordable entry into tangential tonearm technology — an entry point that would otherwise be a several-thousand-dollar step for buyers used to the pivoted-tonearm price bracket. Its excellent value comes from eschewing one or two of the features of its ‘big brothers’ the TT2 and TT3: specifically, the TT5 uses a fully rigid design (like the Statement TT1) rather than the more complex swing-out mechanism the TT2 and TT3 employ. An optional TT5 Swing Base is available separately for listeners who want the record-change convenience back without compromising the rigidity or the performance.

The fundamental linear-tracking mechanism is the same one that runs through the entire Clearaudio tangential family. Purely mechanical precision drive — no servos, no motors, no air pumps. High-precision, extremely smooth-running dry-running ball bearings run in a polished glass tube; the carriage runs on precision rollers along a meticulously polished glass rail. The stylus propels the tonearm tangentially along the rail, following the same straight-line path the cutting head traced when the record was mastered. Anti-skating compensation is not required because no horizontal skating force is generated in the first place.

The result is a genuinely reference-tier linear-tracking arm at a fraction of its bigger siblings’ prices. Total weight ~520–560 g (plus a 60 g aluminum arm base if fitted), 200 × 140 × 150 mm footprint, 1.1 m of Clearaudio Sixstream Super Wire terminated with MPC Cinch (RCA), and universal cartridge compatibility across MM and MC weight classes. Audio magazine included the TT5 in its 2015 analogue highlights.

The TT5 is the right tonearm for a Performance DC, Ovation, or upgraded Emotion SE turntable where the listener wants to make the step from pivoted to linear tracking without stepping into the TT2 or TT3 price bracket. Available on order at LMC Scottsdale — walk in during business hours or book ahead if the audition needs a TT5-vs-Tracer comparison on your specific turntable.