LITTLE FWEND

Many companies have designed and built automated tonearm lifters to lift the tonearm from an LP once it reaches the run-out groove. Few have been entirely successful. The latest to market is the ‘Little Fwend’ designed in Norway, and claiming to be the only automatic lifter that is internally damped so that it will lift even the lowest-mass tonearm without inducing ‘bounce’.

‘ The lifting mechanism of the Little Fwend is totally safe, completely smooth and eerily silent,’ said Cameron Pope of Krispy Audio. ‘ And unlike many lifters, it’s beautifully and elegantly styled, so it looks really good on any turntable, no matter what it is.’ The Little Fwend’s mechanism uses high carbon-steel Roslau piano wire to ensure that very little lateral force is required to release it. ‘ The designers, Marius and Lasse, experimented a lot before they found exactly the right relationship between spring compression force, travel, damping and friction,’ said Pope. ‘ The result is that the Little Fwend will lift all the tonearms smoothly… even those whose tracking force is set as high as five grams.’ Once lifted from the record surface, the tonearm is brought to rest on a neoprene rubber pad, so it can’t slip, even if the lifter has been installed slightly unevenly. The Little Fwend comes in two different sizes: ‘Low’ and ‘High’. The ‘Low’ model is designed to be used in situations where the clearance between the tonearm tube and the turntable surface is between 32 and 49mm. The ‘High’ model is designed to be used in situations where the clearance between the tonearm tube and the turntable surface is between 49 and 82mm. Once you’ve selected the correct version for your tonearm, you need to adjust the height of the Little Fwend itself, which is done via a screw in its base. Available now, the Little Fwend sells for $325 (RRP).

For further information, please contact Krispy Audio on (04) 1196 8902 or go to www.krispyaudio.com.au