Reed 1H High-End Tonearm | Damped Carbon Fiber Armwand

Description

Reed 1H High-End Tonearm

The Reed 1H is the latest addition to Reed’s entry-level tonearm range and the first model in the series to use carbon fiber as its primary armwand material.

Rather than using a conventional hollow carbon-fiber tube, Reed developed a damped armwand construction designed to bring the acoustic behavior of carbon fiber closer to that of the company’s traditional wooden armwands.

The result is a tonearm that combines low mass, mechanical rigidity and effective resonance control with the precise adjustment and bearing engineering expected from Reed.

Damped Carbon Fiber Armwand

The most distinctive feature of the Reed 1H is its specially developed carbon-fiber armwand.

Carbon fiber offers excellent rigidity and low mass, but when used alone it can exhibit resonance behavior that is less desirable in a tonearm.

To address this, Reed uses soft wood as an internal damping material inside the carbon-fiber tube.

This hybrid construction is designed to improve the armwand’s acoustic damping and bring its behavior closer to that of carefully selected wooden armwands.

The difference between damped and undamped carbon fiber can be seen in the resonance measurements below.

Cardanic Bearing System

The Reed 1H uses a cardanic bearing system based on the same fundamental concept employed in the Reed 3P.

The vertical axis uses thrust rotation bearings, while the horizontal axis is based on thrust pivot bearings.

This construction is designed to reduce bearing wobble and unwanted mechanical play.

In a high-quality tonearm, bearing stability is critical because even very small unwanted movements can influence cartridge tracking, image stability and low-level information retrieval.

Precision Adjustment

The Reed 1H tonearm provides the essential adjustments required for precise cartridge setup.

Azimuth can be adjusted to optimize stylus contact with the groove walls, while VTA adjustment allows the vertical tracking geometry to be fine-tuned for different cartridge heights and turntable configurations.

The tonearm height can be adjusted from 28 mm to 48 mm, giving the 1H good compatibility with a wide variety of turntables, platters, mats and cartridges.

The arm is designed to be easy to install and can be mounted on many turntables directly or with the appropriate mounting adapter.

Replaceable Headshell

The Reed 1H uses a replaceable headshell, giving owners additional flexibility when installing or changing cartridges.

A removable headshell can be useful for analogue systems using more than one cartridge, as cartridge and headshell combinations can be prepared and aligned independently.

This also makes the 1H more practical for users who regularly experiment with different cartridge types.

Magnetic Anti-Skating

Anti-skating on the Reed 1H is magnetic and follows a similar design principle to the system used in the Reed 3P.

The magnetic approach avoids direct mechanical contact within the anti-skating mechanism and is intended to provide smooth compensation during record playback.

Correct anti-skating helps maintain more balanced stylus pressure between the inner and outer groove walls, supporting stable tracking and channel performance.

Flexible Wiring Options

The Reed 1H can be configured with either a 5-pin DIN output connector or Reed’s Finewire 37 cable.

The DIN option gives owners flexibility to select their preferred external phono cable, while the Finewire 37 configuration provides a factory-selected signal path.

This allows the tonearm to be integrated into both traditional and highly customized analogue systems.

Three Effective Length Options

The Reed 1H is available in three effective lengths: 9.5″, 10.5″ and 12″.

The different versions allow users to select the geometry that best suits the available turntable space, mounting arrangement and desired effective mass.

The carbon-fiber armwand also changes in effective mass according to length, allowing the tonearm to be matched to a broader range of cartridge compliance values.

Reed 1H Specifications

Carbon Fiber with the Damping Character of Wood

The Reed 1H is particularly interesting because it approaches carbon-fiber tonearm design differently from many conventional solutions.

Instead of relying only on the stiffness and low mass of the carbon tube, Reed adds an internal soft-wood damping structure to control unwanted resonance.

This hybrid approach combines the structural advantages of carbon fiber with damping characteristics more closely associated with natural wood.

For users who want a modern carbon-fiber armwand but appreciate Reed’s traditional emphasis on acoustic damping, the 1H offers a distinctive solution.

Alternative Reed Tonearms

For listeners looking for additional adjustability, interchangeable armwands or more advanced configuration options, the

Reed 2G Tonearm

offers a more modular platform within the Reed range.

The Reed 1H focuses on simplicity, carbon-fiber construction and precise essential adjustment, while models higher in the range provide additional flexibility for cartridge and armwand experimentation.

Official Reed Information

For complete specifications, current options and manufacturer information, visit the

official Reed 1H product page
.