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Supatrac Nighthawk 9"

Tonearm

Relative price

well above typical

Among the 26 tonearms in the catalogue, this one is well above typical.

A band places a component against its peers and carries no price. It is deliberately the only price indicator on this page: a second one, measured against a different set, would narrow the two together far enough to give the figure away.

What it is

Acclaim: Fremer/Tracking Angle "mind-boggling experience"; Stereophile (Munich) "a pure thrill ride of physicality, power, and purity"; Robert Harley/TAS "stunning… realistic portrayal of timbre, dynamics, imaging". Demoed on Döhmann Helix One / Garrard 301 / Grand Prix Parabolica.

Competition record

Assessed against 12 rivals across the sixty systems: 4 head-to-heads won, 48 lost.

Where it gives ground

The dimension the engine names as the weakest link, counted across every head-to-head it lost.

  • mechanical hush ×38
  • speed stability ×37

Who it comes up against

Vertere Groove Runner X

17 lost · Anchored, Artisan, BBC Sound, Cavity-Native, Characterful, Intimate, PRaT, Reference, Romantic, Silent Path

Against the Anchored brief, the Vertere Groove Runner X keeps the slot decisively.

With the Vertere DG-X Sabre Lite Pack, the pairing gives up most on mechanical hush.

With the van den Hul The Frog, the pairing gives up most on speed stability.

On its own merits the Supatrac Nighthawk 9" is the stronger tonearm — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the Vertere DG-X Sabre Lite Pack gives up mechanical hush under the Anchored weighting.

a mind-boggling experienceTracking Angle (Fremer) 2025
single-contact bearingSupatrac press + owner record (HiFi Critic; owner consensus)

Technics S-shape magnesium tonearm (SL-1200G)

15 lost · Anchored, BBC Sound, Cavity-Native, Intimate, PRaT, Reference, Romantic, Silent Path

Against the Romantic brief, the Technics S-shape magnesium tonearm (SL-1200G) keeps the slot clearly.

With the Technics SL-1200G, the pairing gives up most on mechanical hush.

With the van den Hul The Crimson, the pairing gives up most on speed stability.

On its own merits the Supatrac Nighthawk 9" is the stronger tonearm — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the Technics SL-1200G gives up mechanical hush under the Romantic weighting.

a mind-boggling experienceTracking Angle (Fremer) 2025
single-contact bearingSupatrac press + owner record (HiFi Critic; owner consensus)

Michell TecnoArm 2

6 lost · Anchored, Artisan, Cavity-Native, PRaT, Reference, Silent Path

Against the Silent Path brief, the Michell TecnoArm 2 keeps the slot by a whisker.

With the Michell Gyro 2025, the pairing gives up most on mechanical hush.

On its own merits the Supatrac Nighthawk 9" is the stronger tonearm — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the Michell Gyro 2025 gives up mechanical hush under the Silent Path weighting.

It sits well above the share of the budget this brief aims at the tonearm position.

single-contact bearingSupatrac press + owner record (HiFi Critic; owner consensus)

Origin Live Encounter Mk5

4 lost· 2 won · Silent Path, Twin Arms, Vocals-First

Against the Twin Arms brief, the Origin Live Encounter Mk5 keeps the slot clearly.

On its own merits the Supatrac Nighthawk 9" is the stronger tonearm — but it loses here on fit: the way it sits with the rest of this system under the Twin Arms weighting.

It sits well above the share of the budget this brief aims at the tonearm position.

single-contact bearingSupatrac press + owner record (HiFi Critic; owner consensus)

Origin Live Silver Mk5

1 lost · Twin Arms

Against the Twin Arms brief, the Origin Live Silver Mk5 keeps the slot by a whisker.

On its own merits the Supatrac Nighthawk 9" is the stronger tonearm — but it loses here on fit: the way it sits with the rest of this system under the Twin Arms weighting.

It sits well above the share of the budget this brief aims at the tonearm position.

Origin Live Illustrious Mk5

1 lost · Twin Arms

Against the Twin Arms brief, the Origin Live Illustrious Mk5 keeps the slot by a whisker.

On its own merits the Supatrac Nighthawk 9" is the stronger tonearm — but it loses here on fit: the way it sits with the rest of this system under the Twin Arms weighting.

It sits well above the share of the budget this brief aims at the tonearm position.

Michell T8

1 lost · PRaT

Against the PRaT brief, the Michell T8 keeps the slot clearly.

With the van den Hul The Crimson, the pairing gives up most on speed stability.

With the Michell Gyro 2025, the pairing gives up most on mechanical hush.

On its own merits the Supatrac Nighthawk 9" is the stronger tonearm — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the van den Hul The Crimson gives up speed stability under the PRaT weighting.

a mind-boggling experienceTracking Angle (Fremer) 2025
single-contact bearingSupatrac press + owner record (HiFi Critic; owner consensus)

Origin Live Onyx Mk5

1 lost · Twin Arms

Against the Twin Arms brief, the Origin Live Onyx Mk5 keeps the slot clearly.

On its own merits the Supatrac Nighthawk 9" is the stronger tonearm — but it loses here on fit: the way it sits with the rest of this system under the Twin Arms weighting.

It sits well above the share of the budget this brief aims at the tonearm position.

Origin Live Alliance Mk5

1 lost · Twin Arms

Against the Twin Arms brief, the Origin Live Alliance Mk5 keeps the slot by a whisker.

On its own merits the Supatrac Nighthawk 9" is the stronger tonearm — but it loses here on fit: the way it sits with the rest of this system under the Twin Arms weighting.

It sits well above the share of the budget this brief aims at the tonearm position.

ProJect Tonearm 9" Carbon/Alu (X2 B)

1 lost · Twin Arms

Against the Twin Arms brief, the ProJect Tonearm 9" Carbon/Alu (X2 B) keeps the slot clearly.

On its own merits the Supatrac Nighthawk 9" is the stronger tonearm — but it loses here on fit: the way it sits with the rest of this system under the Twin Arms weighting.

It sits well above the share of the budget this brief aims at the tonearm position.

Rega RB330

0 lost· 1 won · Vocals-First

Against the Vocals-First brief, the Supatrac Nighthawk 9" takes the slot by a whisker.

On its own merits the Supatrac Nighthawk 9" is the stronger tonearm for that brief.

It sits well above the share of the budget this brief aims at the tonearm position.

Rega RB880

0 lost· 1 won · Vocals-First

Against the Vocals-First brief, the Supatrac Nighthawk 9" takes the slot by a whisker.

On its own merits the Supatrac Nighthawk 9" is the stronger tonearm for that brief.

It sits well above the share of the budget this brief aims at the tonearm position.

What the reviewers said

single-contact bearing Supatrac press + owner record (HiFi Critic; owner consensus)· Mechanical noise floor
freedom Supatrac reviews/owner record· Micro-dynamic resolution
transient Supatrac reviews· Transient attack
resolution Supatrac reviews· Spatial resolution
imaging Supatrac Nighthawk owner record· Spatial naturalness
a mind-boggling experience Tracking Angle (Fremer) 2025· Timing precision
stunning in its realistic portrayal of dynamics... physicality, power The Absolute Sound (Robert Harley) Munich 2024· Presence & articulation
realistic portrayal of instrumental timbre, dynamics, imaging The Absolute Sound (Robert Harley) Munich 2024· Spatial naturalness
higher vertical torque reaction Supatrac design — enhanced SUPA, 1" pillar, 8mm pivot bolt· Mechanical noise floor
a pure thrill ride of physicality, power, and — yes — purity Stereophile (Ken Micallef) Munich· Spatial resolution
medium-mass composite assembly Supatrac design — composite assembly, medium mass· Transient attack

How it scores

Clarity

  • Mechanical noise floor 78 from listening evidence

Voice

  • Spatial naturalness 75 from listening evidence

Rhythm

  • Timing precision 82 from listening evidence

Specifications

effective length mm229.0
pivot to spindle mm211.0
effective mass g14
effective mass max g30.0
bearing typesideways uni-pivot (SUPA), enhanced
cartridge mass range g6/30
internal wiresilk copper litz
output connectorDIN
vta adjustTrue
notes