Little Fwend HIGH Automatic Tonearm Lifter

The Little Fwend HIGH — For Decks With a Thick Platter

An automatic tonearm lifter built for turntables that sit their arm well above the plinth. Same mechanical principle as the standard model and the same absence of electronics; the difference is entirely in how far up it reaches.

Little Fwend points it at a particular set of decks — Clearaudio, VPI, Kuzma, Dr. Feickert and others in that vein. What those have in common is a substantial platter, which raises the record surface and takes the arm out of the standard model's range.

How It Works

A Trigger, a Ramp and a Gel

Everything happens mechanically. As the arm crosses into the run-out groove it meets a trigger, which releases a lift that carries the stylus clear of the record. A fluorocarbon damping gel governs the speed so the arm rises steadily instead of jumping.

There is no power supply and no sensor, so nothing electrical sits near a cartridge generating a few millivolts, and nothing has to be timed to the length of the side you happen to be playing.

Built to Be Left Alone

Designed and hand-assembled in Oslo and machined in Switzerland. The base and top are nickel-plated brass with stainless steel, the contact face Neoprene 70 Shore, the magnet Neodymium N35, and the movement is slowed by a fluorocarbon damping gel.

Will It Fit Your Turntable?

The Two Measurements

You need a flat, unobstructed patch on the plinth between the edge of the platter and the base of the arm, about 28 mm across, to take the magnetic mounting disc. Little Fwend's method: point the stylus at the middle of the run-out groove of a 12-inch record and look at what is underneath the arm.

Then measure from that surface up to the underside of the arm, stylus down in the groove. This model covers 48 to 81 mm. At around 48.5 mm you are on the boundary between the two models, and Little Fwend's own advice there is to take the standard model and build it up with the spare mounting disc.

What It Will Not Work With

Little Fwend states that it works with gimbal, unipivot, dual pivot and string suspension bearings, but not with linear-tracking tonearms. The height range is what separates this model from the standard one; the bearing restriction applies to the whole line, however tall your turntable is.

Who Is the Little Fwend HIGH Best For?

• Your platter is a thick one — VPI, Clearaudio, Kuzma, Dr. Feickert and McIntosh are the decks Little Fwend names
• Your arm sits 48 to 81 mm above the plinth — measured with the stylus in the groove
• You listen late — the arm lifts itself whether or not you are awake to do it
• You would rather not add electronics — nothing here is powered or wired
• Your turntable has a linear-tracking arm — no model in this range works with one, whatever the height; see tonearm lifters for what does

How Do You Install It?

Place the magnetic disc on the plinth in the flat space you measured and seat the lifter on it. Adjust the height with the supplied Allen key until the trigger meets the arm cleanly, then test with a record you know well. Nothing is drilled, and the disc lifts off again.

Pairs Well With

What most owners fit alongside a lifter.

• Replacement styli — what a run-out groove costs you if nothing lifts the arm
• Record mats — mat thickness changes the clearance under your arm
• Stylus cleaning — the other half of making a stylus last
• Cartridge alignment tools — for setting the cartridge up once the arm is mounted

Frequently Asked Questions

Will it fit my turntable?

If the underside of your arm sits 48 to 81 mm above a flat 28 mm patch of plinth, this is the model. Little Fwend publishes a compatibility list by brand and a printable height gauge for decks that are not on it.

How do I know whether I need the HIGH or the standard model?

It is one measurement: mounting surface to the underside of the arm, stylus in the groove. Above 49 mm and you need this one. Thick-platter decks usually land here.

Does it need power?

It does not. The lift is released by the arm itself, so there is nothing to plug in and nothing to switch on.

Does a thicker mat change which model I need?

It can. A mat raises the record and therefore the arm, so measure with the mat you actually use — and re-check if you change it for something substantially thicker.

Does it stop the platter?

It lifts the arm and nothing else. The platter carries on turning until you switch off, but the stylus is clear of the record by then.

See It in Action

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