The Standard arm was the first product launched by Helius in 1982. Its launch was delayed by 2 weeks as the car blew a head gasket on the way to London to deliver the first 5 arms to dealers.

The headshell’s offset angle was fixed but the headshell itself could slide to allow both azimuth and overall length to be adjusted. This necessitated the wires exiting the arm tube form the side..... Not the most elegant solution.

The bearings for the first 100 arms used point contact. A needle with a parabolic end fitting in a hyperbolic cup. Although successful in its own way, a small amount of movement could be perceived in the bearings, and this was interpreted as a defect. Helius invented its famous tetrahedral bearings as a solution and have used them ever since.

These offer minimal friction and maximum rigidity and are perfect for tonearms as each contact point is under pressure, so nothing can `rattle’.

Production lasted for 2 years, 1983/1984, when it was superceded by the Aurum.