Whats The Best Sounding Tonearm Vintage/Recent Regardless of Price?

[Yomanze]

If I were a 9 inch arm person that one would sway me ! Aesthetics at the cost of performance, I wonder? Beautiful, regardless; Svelte, even.

Interestingly the designer is a physicist, the arm is available in 10 inch and 12 inch geometries. It looks lovely, but I strongly suspect the form follows the function.

[krugdoktor]

Dont forget the „new” Glanz tonearm which is a really magnificent old school tonearm with jaw dropping sound (and jaw dropping price ��) AND it’s readily available ��.

[montesquieu]

Dont forget the „new” Glanz tonearm which is a really magnificent old school tonearm with jaw dropping sound (and jaw dropping price ��) AND it’s readily available ��.

Beautiful arm I saw it at the Bristol show .. but if we are discussing modded ARs now I think we left 'regardless of price' behind a few pages ago ....

FWIW I'm not particularly a fan of the Helius (or the SME V) indeed I can barely see the point of an arm that doesn't have a removable headshell. A one-cartridge tonearm is a bit like playing golf with one club.

[Gazjam]

No, the thread title says "best sounding"; so the SME V is a valid contender for the very reasons you post. The SME V has come in for some criticism by some, but it's one of the few arms that will allow a Decca (London) 'Reference' cartidge or a Koetsu 'Urushi' or 'Red' to perform at their best.

The OP uses the phrase "most musical tonearm", but then what is musical to some might not be to others. Me, I'll stick with neutrality and let the cartridge have the 'character'.

This 1000%
Dont go chasing Rainbows..neutral arm (SME V’s about as good as it gets imo) and pick your flavour with the cartridge.

Like everything else, its all about synergy.
With a properly set up V, jobs a good ‘un, pick a cartridge that makes you happy.

PS
(just dont mount it on one of these? (Hint hint...its all about synergy)

[Mike Reed]

FWIW I'm not particularly a fan of the Helius (or the SME V) indeed I can barely see the point of an arm that doesn't have a removable headshell. A one-cartridge tonearm is a bit like playing golf with one club.

Interesting analogy ! It's integrity, they tell me. Haven't had a detachable headshell arm for so long I've forgotten. Theoretically, assuming the cart. stays with the headshell, you probably don't need to set it up each time; now that's a big plus point.

[montesquieu]

Interesting analogy ! It's integrity, they tell me. Haven't had a detachable headshell arm for so long I've forgotten. Theoretically, assuming the cart. stays with the headshell, you probably don't need to set it up each time; now that's a big plus point.

Well, records are different in what they need, and different genres have different requirements ... I use different cartridges for classical, jazz and rock, or just what I feel like listening to, then there's the whole mono thing where groove sizes vary over time. If you want to get the best out of each specific record then it helps to be able to change easily. I generally set my cartridges up with a selection of spacers and weights so that VTA is consistent between headshells and VTF comes out around the correct value for the cartridge so it's possible to make changes quickly with a minimum of faff. Once you get used to this it would seem like a huge compromise to be stuck with one cartridge the whole time, however good it is.

I don't buy the integrity thing I file that under 'audio myths'.

[Mr. C]

Not a fan of the SME V it's good, but not musical, like their decks, but quality engineering without question.

I set one of these up recently on new Oracle Delphi MK VI very nice, simple and exquisitely built, rather a damn fine sound as well.

We do not sell them, but they are supremely musical and the very last opposite end of the spectrum to SME as they play music naturally. unforced and just plain rather damn good.

I have listen to tone arms which are far more expensive sound not a patch on these of coarse YMMV

http://www.tonarm.ch/en/products/thales-statement

[Gazjam]

No tonearm should be “musical”...

Its engineering...do the flavour thing with the Cart.
Just my tuppence.

[Marco]

Not a fan of the SME V it's good, but not musical, like their decks, but quality engineering without question.

I set one of these up recently on new Oracle Delphi MK VI very nice, simple and exquisitely built, rather a damn fine sound as well.

We do not sell them, but they are supremely musical and the very last opposite end of the spectrum to SME as they play music naturally. unforced and just plain rather damn good.

I have listen to tone arms which are far more expensive sound not a patch on these of coarse YMMV

http://www.tonarm.ch/en/products/thales-statement

Nice design that, Tony (nice simple lines and looks well-engineered)! Me likes

I know exactly what you mean about the SME V, and echo your comments completely. However, as you know, with vinyl it's all about the sum of the parts, and any number of weird and wonderful ('happy accidents') can occur, combining to create a great sound!

And to my ears there's a bit of that going on, whenever you strap a 'V' onto a Michell Gyro (or Orbe). For some reason (providing the cartridge choice is right), it just works

Marco.

[Mike Reed]

Once you get used to this it would seem like a huge compromise to be stuck with one cartridge the whole time, however good it is.

I don't buy the integrity thing I file that under 'audio myths'.

Two cart's, Tom (for two arms), but both stereo, as I don't have mono records. Yes, with your plethora of interests, fixed h/shells would require quite a few decks. Nice thought, but generally impractical for most.

I wonder why many arms are fixed, if it's not the integrity design thing. Costs and ease of manufacture, maybe ? There has to be a reason. In fact (and I'm guessing here), the majority of upmarket arms may well be fixed; SME, O.L., A.O., Reed (?), Thales (as above) etc.