FS: Sumiko 'The Arm' MDC800

[nat8808]

I have another of these coming my way so thought I'd pass on this one to anyone interested.

Condition:

Very smooth bearings and dynamic downforce/anti skate all working well when selected (can be disengaged too).

As you can see below, the finger lift is missing and so the previous owner had gone to town on the headshell bolts a little which is only cosmetic and I've not found it hinder cart mounting adjustment. It is not mint by any means but perfectly presentable and still shows it's beauty well!

I had been using it on my Pink Triangle Anniversary with a Koetsu when I had it - was sounding great and all working well. I would say though that visually, the internal wiring is wearing a little (exposed coper) in the bearing area so I would suggest a re-wire for future reliability.

So, to take into account the above, room in price to allow for a re-wire and non-mint condition, I'm asking £500 for a very rare arm that some would consider the best arm ever made!

Was The Absolute Sound's top arm until production stopped..

http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/5416/sg101113.jpg

http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/6329/sg101109.jpg

http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/2549/sg101107.jpg

http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/3096/sg101104.jpg

http://img805.imageshack.us/img805/2695/sg100553.jpg

More Info

It is based on the superb Breuer range of arms but with design improvements such as:

Metal bearings rather than Nylon as in the long term the Nylon absorbs moisture and expands slightly. Was thought to be a problem by the Sumiko designer.

Counterweight is placed as close to the bearing as possible.

Designed by David Feltcher (of SOTA fame) and all of these were hand machined by one single master metal worker! Each has it's own serial number engraved on the bearing housing. The craftsman's skills were one of the insipirations of the designer to get the arm made in the first place.

I've an interview with the designer in a Hifi News mag - one of the Designer Series articles from mid/late 80s - where he talks about the design.

It has the smoothest bearings I've felt which is why I love the arm along with its looks and sonics of course.

Here are its specs (Mine has an 'X' weight which is designed for Koetsu wood types/Black's effective mass, 12g) :

Effective arm length: 228.6mm

Pivot to rear of arm: 63.5mm

Cartridge overhang: 18.17mm

Offset angle: 24.14 degrees

Mounting distance: 210.43mm

Height adjustment range: 35 to 57mm

Tracking force adjustment: 1.75g max calibrated (more using counterweight)

Bearing type: 4-point gimbal ball race and cone

Bearing friction: less than 10mg

Arm lead capacitance: 100pf

Cartridge weight range: 4 to 18g

Effective mass: 11g (with L weight)

[daytona600]

lovely arm for life , have a original on my oracle , almost 30years old and still sounds superb

[nat8808]

Thats what I think too! Something to hold on to..

(I've another coming my way soon with the right weight too for my current cart).

I'd like to find a Breuer type 8 to try but last one I saw reached around £1200 a couple of years ago and another sold last year for €2500! Crazy prices - too desirable by rich people.. Sumiko MDC 800 is the best bet.

[hifi_dave]

A very nice arm and a bargain at that price.

I have a brand new one here and I'm contemplating using it soon on a 301. We used to sell these and the FR64S on Oracles, way back when.

[nat8808]

Ah yes, I remember you mentioning you found an OSK set with Onix no less just at the back of your stock room.. what a find!

[Barry]

Just a point of information:

The bearings of the Breuer design are not made of nylon. Herr Breuer is a retired watch maker and used precision watch bearings in his designs.

The bearing housing on the arm tube is made of nylon (possibly the cause of your error). Tom Fletcher might have thought it a possible problem, but I know of no user of Breuer arms who have experienced problems.

Breuer was such a perfectionist he refused to use a bent armtube to achieve the offset angle, choosing instead to mount the headshell at an angle. It is said that he watched and measured the angle of bent tubes for months, observing a slight relaxation, and hence reduction of angle over time!

Owing to difficulties in supply of Breuer arms to the US (the arms were hand made by Breuer himself, and Breuer was supposedly a difficult man to deal with), Fletcher commisioned 'The Arm' to satisfy US demand.

'The Arm' is a superb design and your asking price is a bit of a bargain. Best of luck with the sale.

[nat8808]

Just a point of information:

The bearings of the Breuer design are not made of nylon. Herr Breuer is a retired watch maker and used precision watch bearings in his designs.

The bearing housing on the arm tube is made of nylon (possibly the cause of your error). Tom Fletcher might have thought it a possible problem, but I know of no user of Breuer arms who have experienced problems.

Breuer was such a perfectionist he refused to use a bent armtube to achieve the offset angle, choosing instead to mount the headshell at an angle. It is said that he watched and measured the angle of bent tubes for months, observing a slight relaxation, and hence reduction of angle over time!

Owing to difficulties in supply of Breuer arms to the US (the arms were hand made by Breuer himself, and Breuer was supposedly a difficult man to deal with), Fletcher commisioned 'The Arm' to satisfy US demand.

'The Arm' is a superb design and your asking price is a bit of a bargain. Best of luck with the sale.

Think you could be right - nylon somewhere that was thought to change tolerance over time. I can't say I know of any Breuer owners .. to hear anything from. Could be a subtle thing anyway - I'll have to dig out the interview to find the reasoning behind it.

I would love a Breuer though, although in many ways I prefer the looks of the Brinkmann (with it's understated grey armtube) to the Breuer and the designed, angular metal looks of the Sumiko over the Brinkmann even - its the big flat counterweight that doesnt look so great on the Sumiko but it is functional. The arm lift on the Sumiko is really great bit of aesthetic design IMHO..

[nat8808]

Now with extra photos

[Barry]

Think you could be right - nylon somewhere that was thought to change tolerance over time. I can't say I know of any Breuer owners .. to hear anything from. I have a Breuer 5A arm, the same model Linn imported to replace the Grace 707. I haven't used it for a few years now, but I never experienced any problems with the bearings. Could be a subtle thing anyway - I'll have to dig out the interview to find the reasoning behind it. I believe Hi Fi Answers reported the claimed problems in using nylon. Nylon is slightly hygroscopic and some nylon polymers can swell slightly with absorption of water. "Nylon" is a generic term for a family of polyamides.

I would love a Breuer though, although in many ways I prefer the looks of the Brinkmann (with it's understated grey armtube) to the Breuer [Agreed, I too think the aesthetics of the Brinkmann arms improve over those of the Breuer desighns (even the latest with the black arm tubes)] and the designed, angular metal looks of the Sumiko over the Brinkmann even - its the big flat counterweight that doesnt look so great on the Sumiko but it is functional. The arm lift on the Sumiko is really great bit of aesthetic design IMHO..

Good luck with sale.