Can't decide which tonearm...

[Tolstoi]

Hi,

I want to buy a new tonearm for my SL-110 this year. The only 12 inch tonearms that will comfortably fit on this deck are the Jelcos with a mounting distance of 290mm.
Jelco seems to offer a new SA-250 as 12 inch tonearm which looks very good. My gut feeling tells me that the difference between the 250 and 750 isn't too big and some people confirm this. At the moment I've got a 9 inch older version of the SA-750.

On the other hand I'm thinking of the Ortofon RS-212D which is a very beautiful arm as well but costs a lot more. So keeping this price difference in mind, what do you think I should do? Go for one of the 12" Jelcos or stick to a 9" tonearm like the Ortofon and does the Ortofon really justify the price difference? Should I pick a Jelco and go for a good cartridge?

Cheers

Joerg

[Ali Tait]

A cheaper alternative could be a Mission 774, then buy a 12" wand on ebay for it.

[CornishPasty]

That's a tough one. I've never heard the long 250 but there's something very fluid about the 750L that I like a lot. I must say though that the long 250 is a nice looking arm. If you don't need the oil damping it makes sense.

[Tolstoi]

Yes, the 12" version of the 250 looks really nice:

http://www.audio-creativ.de/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/Jelco_opener.jpg

I like those S-shaped tonearms and think they would fit the SL-110 better than a straight arm. It adds to that classical vintage look.
Never used the damping on my 750.

[Ammonite Audio]

The SA-250 looks to be the same as the SA-750, minus the fluid damping facility, but there are structural differences, particularly the bearing housing and the way the arm tube interfaces with it, which is more robust in the case of the SA-750.

[CornishPasty]

I can't see why the long 250 should sound that different to its stable mate. Yes I'd agree the S shaped arm suits the 110 very well and comparing both arms the long 250 looks very tidy. I've just had a look on Scott Nangle's website and they're knocking the long 250 out at 369 quid. You've got me thinking...

[anubisgrau]

would you extend your list to something better sounding than both of the mentioned arms, equally easy to use and not much more expensive. in this class of arms my vote always goes to fidelity research 64 family (fx or S, depending on budget). fx is more flexible and easier to use with a wider range of carts. still possible to find excellent examples, almost NOS.

[Tolstoi]

Yes, I considered the one or other vintage arm. Besides having a lot of patience until you find a one in good shape, which will then have its cost, there'll at least in most cases be the need to send the arm to a specialist to check it thoroughly. You'll have to add that
to the costs of the tonearm. And you still end up with a used tonearm.

[Tolstoi]

But maybe I'm wrong :).

[Tolstoi]

It seems as if I'm going for the 12" SA-750. Had a talk with a specialist and he told me that he would prefer the 750 and not recommend the 250 just as Hugo mentioned a few posts above. I'll order the Jelco tonearm collar from Ammonite Acoustics sometime this year.

[CornishPasty]

I don't think there's a better arm for the money. Keep us posted.

[Tolstoi]

Well, on Monday my 12" Jelco arrived. Today I could mount it on a makeshift armboard which I'll use until I've decided how the new armboard should look.

I ordered the arm from Ammonite Acoustics and went for the improved mounting collar as well. Very solid and easy to use. Compared to my old 9" Jelco (with two screws in the base to hold the arm) adjusting the height is really easy.

As soon as the new arm board is on my deck, I'll post some pics of my deck with the Jelco.