Tonearm Question

[Bigman80]

Hi all,

I have been looking at having a try of an Alphason Tonearm. I face a problem with fitting it to my TT so i sent an email to Origin Live to enquire if they make an adapter plate of some kind.

This was part of the response in the email I recieved

"Alphason have Linn fitting so our plates will not cater anyway and one wonders if an arm of this quality is worth the effort when one can do so much better in our range for as little as £295 for immense performance improvement"

So my question is,

Is this the experience of anyone here who owns an OL tonearm? How good ARE the OL tonearms. I think I recall someone complaining of restricted movement in the bearing ?

Second question,

Can the £299 OL arm REALLY be better than the Alphason 100MCS?

Thanks



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[walpurgis]

Can the £299 OL arm REALLY be better than the Alphason 100MCS?

What do you think Oliver? Go with your gut instinct. The Alphason has a following for a reason.

[Bigman80]

What do you think Oliver? Go with your gut instinct. The Alphason has a following for a reason.
Well, thats what I thought Geoff, but it never hurts to get opinions lol

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[mysonicspace]

Hi Oliver. I've no personal experience of the Alphason tonearm, but looking at the specs and construction, I'd certainly give it a go. It's definitely a very undiplomatic and unprofessional reply you received from OL - not good PR.
If you have the exact measurements of the cut-out needed and armboard size, send me a PM. I'm sure I can find someone to make one for you. Regards. George.

[Bigman80]

Hi Oliver. I've no personal experience of the Alphason tonearm, but looking at the specs and construction, I'd certainly give it a go. It's definitely a very undiplomatic and unprofessional reply you received from OL - not good PR.
If you have the exact measurements of the cut-out needed and armboard size, send me a PM. I'm sure I can find someone to make one for you. Regards. George.
Hi George,

Ha, yes its definitely undiplomatic!! I think he's just trying to generate some sales but yes, not "good form"

I think its worth giving an Alphason a go, it is well respected by members of this forum too.

Thanks for the offer too. Walpurgis has also kindly offered his services which I have accepted bit if anything arises where Geoff cant help, ill give you a shout.

Thanks!

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[Firebottle]

I'd stick with the 774 Oli.

I heard a Mission 774, fitted with a Benz Gullwing SLR :eek: last weekend and it was gobsmackingly good. Best MC I've heard, with nothing missing.

[Bigman80]

I'd stick with the 774 Oli.

I heard a Mission 774, fitted with a Benz Gullwing SLR :eek: last weekend and it was gobsmackingly good. Best MC I've heard, with nothing missing.
Theres absolutely nothing missing from my Mission 774/ZYX combo either mate, but theres a hole left from Jamies (lack of) comparison between the two a few weeks back 😂😂

In all honesty, he's introduced fluid damping via the Townsend Rock and the Alphasons performance has got better. This suggests the Mission is on the right path. Maybe I'll look at something with fluid damping to try against the Mission.

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[walpurgis]

I'd stick with the 774 Oli.

That would be my inclination too. But partly because of the 774's versatility. I can use a stiff, low compliance MC or Decca and have great sound, then change straight to an ultra high compliance ADC and still have great sound. Not many arms you can do that with.

[Bigman80]

Ive never been anything but impressed with the Mission Geoff. Its got better as the gear around it got better.

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[walpurgis]

I rate the SR-370 and 774 together as a magic combo. It just works!

[Bigman80]

I have to agree.

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[karma67]

well your going to get lots of opinions oliver,some more bias than others!
all i can say is i listened to them back to back,had them both on and off for comparison,i was not going by some distant rose tinted memory etc :)
as you know i re-wired the 774 twice and it still didn't get close to the alphason,i sold it after the re-wire,what does that tell you??

at the end of the day mate all we can do is advise,you will never know yourself untill you get one,the tough decision for you is buying one or not. that, we cant help you with.
bloody hifi! lol

[Jimbo]

I'd stick with the 774 Oli.

I heard a Mission 774, fitted with a Benz Gullwing SLR :eek: last weekend and it was gobsmackingly good. Best MC I've heard, with nothing missing.

You been up to Scotland Alan:)

[Bigman80]

well your going to get lots of opinions oliver,some more bias than others!
all i can say is i listened to them back to back,had them both on and off for comparison,i was not going by some distant rose tinted memory etc :)
as you know i re-wired the 774 twice and it still didn't get close to the alphason,i sold it after the re-wire,what does that tell you??

at the end of the day mate all we can do is advise,you will never know yourself untill you get one,the tough decision for you is buying one or not. that, we cant help you with.
bloody hifi! lol
Lol, it does seem to divide the community. I will probably get one just to put my mind at rest.

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[karma67]

:popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popc orn::popcorn::D

[Bigman80]

Lol.

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[Bigman80]

This should be with me by the weekend. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170619/6171358b4c4e0693579a22ca642b37ee.jpg

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[karma67]

Sweet!

[Bigman80]

Now I just have to get it to fit the Toshy! 🤔

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[Haselsh1]

Around twenty years ago I owned an Alphason HR100S MCS tonearm which was on an Alphason Sonata. I now own an Origin Live Onyx which is on a Nottingham Analogue Interspace. The OL is more rigid and stable and feels better engineered, a lot more solid I guess but other than that, sound wise, I cannot really detect much of a difference.

[Firebottle]

You been up to Scotland Alan:)

No, to the Owston weekend :D

[Bigman80]

Around twenty years ago I owned an Alphason HR100S MCS tonearm which was on an Alphason Sonata. I now own an Origin Live Onyx which is on a Nottingham Analogue Interspace. The OL is more rigid and stable and feels better engineered, a lot more solid I guess but other than that, sound wise, I cannot really detect much of a difference.
Thats good to know. I flirted dangerously with an OL encounter.

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[Bigman80]

The Alphason has got its work cut out against the Mission 774. Just listening to the Metallica - Black album reincarnated onto vinyl. Absolutely stunning. The Mission is a phenomenal arm and the Toshiba is driving the beat like a metronome. Precise and thunderous. The sound is clean with the Monoblocks too.
These pioneer speakers are completely underrated too.
I must be mad lol.


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[Firebottle]

These pioneer speakers are completely underrated too. Correct.
I must be mad lol. CORRECT.

:D :ner:

[Bigman80]

:D :ner:
😂😂

"The God That Failed" has just decimated the street. Just walked outside to fetch something from the car and the guy who lives behind us has walked past singing it lol. Must've been loud hahaha

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[montesquieu]

The Alphason is a truly superb arm, but like any other arm it depends hugely what cartridge you want to run with it. It's in the low-medium mass sort of area so you are looking at medium-high compliance cartridges - actually similar ballpark to both the OL and the Mission though the Mission is more flexible with its damping allowing a greater range of cartridges to be used (if still some way short of being a sensible option with lower compliance cartridges).

My preference across all three would be the Alphason, in part because I have a thoroughly irrational prejudice against Rega-based arms, partly because it looks so cool. I used one on an LP12 years ago and later on a Townshend Rock, with Lyras and Dynavectors it was tremendous, less so with a SPU Royal N and Koetsu Red Sig (as you'd expect, as both are lower compliance, I'd expect a Denon 103 to be similarly compromised) which is why I changed to heavier arms.

Having said all that, if your 774 is set up well I wouldn't expect you to hear a great deal of difference with the same cartridge (the ZXY I assume which is a nice match for either), they are both gimballed, medium compliance arms of similar sort of excellent capability.

FWIW the OL guy was talking bollocks, the cheapest OL is NOT anywhere close to the Alphason (or the Mission) and for that reason alone I would give them a big fat raspberry. There are good reasons for him to justify why you might want a brand new arm - confidence it's not damaged as vintage kit can be, warranty and availability of servicing etc etc - but claiming his cheapest Rega-derived arm is 'better' than an all-time classic just tells me he either knows nothing, or is lying/talking out of his arse - both reasons to avoid IMHO.

[Bigman80]

The Alphason is a truly superb arm, but like any other arm it depends hugely what cartridge you want to run with it. It's in the low-medium mass sort of area so you are looking at medium-high compliance cartridges - actually similar ballpark to both the OL and the Mission though the Mission is more flexible with its damping allowing a greater range of cartridges to be used (if still some way short of being a sensible option with lower compliance cartridges).

My preference across all three would be the Alphason, in part because I have a thoroughly irrational prejudice against Rega-based arms, partly because it looks so cool. I used one on an LP12 years ago and later on a Townshend Rock, with Lyras and Dynavectors it was tremendous, less so with a SPU Royal N and Koetsu Red Sig (as you'd expect, as both are lower compliance, I'd expect a Denon 103 to be similarly compromised) which is why I changed to heavier arms.

Having said all that, if your 774 is set up well I wouldn't expect you to hear a great deal of difference with the same cartridge (the ZXY I assume which is a nice match for either), they are both gimballed, medium compliance arms of similar sort of capability.

FWIW the OL guy was talking bollocks, the cheapest OL is NOT anywhere close to the Alphason (or the Mission) and for that reason alone I would give them a big fat raspberry. There are good reasons for him to justify why you might want a brand new arm - confidence it's not damaged as vintage kit can be, warranty and availability of servicing etc etc - but claiming his cheapest Rega-derived arm is 'better' than an all-time classic just tells me he either knows nothing, or is lying/talking out of his arse - both reasons to avoid IMHO.


Thanks for the info, Tom.

I had a rewired Rega arm (250?) and i thought it was a very good arm, Then i bought the Mission and realised how much of an improvement was possible. I have primarily bought the Alphason to cure my curiosity. As I'm probably unlikely to buy a Low compliance cart, i cant see any issues arising but i do value having the flexibility of the fluid damping.

I can't imagine i will lose any money from selling either arm should there be a clear winner so its a kind of minimum risk investment. I will post my findings which will involve no science at all, just good listening!!