Jelco SA-750E 10" tonearm destroys Rega RB300 tonearm

[magiccarpetride]

I've just replaced Rega RB300 with Jelco SA-750E 10" tonearm and let me tell you -- it's an unbelievable improvement.

I was a bit worried and somewhat skeptical that Jelco could ever beat such reputable tonearm (according to some people in the know, RB300 is considered the best tonearm value for the buck). But Jelco totally left RB300 in the dust. It's not even funny how superior Jelco's performance is, on all possible accounts. Not only is the sound much more authoritative and the detail retrieval mind bogglingly superior, Jelco is also a champion in eliminating any, even the nastiest occurrences of seemingly untameable sibilance. Plus, Jelco appears way more forgiving to surface noise, scratches, pops and clicks.

Overall, I'm in audio heaven this evening, grabbing one LP after another, rediscovering my library, marvelling at how much music is actually hidden inside those micro grooves.

[Ammonite Audio]

I always thought that the 10" SA-750E hit the sweet spot of Jelco's old range, and it's a shame that they have dropped 10" variants of the new TS and TK arms.

[Svend N]

Alex - wow! That's fantastic. So happy that worked out well. Did you get a new armboard at the same time?

Enjoy the new sound :)

[RobbieGong]

Nice one Alex, Jelcos look a good arm.

Remind me what deck you have it on

[walpurgis]

Nice result Alex. I'm not surprised actually. What cartridge are you using in the Jelco?

[magiccarpetride]

Alex - wow! That's fantastic. So happy that worked out well. Did you get a new armboard at the same time?

Enjoy the new sound :)

No, tried to order the new armboard but they only ship to UK and Australia. We are going to machine an acrylic one, but I was too impatient to wait. So that's for the next round of ugraditis.

[magiccarpetride]

Nice one Alex, Jelcos look a good arm.

Remind me what deck you have it on

On Systemdek IIX

[magiccarpetride]

Nice result Alex. I'm not surprised actually. What cartridge are you using in the Jelco?

Ortofon OM20.

[walpurgis]

Ortofon OM20.

The Denon DL-103 should be excellent there if you still have it.

[magiccarpetride]

The Denon DL-103 should be excellent there if you still have it.

Yes, that's the next thing to try. I'm debating whether to use it now, or to send it to be re-tipped? Not sure if it was due to the DL-103 mismatch with RB300 or what, but I am definitely getting loads more music from OM20 than I used to get from DL-103. I tend to think it is caused by the difference in spherical vs nude elliptical stylus, but maybe Jelco will match better with DL-103 and it will give me more detail retrieval.

[Svend N]

No, tried to order the new armboard but they only ship to UK and Australia. We are going to machine an acrylic one, but I was too impatient to wait. So that's for the next round of ugraditis.

Nice! But however did the tech get the cart to align properly with that longer arm? It's longer than the RB300, and much longer than the stock arm, no?

In any case, it sounds like it's working fine for you, which is great. Enjoy!

[montesquieu]

Nice result but rather unsurprising to some of us - Regas and their derivatives have their place but the Jelco with the right cartridge (and the Ortofon and 103 fit the bill) should be head and shoulders better.

Clickbait heading was amusing though :)

[magiccarpetride]

Nice! But however did the tech get the cart to align properly with that longer arm? It's longer than the RB300, and much longer than the stock arm, no?

In any case, it sounds like it's working fine for you, which is great. Enjoy!

Yes, it's very long, barely fit on Systemdek. Looks perhaps a bit grotesque on there, but sound quality matters more to me than visual aesthetics. Plus, due to its superior tracking, the sibilance issues are all but gone and the surface noise is dramatically reduced. Two extra bonus points for this arm!