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

  1. #1
    Join Date: May 2018

    Location: Ontario

    Posts: 6
    I'm Jim.

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

    Am looking to find a most musical tonearm for my future projects. I need one For either or
    Thorens 124, Lenco 75, Technics Sp15,
    Ar-Ta/Xa

  2. #2
    Join Date: Jan 2009

    Location: Norwich

    Posts: 2,814
    I'm Hugo.

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    The answer rather depends on what cartridges you wish to use, since the mass/compliance equation should not be totally disregarded. Also, looks may be important on a vintage deck. All of that said, my recommendation would be for a heavyweight Japanese arm, and the Fidelity Research FR-64S won’t disappoint, and Phonomac of this parish has a bit of a gift for fettling these arms (he did mine).

  3. #3
    Join Date: Apr 2009

    Location: Near Saffron Walden, Essex

    Posts: 7,087
    I'm Dave.

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    To my ears, one of the very best is the FR-64S. I still have one and won't be parting with it.

    Another is the Breuer or the Sumiko MDC 800, which was a 'copy' and still excellent. I have one which will go on E-Bay when I get round to it.

  4. #4
    Join Date: Oct 2008

    Location: Glasgowshire

    Posts: 9,656
    I'm Gary.

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    Agree on the cartridge being a factor, you want a platform that absolutely does not add nor take away from what your cartridge can do.
    In that spirit I put forward the SME V.
    Its worth changing out the wiring (internal and external) I'd say as SME are an engineering not an audiophile company.

    A silver rewired SME V is about as good (and as neutral) a platform as it gets.
    AC POWER
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  5. #5
    Join Date: Apr 2016

    Location: Gravesend and France

    Posts: 1,498
    I'm paul.

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    Stax UA-70, UA-7, UA-9, great arms and very versatile with different carts. I've used Benz wood SL, Shure Ultra 500 and Decca C4e, all work great. Extra counterweight allows for different mass carts.
    Bakoon 13r Denon DP80 Stax UA-70 Shure Ultra 500 in a Martin Bastin body with jico stylus, project ds2 digital Rullit aero 8 field coils in tqwt speakers

    Office system, DIY CSS fullrange speakers with aurum cantus G2 ribbons yulong dac Sony STR6055 receiver Jvc QL-A51 direct drive turntable, Leema sub. JVC Z4S cart is in the house

    Garage system another Sony receiver, cassette deck


    System components are subject to change without warning and at the discretion of the owner.

  6. #6
    Join Date: Jan 2008

    Location: South West England

    Posts: 958
    I'm Guy.

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    Quote Originally Posted by hifi_dave View Post
    To my ears, one of the very best is the FR-64S.
    Yup. Would go along with that.

  7. #7
    Bigman80 Guest

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    The Phonomac AT1010 MK5 is a gift. There is no need to look further. Superior Japanese engineering, fettled and improved measurably by an obsessive engineer with a price tag that's cheaper than most of the arms listed and certainly less than one would expect v performance. I am more than happy to offer a listen to anyone who is interested. A stunning arm.

    I cannot comment on the SME V as I've never heard one. I would LOVE to put a PMAT-1010 MK5 up against it, I have a strong suspicion that it would be VERY interesting.

    For a Budget pick, I'd go for a Mission 774 original. Another outrageous bargain.
    Last edited by Bigman80; 27-05-2018 at 13:26.

  8. #8
    Join Date: Jan 2009

    Location: Essex

    Posts: 31,850
    I'm openingabottleofwine.

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    Regardless of price eh?

    As others have said, it all depends on the cartridge you are wanting to use.

    Low compliance cartridges prefer high mass arms, so I would recommend either the Fidelity Research FR64s or FR66S (the latter being a 12" arm), or an Ikeda modified Ortofon 309i (also 12"), or the latest SME M2-12R (again 12").

    High compliance cartridges prefer low mass arms, so I would recommend either the Breuer Dynamic Type 5A, or even better (that is if you can find one), the Breuer Dynamic Type 8C. Failing that you might like to consider the Brinkmann 10.5 arm. The latter design is heavily influenced by the Breuer arms, but being 10" in length you might have difficulty fitting one to your TD124 turntable.

    I have experience of, and use/have used all the above mentioned arms (save for the Breuer 8C).

    Finally if you want an more or less universal arm, then I would recommend the SME V.
    Barry

  9. #9
    Join Date: Jan 2008

    Location: Norwich

    Posts: 1,064
    I'm Mike.

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    The thread title says 'nice sounding'. That lets out the SME Five, as it's neutral to the point of coolness. No criticism here, but its eff. mass is only 11 g, but it is nonetheless quite versatile as far as cart's go. Even did quite well with my K Black and Urushi.

  10. #10
    Join Date: Jan 2009

    Location: Essex

    Posts: 31,850
    I'm openingabottleofwine.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Reed View Post
    The thread title says 'nice sounding'. That lets out the SME Five, as it's neutral to the point of coolness. No criticism here, but its eff. mass is only 11 g, but it is nonetheless quite versatile as far as cart's go. Even did quite well with my K Black and Urushi.
    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'.
    Barry

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