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Hi all,
I have a micro seiki dd-8 direct drive turntable which I really like. I am currently using a moerch up-4 tonearm on it with a zyx rs-30 cart.
The moerch is not the perfect match for the turntable, as the spindle to pivot distance is out by about 1cm. To compensate I adjust the cart position in the headshell.
I was thinking of getting a micro seiki ma-505 tonearm for the turntable as it would be a perfect fit. How does it compare to a modern arm like the moerch?
Or am I better off using the moerch with adjustments?
thanks!
Follow Ups:
Can I revive this thread ? :)
How would a MA-505 compare to a Black Widow CF TA ?
I have an MA 505 Mk I on my Spacedeck. It replaced an SME IV, which I found to sound a little sterile with every cartridge I tried it with. The MA 505 sounds excellent and I much prefer it to the SME.
On the larger Micro-Seikis (& many other Japanese turntables), the tonearm base is a thick, flat disc that has the arm mounting hole drilled off-center (eccentrically) so that rotating the base gives different pivot-to-spindle distances. Couldn't you apply the same thinking and have a replacement base made for the DD-8? This would just be a flat disc of metal with vertical holes, so shouldn't be too difficult or expensive for most machine shops to make. You could also have different versions of the same part made in various metals (soft aluminum, duralumin, brass et al) and have fun with the different sounds that these will give.
hth, jonathan carr
I don't know which drilling pattern (or effective length) would fit the Moerch but the attached link may help identify a pattern...
IMO, yes, the MA-505 completely slaughters the UP-4, and many other arms as well. YMMV.
I've used both the 505 (versions I & III) and UP-4 (on the same turntable, a Micro 1500 with vacuum platter), and my experience differs from yours. The 505 is a (very slightly) soft-sounding tonearm that is forgiving and pleasing to listen to, but doesn't "slaughter" the UP-4 (particularly when you consider the various armtubes available from Moerch that allow the arm-mass to be matched up to the individual cartridge model).
However, the UP-4 is trickier and more time-consuming to set up, so if you don't want to be bothered, the MA-505 will be a better choice.
hth, jonathan carr
Until now, I haven't known anyone that liked the UP-4 better. But as I stated in my original post, YMMV.
Micro-Seiki and Accuphase, which consistently "kill" every other audio component ever made, ever. Of course, we don't read of any valid,
personal comparisons to any other gear, and since George is too above the fray to register with the rest of we plebeians, we have no idea of his system in order to put his favorite gear into any kind of context. So, there's a basketball-sized grain of salt to be digested with any of George's pronouncements.
Oh yeah-apparently (and I'll admit I didn't know this) 'Rush' is "...the most successful rock band in history!" That must be disconcerting news for the remaining Beatles.
"dammit"
I have made a detailed account of my system here many times.
Nicely played.
"dammit"
.
I just can't keep up with your verbal Jujutsu-have mercy!
Even so, the fact remains that you have very definite opinions-which is great-but you rarely back them up with either fact, in an objective setting, or with real world experience, in a subjective world. Case(s) in point, on this very page:
*You had no facts to back up your odd 'Rush is the most successful band' declaration
*Though you claim that your beloved Micro-Sekei "slaughters" the OP's Moerch, you gave no evidence that you've ever heard a Moerch, in your system or in any other. Nothing about the cartridges involved, ancillary equipment, listening room, time spent comparing, etc. etc. Just...."slaughters". And these aren't isolated instances-in fact, par for the course.
Though it may be true that you've outlined your rig 'plenty of times', I'm not about to search the archives to find out what your stereo was 2 years ago. Sorry, that's why the rest of us register and list our components. I know-how gauche.
vaya con dios-and keep up the 12-year-old name calling. Great stuff.
"dammit"
What is the best ma-505 tonearm model to get?
The MA-505 MkIII, like lots of Japanese Mk3s from the 1970s and 1980s, was a development on a development. The Mk3 "silver" version is viewed as being 'top of the line' I believe.
The Mk2 and Mk3 have removable (interchangeable) armpipes which both makes the arms more useful AND introduces another break in the wire. For that reason, some people prefer the first MA-505 to the later ones. Even the first has on-the-fly VTA adjustment, which is quite handy. VTF is quite easy to use as well (azimuth is 'manual').
I think all versions are great arms if the bearings are clean and the VTF spring is OK (the VTF spring is probably replaceable with a 3rd-party spring for someone who is resourceful). I have not heard a new arm in the same price range that I would buy vs. a 505.
thanks for the great info
that the MA-505 is cheap enough that one is admittedly setting the bar rather low when saying it will beat like-priced new arms...
You should probably take a look through the archives - there should be a fair bit of info both here and over at Audiogon.
The VinylEngine, if I remember correctly, has a bunch of stuff on the MA-505 arms. There may be enough there to give you a good idea of differences between the versions.
The 505 is a good but ancient design. The MAX series is their benchmark.
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