Vinyl Asylum: REVIEW: Morch UP-4 Tone Arms by Marc Bratton

Model:	UP-4
Category:	Tone Arms
Suggested Retail Price:	$900.00
Description:	Unipivot tonearm with replaceable arm wands
Manufacturer URL:	Morch
Model Picture:	View

Review by Marc Bratton ( A ) on August 12, 2002 at 21:29:54
IP Address: 63.184.0.13

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for the UP-4

This tonearm occupies a niche between the bare bones basic tonearms like the Regas and all their modified variants, and the super arms like the Graham 2.2, Wheaton Triplanar,the SME's, and the like. As such, it is sorely needed. In fact, to my knowledge this is the only tonearm in the sub 1K price range that offers not only adjustable VTA and azimuth (adjustable azimuth in particular is given short shrift in most all of the sub 1K arms...I take a very dim view of this), but also gives one the option of using multiple armwands. Just like with the Graham 2.2, you could have one premounted with a MM, one premounted with a cherished moving coil, and quickly and easily switch between the two. The armwands come in four different weights, ranging from the lightest (green dot), to the heaviest (blue dot). You match the weight of the armwand to the dynamic compliance and weight of your cartridge, the purpose being to optimize the arm's resonance point. Should you want a 12" armwand, those are available too, in red dot and blue dot weight ranges. You can also get something called a Precision armtube, which features wider and more precisely machined headshells than the somewhat vestigal standard headshell. The tonearm cable connects via a DIN socket.
My version is the red dot standard armtube with the upgraded all silver DP-6 tonearm cable. I was fortunate enough to find one of these on the used market, and jumped on it quickly, as they tend to be snapped up.
The fit and finish on these arms is absolutely first rate...the phrase "jewel like" comes to mind. Clearly the gold plated DP-6 is the more stunning of the two, but the UP4 is so highly polished and beautiful in its workmanship that it shames a lot of medical grade instrumentation I've worked with. In fact, with it's gracile armtube, deep, deep chrome finish, and plexiglass pivot plate, it looks like something your dental hygienist might bring to bear on your teeth. Rzzzzzzzzz........seriously,
this is truly an exquisitely made piece of kit. The pictures make them look bigger than they are...these tonearms are tiny!
I heard others mention how difficult these arms are to set up, but I didn't find it any more difficult than any other tonearm, just different.
Then again, I'm used to arms that are "different", since I had a Well Tempered arm for 10 years. This one's easier to set up than that one. Pivot to spindle distance, VTA, overhang, offset angle, and VTF are all set in the usual manner. You get a set of eccentrically cammed counterweights which you shimmy onto the back of the arm, and you adjust their positions until you get the azimuth correct. I found a 10mm bubble level, set right on top of the headshell, a great aid for this. You have a third smaller counterweight at the very back, which is not eccentric, which you use to get your VTF. I forgot to mention that you apply silicone damping fluid into the pivot point with a supplied tuberculin syringe right before you attach the armwand. All in all, very straight forward, and the instructions are excellent. The antiskate is applied by a coil watchspring, which attaches to the arm turret via an unbelievably fine monafilament thread...did I mention how like a fine watch this tonearm is built? I might add that I think they ought to include a WallyTractor as standard with these arms, as this arm seems to really, really like to be very precisely adjusted. It will reward you greatly to get this one dialed in to the nth degree, and I know of no instrument better for that than the WallyTractor. Enough said. On that note, take great pains to assure that your platter and armboard are very level, or performance will suffer, more even than with a conventional tonearm.
So, after mounting my ClearAudio Virtuoso, and dialing in all the parameters, I put on the HiFi News test record...another essential. It tested very well...I could not get it to mistrack except VERY slightly on the worst torture track. Same with the antiskate. It displayed no wobble at all, and only very little warbling @ 10-12Hz on the vertical and horizontal resonance test tracks. In summary, it measured very well. Feeling encouraged, I dropped the needle on some well known records.
The first thing that struck me about this tonearm was its preternatural clarity and quickness in the all important midband. There is very little overhang with this tonearm-it "lets go of the notes" very quickly and cleanly. This allows a wealth of detail, dynamics, and ambiance to emerge naturally and gracefully. To give an example, in Hadyn's 104th symphony, wherein the bassoon is given the opening line: With the EM modded Rega RB250 arm which this one replaced, one hears a kind of rude, flatulent noise. One can tell it's a bassoon, but that's about all. With the Morch, one can hear the wetness of the reed, the vibrato, and the dome of ambiance being gently stroked to life by the bassoon's undertones.Lovely, lovely stuff. Instead of "massed strings" you hear individual violinists playing, and it's a lot easier to "get" the subtly of their bowing technique. Lots of air and ambiance of the recording venue can be appreciated, assuming the recording got it.Small nuances in vocals comes out a lot clearer, giving the music more emotional depth. The bass quality is taut, clean, and tight. This is the only area where my EM modded Rega RB250 beat it-not in quality, but in quantity. The deep bass is definitely shelved down a few db compared to the Rega. Still, I would NOT call this arm "bass shy". It's very satisfying. It's just the Rega was an overachiever in that one area. (I'll tell you below about a tweak I found to help this.) If I had to sum up the UP-4's essence in only one word, the word "articulate" is what I'd choose. No matter how detailed and complex the music, it sorts it all out in a very relaxed and competent manner, for your enjoyment. It refuses to get flustered, or lose its grip, no matter what you throw at it.
What are it's colorations? Well, in stock form, with my cartridge, it seems a little silvery. Not run from the room bright at all, mind you. Just a little more lit on the edges perhaps than totally neutral. I HATE brightness and have gone to great lengths to eliminate it from my system, so when I tell you it's not bad, that's what I mean. Still, in a system already tending that way, it might not be optimal. After assuring myself that my VTA wasn't the culprit, here's what I did: A few days ago, my Extreme Phono solid state stylus cleaner arrived. I let if sit for 24 hrs before I used it, to let the goo settle as you're supposed to. They pack way more goo than is really needed in that little case, so some migrated out. You guessed it. I applied a little bit to the headshell, fore and aft of the fingerlift. Take care to apply only a little, as this stuff tends to flatten out and seep. When it was done seeping/settling, I had this perfectly clear coating of the goop covering the headshell and part of the cartridge body. It looked like it was made that way, all one piece, as its coloration matched the plexiglass pivot plate. Not kludgy looking at all. I adjusted my VTF accordingly, and listened. I was very pleasantly surprised! Not only was that slight residual brightness totally gone, but I had a welcome increase in the heft and weight of the bass as well, and I lost none of that quickness and clarity in the midband. A very useful tweak that costs nothing. Obviously, the slight increase in effective mass must have been what my cartridge was asking for, but I think the added damping of the very lightweight and vestigal headshell was a factor as well.
All in all, this is very versatile, well thought out, and impeccably
implemented tonearm. It significantly betters my EM modded Rega RB250 across the board, with the exception of the quantity of bass. How does it compare to my old Well Tempered? That is a very tonally neutral arm that deserves a lot more attention than it gets. Its one sin is one of omission. I think the silicone damping, while making it an extremely low resonance design, tends to dampen out some of the microdynamics and details, and thus some of the life out of the music, compared to the Morch. I'd say the WT isn't quite as enjoyable, though still quite good. So, if you're in the market for a tonearm that costs a lot less than the superarms, but gives you a good measure of what they're all about, take a close look at this arm. Especially if you're looking to match it with a Teres, I highly recommend it both on sonic and visual grounds-it's a stunning combination!

Product Weakness: The headshell/finger lift assembly is probably too light and resonant. You can go with the more expensive Precision armtube to fix this, or just use the Extreme Phono goop tweak ennumerated above, that'll fix it for free!
Product Strengths: Versatility of design, build quality, and sound quality!

Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier:	Music Reference RM10
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	EAR 834P/FT Audio LW-1
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	Teres turntable/Morch UP4/ClearAudio Virtuoso MkII
Speakers:	Magnepan MMG's
Cables/Interconnects:	DH Labs Silver Sonics
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	Progressive rock/symphonic/chamber music
Room Size (LxWxH):	look x it up in x my sys
Other (Power Conditioner etc.):	Brickwall PW2RAUD
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner

Product Weakness:	The headshell/finger lift assembly is probably too light and resonant. You can go with the more expensive Precision armtube to fix this, or just use the Extreme Phono goop tweak ennumerated above, that'll fix it for free!
Product Strengths:	Versatility of design, build quality, and sound quality!