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after much waiting i am finally ready to change from the stock rb300 arm...thought about a wire upgrade, but in the end i wish to accomplish a more serious improvement.my budget for this is in the $1k range...however, if anyone can recommend waiting for an arm that is more costly due to vastly superior improvement then i am game for that...in the end i like to get the right component even at the expense of time.
current tt setup: gyro se, rb300, benz h2, gramm slee v
i prefer to wait for a used deal on components such as this.
thank you for your help as i have never before upgraded a tonearm.
Follow Ups:
Hi,I use a Gyro MKV with rb300 Incognito re-wire.
I had the oportunity to listen a 309 in my set-up and found it better than the recabled Rega in some aspects and worst in others.
I agree that my Dyna 17d2 is on the limit for a perfect balance without the headshell weights, and that it wasīnt the latest 309 which has the magnesium armtube, and I donīt know if these aspects had great effect.
After hearing a Orbe with a SME V and knowing that was John Michell Favourite arm, Iīd love to have one.
Also fancy Basis Vector and Schroeder...
Hope this helps,
best regards from Portugal,
I had an Orbe with Rega and Incognito rewire and O/L weight. My friend loved it and so also got an Orbe....
But here is the bit that hurts. I owed him some money, he fancied a new arm to go with the Orbe. We had a chat with my dealer, whom had the Orbe at a great price, and we asked him how much for his Demo SME arm. Just by chance he had traded in a very low hours SME V Gold plated limited edition with an FM acoustics out lead. He gave a great price on it, and I mean great. But I payed for it, the first SME V I purchased I gave away... and he then got a deal on a Koetsu as well. So we set it up and then he went away for a week, so I looked after his cats and so stayed in his house. After a week with that set up.... too much. When I came home, I phoned my dealer a purchased his demo arm that afternoon... so two series V's in a week.
Damned expensive week.Never listen to anybody elses system, it's cheaper to stay at home.
Cheers,
great story! it is good to hear that you had a O/L Rega arm...and that the SME was worth the upgrade over it.
each of you are filling my hopes with good models...i did a search on this site and couldn't find a similar thread with multiple arms listed.i've always liked the idea of an SME arm, but i have heard a lot of buzz about the Morch UP4. being new to the process i am trying to get a list of what arms have succeeded with the table. i am going to compile this list and start some indepth research.
is there a general concensus that rewiring a tonearm is essential, or is it more dependet upon who the manufacturer or which model is in question?
q
I used a Michell Technoarm A on an Orbe. A great tonearm and a real match.
I had a Rega with Incognito wire and an O/L modded weight when I first got my Orbe... they worked well with my Dynavector DV20Xl.
I had a peep at your system, I also have an Ayre CX7 and after buying that I thought I had better raise the vinyl stakes as the gap in quality had closed significantly. In came a Lyra Argo, then the Ayre phono stage and an SME V. Restored the balance a bit after that.
If you don't think it cheeky, what do you feel are the improvements on your new deck over the Orbe.Cheers,
I have a Hadcock 242 with Inconito wiring on my Orbe (and coincidentally also a Benz H2 and Slee Era Gold) - I love the sound. It's more detailed, more involving and more "present" then the RB300 I had before. Also its spindly appearance is deceptive - the bass is much better defined than the Rega.A caveat though - the Hadcock takes A LOT of initial setting up, although once it's set it stays set and doesn't need adjusting. Should be within your budget too.
Hi Chad,Lots of options for you!!!
I have a Gyrodec and I've used a SME 309 on it for some years. Have also heard another Gyrodec with a SME 5 and it sounds very good.
Presently I'm using a unipivot Graham 1.5t which I found used, and it's very different from the SME....more detailed, more refined, less bass. The other unipivot commonly used is the Morch UP4, but I've never heard one.
I would hazard to say the the 309 would be a small upgrade from the RB300, while any of the more expenisve SMEs (the IV and the V) and any of the unipivots mentioned would be a significant upgrade on the RB300.
If budget is a constraint, then I suggest perhaps looking at the used market. The Morch is very reasonably priced IMO.
Hope this helps.
...I went from a Rega derived Origin Live arm to the RS labs RS-A1 tonearm on my Gyro SE. Vast improvement and I've seen no reason to change since. To say the least, however, this arm is not everyone's cup of tea.
be careful with this recommendation. AFAIK, the RS-A1 headshell will not take a benz cartridge.. correct me if I'm wrong on this!
I've never used mine with a Benz cartridge, but Ian White, the reviewer in the link I gave, did. I use mine with a Lyra cartridge, which does have threaded screw holes. It is fair to say, however, that it is easier to fit a cartridge which does not have threads.You do have to be able to fit the cartridge from below. So, for example, wood-bodied Grados will not work in the RS-A1 unless you alter the headshell.
I use an SME 4 on my gyrodec, and have had Rega arms before (but only on other decks), and think its a great match, both sonically and visually.. shallow I know, but looks ARE important=)
The build quality is outstanding and the sound is damn good, especially if you fit a better tonearm lead....imo the standard vdh cable really holds the arm back.
I tried a few out leads... even made up an out lead from the stock cardas 33 Awg and that sounded best. So I went the whole hog and got the Incognito loom installed, one piece from tags to plugs and have never looked back. My friend heard it and did the same to his a week later.Have fun,
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