So no one wants to defend high end tonearms?
Tonearms: Ripoff?
If you search for tonearm recommendations you'll find an overwhelming amount of praise for $1k and less products. Audiomods and Jelco are the two most mentioned.
The Audiomods is just some guy making Rega-based tonearms in a workshop. Just some guy is putting out tonearms that compete with tonearms that cost many times the price -- from the likes of SME, Clearaudio, VPI, Graham, etc.
So the question is -- are tonearms just a scam? How is it that everyone loves Audiomods and Jelco to death and never talks about / dismisses high end tonearms? Is it because there's no real difference between one of these low-cost tonearms and the high end ones? Is an Audiomods Series V ** really ** the equivalent of a SME V? Some guy in a workshop equals the famed precision of SME? Is that once you have the math and materials worked out all tonearms are essentially the same? Or is it that most owners of record players online are dumpster-diving for vintage gear and simply can't afford to listen to better?
So, what's going on?
The Audiomods is just some guy making Rega-based tonearms in a workshop. Just some guy is putting out tonearms that compete with tonearms that cost many times the price -- from the likes of SME, Clearaudio, VPI, Graham, etc.
So the question is -- are tonearms just a scam? How is it that everyone loves Audiomods and Jelco to death and never talks about / dismisses high end tonearms? Is it because there's no real difference between one of these low-cost tonearms and the high end ones? Is an Audiomods Series V ** really ** the equivalent of a SME V? Some guy in a workshop equals the famed precision of SME? Is that once you have the math and materials worked out all tonearms are essentially the same? Or is it that most owners of record players online are dumpster-diving for vintage gear and simply can't afford to listen to better?
So, what's going on?
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- 147 posts total
Defend them against what? Think about it. Most of these higher-end tonearms are built in relatively small numbers. Many by solo operators or small operations. Someone is staking their livelihood on making something that takes months of testing, months of building and discarding and testing and final completion. Precision instrumentation and micron-level bearing alignment is not cheap. Then it has to be advertised and dealers have to make money and returns have to be compensated and healthcare insurance has to be paid. Now divide all the hours put into that and divide by the number sold. Don’t parade your naiveté as if you were an authority on economics and engineering. By the way, if you want a taste of the "high end" for little money, invest in a Jelco 850 from George Merrill (best price) - it’s the cream of the crop. |
madavid0 OP So no one wants to defend high end tonearms?They don’t require any defense. The performance and precision of a high-end arm speaks for itself. |
- 147 posts total