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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?
madavid0
elizabeth
6,726 posts
 
Sadly tonearms mean almost nothing to me. Being a bottom of the turntable hierarchy nearly forever means I buy only arms that come ON THE TABLE. Sad really. Beyond those arms is a whole Universe of fancy engineering I ... could care less about.
Cart arm matching is another mystery that I have luckily also never bothered about. I stick MY cart on the arm with some eyeballing and a wild guess.
So far I am happy. (Should I be?) LOL
PS I currently have a Rega P5 with a Benz Glider on it. and a Kuzma Stabi Stogi S with a Dynavector 17D3 on it.
dekay's avatar
dekay
2,959 posts
 
Fascinating...

Now DavidO is insinuating that he/she actually does have money and that he/she is an audiophile.

Not buying it, and I'm rich, famous and extremely sexy.

DeKay
has2be's avatar
has2be
422 posts
 
Fascinating...

Now DavidO is insinuating that he/she actually does have money and that he/she is an audiophile.

Not buying it, and I'm rich, famous and extremely sexy.

DeKay


        LOL.....
…….I sure hope you typed that shirtless...….

        Your just tooooo sexy for that shirt,  so sexy
         it hurts...…  
tkr
55 posts
 
Is shirtless typing a ripoff?

I tried it this afternoon, and I didn´t notice any improvement in performance at all! No matter which shirt I wasn`t wearing, even expensive ones, nothing really happened. 

Just goes to prove, not wearing cheap shirts is just as good as not wearing expensive ones.
elizabeth
6,726 posts
 
Take it off... Take it all off. Type naked. Listen naked. Eat naked. Sleep naked. Drive your car Nak... oops. "Sorry Officer,... I forgot something this Morning you say???"
I still remember the guy driving a Chrysler convertible with top down, cuts in front of where I am about to cross the street,(back when I was young, I was good looking, unlike the Medusa I am now) his pants down around his ankles, his flag perky.. I busted out laughing really loud.
Is this TOO MUCH INFORMATION??
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