A bit more resolving (or not) just for extra $10k (or even extra $50k) compared to the Technics EPA-100 mkII, Fidelity-Research FR-64fx and FR-64s, Lustre GST-801, Micro Seiki MAX series and many more highly regarded vintage high-end toneamrs.
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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When funds allow, I'll get the RB 2000 tonearm, which is listed at $2,195. https://www.needledoctor.com/Rega-RB2000-Tonearm http://www.rega.co.uk/rb2000.html The reason I'll get this tonearm is because it comes with the Rega RP10 which is my next TT. If I wanted to play with something, I would have gone into electric model trains; I want to hear beautiful music reproduced in my listening room as good as possible. The pinnacle of success in my book is to feel as though you are at a concert when you are in your listening room, and I will take all shortcuts available to get there. |
The "haves" are not ruining this hobby, they are helping to fund it. Just think about it; if you had a reputation for a good product, and you could build a slighter better product and charge an obscene price for it, that was way over your acceptable profit margin; "Why not". Conrad Johnson is my favorite preamp, and here are some prices. When inflation is taken into consideration, they're probably not too high. http://www.thestereoshop.com/conradJohnson.php |
We all want someplace to spew. For good or bad this sort of thread allows everyone to spew whatever is bothering them, at leat in some fashion. SO this thread is a GOOD THING! Just think... Without this sort of thread to vent, you probably would go kick your dog.. or your wife.. SO much better to get it all out. Feel free to spew all you want! |
Finally, the two 'rip off' threads have joined forces. Now the ugly truth can be revealed. Huh? Well, it seems that judgement calls about the 'value' of tonearms and MC cartridges as isolated items are not very useful. The synergy between tonearm and cartridge (or lack thereof) can be 'make or break', so perhaps we should view them as 'one component' within the system. For all sorts of reasons I don't like 'ranking order lists', but might make an exception for a list of the best 'tonearm / cartridge combinations'. I don't think this has ever been tried, but with all the experience on this forum it could actually be pulled off. It would provide useful information for anyone starting out on this journey and prevent the sort of mistakes that fuel those useless 'rip off' debates. We should probably start the easy way by listing combinations from one brand or designer, which would suggest that the synergy has been conciously built into them. There were 'made for each other'. Some obvious examples are: Ortofon RM-309 + Ortofon SPU series EMT 997 + EMT TSD-15 Fidelity Research FR-64S + Fidelity Research FR-7 series I only have personal experience with the FR synergy, which is most certainly there. But I assume the other combinations have something similar going for them. I'm only a beginner at this 'cart rolling', but I can already mention three example that I've stumbled on by chance. Of course these are the most exciting discoveries: Audiocraft AC-4400 + Ortofon MC-5000 Pioneer PL-70L II tonearm + Sony XL-44 Fidelity Research FR-64fx + Phasemation P-3G Most of these combinations are considered 'vintage' and none of them are anywhere near the 'trophy' (or 'rip off') price category. But in my system on the same turntable they can easily compete with the one combination I use as 'reference' and which does sort of belong to that category: Reed 3P tonearm + vdHul Colibri XPW Blackwood (combined retail price around 10k). It seems that the 'trophies' are in truth hidden in the search to find the right combinations. From a hobbyist perspective this is a great deal more fun that dropping 10 big ones in the blind and hoping to find audiophile redemption. But of course no individual can try out every possible combination. This is what crowd based platforms are made for, so let's put those 'big data' to some good use. @daveyf Would such a list of tonearm / cartridge combinations put an end to your nightmare? |
- 147 posts total