Which tonearm for vintage Micro Seiki BL-91

The 505 is a very good arm. IMO, a bit dark, but very warm, damp and lush. In comparison to a Jelco SA-750D that I had also mounted on the same table, the 505 pretty much beat it in every category I can recall. And the 750D is no slouch arm. Carts were an AT OC9 and a Lyra Clavis da Capo. The CdC sounded pretty well-balanced in the 505 where it is bright (sometimes laser in the eyeball bright) in other arms.

BTW, the 505 I used (and still have) is a Mk II. Some might feel that it is a bit "gadgety" but it is very functional. Also has on-the-fly VTA over a pretty wide range. Very handy.

Comparing the 505 to the JMW-12 isn't quite fair in this case. The JMW-12 was mounted on a table (Aries 1 extended) that was quite a bit better than the TNT table. And further, the JMW-12 would never be a good fit, physically, on a BL-91. It's just plain too big, too long from arm pivot to platter spindle.

Email me off-line if you care to discuss the details of the 505 or get serious about looking around for one.

Bpoletti
Br3098
thanks for your explanation
I thought the BL-91 with its wooden plinth woodn't be that resonant or at least less then other designs.
Any idea how to dampen that resonance: Changing the feet? Use the heavy cupper platter (8kg) instead of the aluminium platter?
Anyway the reason why I'm asking about comparison with modern arms is because I like the vintage designs and especially the Micro Seiki MA-505.. but musical sound is more inmportant than the looks and the specs on paper.
A friend of mine is offering it to me for the equivalent of 300 USD but we saw that when turning the antiskating knob completely back : i.e antiskating "off" the wire that is connecting the knobs with the internal spring is a bit lose. How do we know that this antiskating is still in working condition. On a "blanc" Lp with teh antiskating completely turned in the the tonearm keeps on turning towards the spindle as if there no antiskating wokring on it. VTF for my Miyajima Shilabe (weight 11,2 with original mounting screws,compliance 10x..)is set at 3.0gr (a
Any experience with MA-505 antiskating problems.
Last wek I could audition a Kuzma 4 point with a Shilabe on a VPI (but don't remember the type) at the local store but the price is 11 times the price of the MA-505 even it is a demo unit. Of course I was impressed but it was not on my system
Thanks in advance

A MA-505 is a very good arm. Very musical. My only comment is that it's a bit dark. But that also makes it lush and involving.

There is a complete owner's manual collection on vinylengine dot com in their tonearm section. There is a detailed breakdown of the arm and all of its components. Also, an explanation of the workings of the arm.

If the anti-skate spring is loose and not repairable, that could be a problem. I can't remember all the specifics. You might check to see if the thread can be tightened. It might just appear that way because the thread is loose.

Tgaral, please don't misunderstand my previous comments. The BL-91 is a great deck. But turntable technology (or our perception of such) has changed a bit since the late 1970s. The BL-91 is constructed of veneered plywood. This was quite good in the late 1970s, and was considered to be non-resonant. Improvements in materials and construction techniques have led to significant changes in plinth technology over the last 25 years or so.

Remember, the original (standard) tonearm for this deck was the MA-707, which is rather low mass unit. I believe that the MA-505 will provide a much better sonic result withour breaking the bank. Can you do better? Probably, but what is it worth for the small additional gain? (this, of course, being the original audiophile conundrum)

If I read your last note correctly, you are being offered an MA-505 for $300? If this is a "real" MA-505 (and not a re-purposed DD-40 variant) this is a very good price. Is it a MkI or II (S-shaped) or a MkIII (straight) model?

Regarding your questions about additional damping for the BL-91, frankly I wouldn't bother. You might make some minor improvements but in doing so you may jeopardize the resale value of the unit. Unless you hear a problem when played, I would just leave it alone and enjoy it for what it is: a very nice vintage turntable.

Bpoletti,
thanks for the explanation I will have a look at the vinyl engine with my friend.
Br3098, don't worry I didn't misunderstand your comment at all. I realy appreciate your and BPoletti's input on this. I do realize that this is an old design, which is one of the reasons why I like it. The turntable arrived yesterday evening and it looks very good almost no damages. I will need to clean it but that is part of the enjoyment, isn't it. Both 33 and 45 speed are stable. No play on the spindle which was my biggest concern.
This evening after reading about the antiskating on Vinylengine we will try my friends MA-505 which is a MK1.
The reason for the low price is because he prefers selling it to me, as a friend, rather than listing it for sale out also we don't know how are the bearings etc.
With my BL-51 I removed the original spring loaded plastic feet that are fixed to the plinth with a simple screw, and coupled it to a 4cm thick japanese maple slab as big as the turntable, with 3 vintage (again) Harmonix MY-T TU-210 feet (without using their metal base). The Maple slab is resting on 4 square pieces of very heavy slate that are each supported by Vibrapods level 4. Probably this reads and even looks a bit strange but not having a decent audiorack (just a handmade pinewood bookshelve) This selfmade damping/insulation was the best we could hear for the money ( I only paid the second hand Vibrapods that I bougth at HiFi-do here in Japan). I will certainly try the same setup with the BL-91 but haven't tried yet to remove the original plastic feet.
thanks again to both of you