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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
nkonor
605 posts
 
@vair68robert,

Is your opinion based on price / value only?  Do you have actual listening experience with High End tone arms? Such as the Graham, SME, Kuzma 4 point, Triplanar or any other High End tone arm. Have you auditioned any at a High End dealer? High End Audio show? Perhaps, an extended in home audition pondering the purchase of such an arm? Or are you a key board warrior basing your opinions based on reviews on the web, maybe needle drops on You Tube?

As folkfreak pointed out; you may need to expand your range of values to include actual experience. Not reviews by others and price.

Best
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elizabeth
6,726 posts
 
People have been spending billions on ’dying children in some part of the world’. for well over 75 years... It hasn’t even made a tiny dent. What happens is the life they save yesterday, needs saving today, and tomorrow, and the day after and the day after, then the babies those folks you had been saving for twenty years decide to make more babies to be saved... IT does not end. You just keep endless people on the edge of starving, you feed them today, you feed them forever.
I have no problem if YOU want to do that. But do not ask me to join you in your folly. I am betting in your mind you CAN save the World. I am certain I cannot even begin. Two people die EVERY SECOND.. most ugly horrible deaths. Face it. While I typed ONE HUNDRED people died. How many did you save? Do you think you made a dent in DEATH?
chakster's avatar
chakster
2,482 posts
 
@elizabeth 

I am certain I cannot even begin. Two people die EVERY SECOND.. most ugly horrible deaths. Face it. While I typed ONE HUNDRED people died. How many did you save? Do you think you made a dent in DEATH?


I said "help" not "save", how many $50k tonearm have you bought in your life? You don't even know what the tonearm is and why people are buying them, according to one of your post. So chillout and play with your automatic turntables. Your feelings about human life is very well described in your post. 

P.S. At least i know for sure than Michael Fremer do charity, Peter Ledermann do charity too. But some rich audiophiles are mentally sick and need help too. I can not seriously discuss $75k tonearms or $200k turntables, this is some sort of illness and it has nothing to do with the love to music. 

     
elizabeth
6,726 posts
 
""and has nothing to do with the love of music""
Neither does whining about others not being ’charitable enough’..How do you calculate all these folks you have no knowledge of 'charity'. And who put YOU in charge if it? Worry about YOURSELF instead of whining about people you do not even know.                   
It is particularly annoying to read your drivel on an audio site. You should save it for sites which address the topic, instead of here.
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