12" Tonearm What Have You Heard & Recommend?

Johnannantis,well you don't have to "try imagining" a unipivot without damping of the bearing.It exists,and I did put out a thread(for my friend)addressing the possibility of correcting the "tick tock" action.No responses!!
I cannot believe this is corrected by "counterweight precision",which is what my friend tells me.As of now I can only hope this can be corrected,as the "action" WILL affect performance,as well as lp and cart wear!
Best!

Dear Raul,
of course I agree with you that the only real Arm for these Deccas which transmitts boat loads of vibrations into the Arm, the IKEDA Arm is the classic choice based on it's superior rigity.
From the later designs the DaVinci is a very interesting design based on it's very special bearing.
Both we know: Fun counts

Happy Listening

Dear Thomas: Yes,rigity is a plus with that cartridge. I like the " look " of the DaVinci but I only have a brief contact with it.

But, like you say: fun counts.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

Dear John: A Decca or Ikeda cartridge ask a tremendous effort to any tonearm and I know for sure that an unipivot ( like the VPI ) is not the best match for those cartridges,. My opinion is that a tonearm like the Ikeda is really a better one where I never had any problem with mistracking or in other way, you have to try it.

+++++ " The Decca just skitters over these grooves, no matter what I try -- adjusting VTA, VTF, anti-skating, or what. And that is absolutely the only problem." "+++++

THis problem between the Decca and VPI speaks for it self about.

Btw, right now I'm running my Ikeda REX9 through the Mission The Mechanic and I can tell you that this tonearm ( if you can find it ) is an excellent choice too.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

Hi Raul, let's put that quote in context: "Any downside, any mistracking, any noise? No, except for the initial grooves on one side of one ECM Ralph Towner disc. The Decca just skitters over these grooves, no matter what I try -- adjusting VTA, VTF, anti-skating, or what. And that is absolutely the only problem." So, out of his ENTIRE record collection, there is only one LP which gives the combination a hard time in terms of tracking (warped records is another matter). Hardly a damnation of the JMW pairing. Physics teaches, via the principle of the conservation of energy, that energy cannot simply disappear, but can only be converted. Which is to say that rigidity and high mass alone will not eliminate the Deccas' tremendous energy. Now I'm not saying that the Ikeda tonearm doesn't work with the Deccas, but fluid is one very efficient way of dealing with the Decca's energies, dissipiating them, while you and Thomas seem to be saying that the high-rigidity/high-mass approach is the ONLY way of dealing with the Deccas. Have either of you tried the Deccas with the JMWs? Anyway, here I disagree, though I'm willing to grant the tonearms you recommend also work. Another tonearm which worked very well with the Deccas was the fluid-damped Maplenoll air-bearing toneam (damped at the headshell, where it is most effective), which is also no longer in production, and which anyway was only available attached to a Maplenoll turntable. At least consider alternatives rather than blindly defend what you know to the exclusion of all else (kinda like the idler-wheel debate ;-)!).