best tonearm for Kondo IO-J cart.

Dear Kha: I have to disagree a little with you about the electronics to use with the IO.

A few years ago the Audio Note dealer, that's a very good friend of mine, and because an audio expo bring to it almost the best electronics audio items from Audio Note including the Ongaku.

Out of the expo in his audio rooms and in my system we try hard with the IO cartridge, Audio Note step up transformers, I can't remember if the preamp was the M7 or the M77, tonearms from: AN, Ikeda, Micro Seiki and SAEC, speakers: Jm Labs, AN, Maggies, Meridian,etc,, Preamps: AN, Cello, Klyne, Rowland and my self design, TT's: Micro Seiki, Denon, VPI and AN.

As good as is the IO cartridge with own AN electronics the quality sound was better ( especially at frequency extremes ) through the Cello and in my own design preamplifier.

With all the tonearms the IO was great but ( for my taste ) in the Ikeda and Micro Seiki the sound was more natural.

I have no doubt about the build quality of the AN step up transformer but even at that high quality level those AN step up transformer degraded the signal that pass through them and the quality sound reproduction.

Karl, you have to hear the IO cartridge with a good high gain active Phonolinepreamp: there is a difference for the better. Well at least that was my audio experience about.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

Dear Kha: +++++ " I have no doubt about the build quality of the AN step up transformer but even at that high quality level those AN step up transformer degraded the signal that pass through them and the quality sound reproduction. " +++++

The problem is not on the building quality but in the way of operation an electrical problems that every step up transformer has, it does not matters the price range or quality build.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

Hi Raul,

well I ment the Kondo-KSL-SFZ as the Audio-Note AN-S2
is quite different then the KSL (Kondo-Silver-Line)
as the othe AN is copper.
I have right now both in my system the KSL stepup transformer is much better than the AN.
Raul you should try to hear the KONDO-KSL stuff
it is really amazing.

regard Karl-Heinz

Well, one of my audiophile friends uses his Kondo IO (Latest Generation) with the brand new Kondo KSL step up and he prefers this combination much more than without the KSL. His main Phono unit is the Boulder Phono. I think, taste may be different, but the latest KSL is really a good sounding one, or let>'s say, there is much worse out there ...
Btw. IO is normally in use with Kuzma Air Line.

there is no question that the IO-J sounds better 99% of the time with the kondo step up than without. the reason i put up this post was to see if my arm was right for my io-j . i use a simon yorke (table & arm),& my friend was just over to check the resonant frequency to see if they match & it was perfect. my bass was a bit shy compared to my CD player & i was worried but of course more bass is not always TRUE bass.
thanks for your input.