Best Phono Stage within 2000 $

Assuming the PMG and Feickert arms are built to the same specs then this would be a great deal.

Is there any evidence to suggest they are?

Actually I should qualify my earlier statement as they look identical rather than are confirmed identical.

The Jelco 10.5S also looks similar to the Artisan Audio Capriccio tonearm (scroll down the page) sold by Galibier Design for $750.

Re: Feickert Adjust+

...Before I got Adjust+, I used a test record for setting up the azimuth, by playing an azimuth dedicated tract with my phono preamp in mono, and rotating the headshell until the signal from the L and R channels get canceled.

This has been discussed several times in the forums (and by Michael Fremer and others). Balancing the signal for L+R channel (which is what cancellation implies) is the wrong way to adjust azimuth. Azimuth depend only very weakly on the channel balance and other factors (cartridge, phonostage gain) influence channel imbalances more. The right way is to mimimize the crosstalk between channels.

The problem with this method is that, depending on the cartridge design, it's possible to have both L and R channels produce the same DB, but each channel could be out of phase in reference to the other. This condition produces undefined lower notes, muddy midrange and splashy highs. In other words, the sound is out of focus. With Adjust+, the phase angle of the L and R channels are set to match, even if, due to particular cartridge design, there is one channel producing +-DBs than the other channel. I went back and forth with both methods, and the sound with the Adjust+ is absolutely in focus. One I got acquainted with Adjust+, there is no going back.

Again to correct: Adjust+ does NOT match the phase angle of the L and R channels. Instead Adjust+ measures the phase of the crosstalk signal with respect to main signal and optimizes/matches both for the left and right channel. This is an important destinction (crosstalk vs. main signals) that is often misunderstood. It is of course no surprise that Adjust+ does much better than the wrong "channel balancing method".

Otherwise I completely agree - Feickert's Adjust+ is an excellent and innovative solution to the Azimuth problem.

Rene
Ph.D. Physics

"The Jelco 10.5S also looks similar to the Artisan Audio Capriccio tonearm (scroll down the page) sold by Galibier Design for $750."

Actually the Artisan more closely resembles the Jelco 250S (a 9" arm) which is available here on Audiogon for $290. The other 9" Jelco that looks interesting (and that I'm still considering and investigating-there's a rave review apparently in one of the British rags that I'm trying to get my hands on) is the 750D, also for sale on Audiogon for $450.

I really wanted the 10.5 for extra the bit of added mass to work with my wooded Denon 103R but only 9" arms for the Gyrodec unfortunately. So I'm down to the 750D or an SME 309 and am leaning toward the SME but who knows.