Used Morch DP-6 or modified Origin Live Silver?

mejames, the cats ignore most music except very energetic bass. The old cartridge (ADC XLM MkII) did pretty decent bass but the cats rarely noticed. They occasionally look up when a CD really whomps, but not often. When the Shelter reproduced realistic tympani and bass drum hits they both flew out of the room. Peeling them off the drapes a bit of dramatic hyperbole. Sorry :)

Twl, just 30% so far? I think I'm going to melt! Babble, babble, drool... I know the loading was wrong, and the gain, and the stability, and the TT rumble, etc. etc. This is going to be alot of fun. Paul's reaction at the end of 'Firebird' was priceless. Reminded me of the question he asked after we heard our first RCA Living Stereo release on CD. "They recorded this in 1959?! What the hell happened since then? When did they ruin everything?" That's when I knew our transistorized/multitracked/digital listening days were over.

I actually read through the Teres instructions twice before I decided to buy. Those who know me would not be surprised. They actually influenced my decision, since they are very impressive. Don't worry, we'll take our time. Paul has a PhD in materials science and rebuilt two electron microscopes while at university. He understood the theory of your mods after I attempted about three words of explanation. My enthusiasm + his brain = high probability of good outcome.

Well, I just did the first part of the listening testing.

Drum roll....................

First, the Encounter looks really good, and I like the looks alot.
Second, the Encounter has new wiring and Eichmann Bullet Plugs on it, so that is a big plus.
Third, I like the anti-skate on the Encounter better than the Silver.
Fourth, my hanging counterweight won't go on the Encounter, due to the position of the framework of the arm.

Ok, now for the impressions.
This was a pretty close contest, but overall, with all things considered, I like the Encounter better than my fully modded Silver arm. I think that the modded Silver had a slightly more dynamic quality, and also slightly more punch in the bass. But only slightly. The Encounter had a more refined sound, a little airier in the highs, and still had quite a respectable bottom end and dynamics. The wiring on the Encounter was brand new and not broken in yet, and I could still tell that the wiring was superior to the Silver. Just how much of the Encounter's superiority was attributable to the wiring, I don't know, since this is the first time that I was exposed to the new wiring package in these arms. I'm sure it has something to do with the sound I heard.

So, to sum up, the fully modded Silver did very well and came very close to the new Encounter, but didn't win. Maybe a rewiring job on the Silver would have made a difference, but I had stock wiring. And a $350 wiring job would bring the price of the Silver close to the Encounter's price. In any case, I preferred the overall sound of the new Encounter, and I would choose that over my modded arm, if cost weren't an object. Also the looks of the Encounter make it an easy decision. It looks great sitting on the Cocobolo Teres 245.

Encounter by a nose. And it could get even better as the wiring breaks-in.

That's the honest assessment, and even with a possible psychological desire to see my arm win, I have to give the nod to the Encounter.

Twl,

I'm impressed. Not just by the insights in your review, which we've all come to expect, but by your candid and humble honesty. You expected your baby to "win" and you certainly must have hoped for it to. (I know I did, I've got one on order!) It didn't win, quite, but if your horse finishes second by a nose and cost you 40% less than the winner, you're doing pretty well. "Place" still pays a pretty good purse.

In the areas where your mods would yield the greatest benefits, dynamics and bass, the Swinging Silver Bullet still edged out the Encounter. Just as you predicted. The Encounter outperformed in delicacy and refinement, exactly what we'd expect from higher quality wire and plugs.

Tom, have you given any sort of modified bullets a go on the Encounter? I know that the housing is different such that the weights cannot be affixed via the bearing bolts, but did you give the double-sided tape a try. Just wondering if the effective mod on the Silver can extract even more from the Encounter.

David, I haven't tried that on the Encounter, but truthfully there is so little difference that I don't think it is needed. My mod and the bearing housing on the Encounter are doing about the same thing. Maybe the HiFi mod might be a tad more stable, but again, it is too close to warrant any fiddling with the arm for such a small difference. For all practical purposes, I think the Encounter has enough stability as it is.