Anyone try the replica B-60 Fidelity Research VTA?

By the way, apart from the esthetics, do you have any problem using your sample of the B60? From your verbal description, it sounds as if the glitch would be an annoyance but not a real malfunction. But perhaps I misunderstand exactly what is going wrong.

I believe there are more than one fabricator! I got mine through Audiogon from a vendor in Taiwan, it was nice and tight. My friend got one through Yahoo Japan, and it was loose. There were some minor cosmetic difference between the 2 also.

The Ikeda Sound IT-VTA-06 is a modern version of the FR B-60 elevation base, and made by the same guys who made the original.

Although I have handled the IT-VTA-06, I haven't had the chance to try it out or compare it to the original. What I do know that the machinery that the IT-VTA-06 is made on is far more accurate than what FR had at their disposal back in the 1980s.

If what Nandric had problems with was the IT-VTA-06, I strongly recommend that he describes exactly what the problem is to the seller, so that feedback can be provided to the manufacturer and improvements can be made.

kind regards, jonathan

I am not sure how many of them were made and from whom. Once I had contact to someone who made them, he is living in Hawaii... are there another ones out there made in HK?

Dear Lew, there was some Japanese guy from Tahiti who
called him self Walter. He started the first production of
the replica B-60. I think he made the drawings and ordered
the manufacturing in Hong Kong. But he was not able to sell
them for more as $ 500 a piece while this was not sufficient
to cover his own cost. So he give up. I assume
that this manufacturer from Hong Kong started the second
trial. My only problem with this,say, Hong Kong produced
B-60 is the mentioned screw which is made from some soft
kind of metal. My idea is to order one made from the 'gun
matal' because I assume that this one will be better suited
to 'slide' against the internal steel collar.
I also think that the dimension of the pin in front of this screw
and along which the internal collar moves (up and down)
need to be exactly made. Without any play that is.
Otherwise the tonearm will also move sideways.
Meanwhile Ikeda san (re)introduced his original B-60.
I nearly ordered one but thought to be wise to first ask
for the price. Very wise indeed. I nearly got a heart attack
when I have seen the German price . The only importer
in Europe is in Germany.