Discussion of the AR XA brings to mind an early personal experience in my audio journey. Perhaps it will serve as an answer (opinion) to the OP’s question.
It was back in college that I first heard an AR XA. I will never forget the first time I heard a friend and fellow budding audiophile’s AR XA. I had been using a Technics SL-1700 direct drive table in my own system and was absolutely amazed when I heard his AR. Holy cow! I heard the rhythm and groove of music that I had been missing. How could this be? The Technics was DIRECT DRIVE! Modern technology after all. There is another thread here that asks “what is turntable liveliness?”. Compared to my Technics the AR had it. The Technics sounded rhythmically dead by comparison. The AR also portrayed more realistic tonal colors. This in spite of the fact that that the cartridge on my Technics was the ADC ZLM, a more refined sounding cartridge than my friend’s ADC XLM II.
Now, let’s keep things in perspective, The Technics was one of their less expensive models and neither it nor the AR would come close to the sound of my first “good” turntable that followed, the VPI HW19. Point is, and as Pryso states, the AR is capable of quite decent sound.
My suggestion to the OP is to keep things vintage. I don’t know if the ADC XLM was responsible for the more than decent sound that I heard from the AR, but I do know that it seemed to be very happy mounted on the AR’s lowly tonearm. I don’t know how much ADC XLM’s can be purchased for these days, but I do know that they can be found on the used market and decent replacement styli are available. Probably for around the OP’s budget price in total.
(Man! That was almost fifty years and several turntables ago!)
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The comment I made was based on my understanding of the OP, wherein he indicated at least that he does not want to mess with the OEM turntable and tonearm. Now, I guess you guys have got him talking differently. Sure, a George Merrill upgraded ARXA is a whole different ball game.
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jim, normally I have respect for any comment offered by lewm, but here I have a different view. Unfortunately many today believe the AR is not worth considering, particularly the tone arm. But here is a full evaluation which states respect for the original design.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rgK0YMsJXM
For years George Merrill offered upgrades to the AR, but possibly no longer does. However parts and advice are offered here.
https://vinylnirvana.com
The original arm is low mass so high compliant cartridges perform best. Either finding a new stylus for your Shure or going with an appropriate Grade or AT are options. I expect the Denon 103 requires far too much mass for decent performance. And yes, overhang is adjustable, but offset is not with the original headshell.
A few years ago I restored an early AR-XA for elderly friends so they could sell it. Once completed I was pleased by the musically rewarding results.
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I think Grado is one of the best choices for this type of application. I personally run a Grado Sonata low output on my VPI HW-19 Mk III, and am very happy. Phono section of ARC SP 9 Mk II.
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Actually, I am definitely considering upgrades to this deck. In this regard, does anyone here know of reputable techs that do this sort of work, specific to these ARs? thanks again...
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Thanks everyone for your input and suggestions. Will have to consider these options carefully. Perhaps some turntable upgrades and tweaks are in order at this point as well...
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@jasonbourne71
Unless I'm mistaken, you can adjust the tonearm tube length by loosening a screw on the pivot block.
Also, IIRC, there was an issue with hum when using Grado carts with the AR. The plastic body of the Grado and the plastic headshell of the AR made for poor shielding.
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If your AR has the original plastic head shell then you cannot make adjustments (overhang, offset angle). I have an AR turntable from Vinyl Nirvana modified with a Technics head shell and arm tube on the AR arm. This allows for overhang and offset angle adjustments, important for getting the best sound from a particular cartridge.
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Crustycoot makes an excellent point to take notice of! You might want to consult with a reputable high-end shop that knows a thing or two about TTs, have them do a tune-up of that TT, make sure it is well-lubricated and have them install the new cart. Installing TT carts correctly is not a job for rookies.
The fidelity performance of a cart has a lot to do with the phono stage you're using with it. Not being familiar with your TT and not knowing what your other components are, the only feedback I can offer is based on around 2.5 hours of critical listening seat-time with an Ortofon 2M Blue that I thought was very, very nice for its price. However, it was mounted on a Rega P3 and the other playmates were a Mcintosh MA 5200, Focal Aria 926 and, later, a Luxman integrated. The phono stages were the ones in the integrated amps. The vinyl used was 180g virgin vinyl well recorded albums (i.e. expensive). The Blue would be in your budget range. However, if you want to stretch that a bit, you might want to consider stepping up to the Bronze 2M provided, of course, that either of these is appropriate for your TT.
Good Luck!
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I have tried a few carts a nag mp110, grado, v15 2 and 3, but right now a n44g with a jico nude stylus @ 1 gram,
the best were the v15 3 and the n44.
IMHO higher compliance works better w/o antiskate
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I've had Shure, Pickering, and Stanton. Then I grabbed a Grado G1+ (many years ago) and installed it on my Yamaha P-750 turntable. I loved the Grado over all the others. At that point in time, the Grado retailed for $150. Since then I have heard other low cost Grado's, and was impressed.
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The original XA had a silicone oil damped vertical bearing, and a simple sleeve horizontal bearing. Even if you have maintained these with fresh lubricant, the friction is higher than you’d find on most new tonearms. If you haven’t maintained the lube, it will be much higher. I have a 77XB…a little better version of the arm…and use an M91ED with an LP Gear NSS N91 stylus, which I track at 1.75 gr. If I wanted a better cart, I might go to a Denon DL103 and a SUT.
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IMHO, I’d either buy a stylus for the Shure, (it’s still a very good cart) or buy a new Goldring E3. My favorite cart under $300 or so. I love mine. Pretty damn sweet!
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If you are going to stick with the AR XA turntable in as is condition with original tonearm, you would be best advised either to buy another M97XE or something similar in a similar low price category. That's only my opinion, of course. You may not get a noticeable improvement in fidelity by mounting a more expensive cartridge on the tonearm on that TT. I'm sure others can suggest inexpensive cartridges that compete wtih the Shure, in their opinion.
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