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Lenco owners - arm/cart discussion,suggestions?

Curious to hear what arms others are using on their Lencos, and experiences they may have particularly with MC carts.

I currently have a Lenco L75 with custom plinth and 2 armboards (one with RB300), along with a Nottingham Spacedeck/Spacearm.

Has anyone tried the Spacearm on the Lenco? Any feedback is much appreciated.

What other arms are people using, particularly with low output moving coils?

I would really like to try my van den Hul Condor on the Lenco for a real gauge of the table's performance. While I feel the RB300 is a good match on the table, it will not work well with the Condor.

Just curious of other people's experiences before I drill the other armboard for an A/B of the Spacearm/Condor on the Spacedeck vs. Lenco.

Am considering other arms (SME V, Graham Phantom or 2.2) so any experiences of these with the Lenco would be helpful.

Have also considered something like a Shelter 501 for the Rega arm. Any experiences with low output MCs, RB300, and the Lenco?
mbort
mosin
410 posts
 
In my view, a turntable is a straightforward machine, be it a Lenco or any other, that has the simple task of spinning at the selected speed without imparting any detrimental effects to the resulting sound. If that turntable doesn't play well with others, then one of two things is happening. Either it reveals the shortcomings of the associated tonearm and cartridge, or they reveal the shortcomings of it. It is that simple, really.

That said, I believe that any tonearm and cartridge should perform with any turntable. If the result is not as good as should be, something is wrong with one, two, or all of them.

Try your tonearm, and if it sounds better than on the Nottingham, at least you can ascertain the merits of the Lenco. If not, more work is in order.
dopogue
1,773 posts
 
I agree that any decent arm should work well with your Lenco. On my two-armed 70-pounder, I'm using an SME IIIs as the "second" arm and switch off between a JMW 10.5 and that 12" cherry wood arm sold here on Audiogon as the "main" arm. The latter two arms are on separate armboards making for quick and easy switching. Good luck, Dave
mbort OP
16 posts
 
Thanks for the responses.

My primary goal is to find out what others have experienced withe their Lencos and their impressions of different components and combinations of components on this table.

Dopogue - this is exactly the information I'm looking for. What do you think of the SME vs JMW, and what carts are you using? I am also using a 70 pounder two armboard setup, and seriously considering a JMW 10.5
divo
60 posts
 
I have a Basis Vector 3 on a Nantais Lenco. Works fine with a 103R too.
dopogue
1,773 posts
 
Mbort, the JMW is clearly superior to the SME III. The real surprise is how good that inexpensive wood arm is. I just wrecked (don't ask) a Soundsmith-retipped DL-103 on the JMW and am now using a Decca Super Gold Mk. VII on it. The DL-103, now back at Soundsmith, was more detailed and coherent, the Decca more dynamic and "authoritative." The SME III is currently sporting a Pickering TL-2S, one of my favorite carts, and there's a Grace F-9E on the wood arm. Not bad, but not as good as the Pickering, IMHO. Dave
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