Morch DP-8 arm on a Helix Two turntable

Thanks for the clarification, Dover.

@scar972
Hi -

I set up the DP8 12" - comments as follows
Cartridge alignment easy with removeable arm tube & you simply line the stylus tip up with the edge of the headshell if you have installed the arm at the correct pivot to stylus. I checked this on a Feickert protractor.

Tuning the eccentric lateral side weights - I found these fiddly to accurately dial in.

VTA adjuster

The vertical distance between the plane where the tonearm is mounted to the plane where the record is placed should be between 28 mm (1 1/8”) and 40 mm (1 9/16”).

Fairly course & a bit clunky - big issue I had was the platter to armboard range is narrow and on the turntable I installed the arm on I had to make a custom bronze base to get the arm into range. Without doing this the VTA adjuster has major issues.

Soundwise I did not hear the bottom end punch that I expected from the reviews. The Dynavector & FR64 have considerably more punch.
The sound was well balanced and reasonably good - on a par with a Helius Omega which was also tried.

I like that you can buy different armtubes to optimise the effective mass, I also like that you can convert the arm from 9-12" without buying a new one.

Downside of spindly armtube was that I did find it sensitive to vibration.

I think its a good arm, particularly if you get a good deal, but not at the level of Kuzma 4Point etc.

Thank you for sharing your experiences with the DP-8. I'm currently using a 9 inch DP-6 and have really gotten used to it, so the natural upgrade path for me is the DP-8. I don't have the vibration issue you had on my tonearm but it's good to know your experiences with the VTA and lateral side weights as well as the 12-inch wand.

@scar972 
I think the DP6 is best bang for the buck on Moerch.

One further point, the DP8 came standard with TCI Viper arm cable which was pretty course and lacking transparency. I make my own phono cables using MIT cable - this was a vast improvement.
So if you have the standard arm cable - try upgrading this first.

Dover, Those side weights are a feature I mentioned once before in reference to tonearms that have a high effective mass in the horizontal plane.  As I am sure you know, that is the raison d'etre for the side weights, in the case of the DP8.  The idea being you want a high effective mass in the horizontal plane so that when the LP calls for reproducing a low frequency signal, the tail will not wag the dog, so to speak; the cartridge will be held stationary with respect to lateral movement while the stylus is then able to trace the wide horizontal swings required for low bass response. I'm sure you know this; I am repeating it for the benefit of some others who have criticized linear trackers along with all other tonearms with high effective mass in the horizontal plane, a la Mike Fremer, who rarely misses an opportunity to bring up the subject.  The Dynavector, which I own too, is another example of a tonearm that introduces damping to hold the cartridge steady in the horizontal.  I feel that the DV does a good job with bass response, but I have never heard a Morch.  What would be the opposite argument?  Fremer never makes the argument very well except to assert that "you want" horizontal and vertical effective mass to be about the same.