Tonearm Options for Basis 2800

Pops the Vector 4 is great and I know you will enjoy it. The 9 is over kill as far as price is concerned, but it does play at another level.

Jmw, I'm waiting for the Superarm 9 version 2 to come out, so when you upgrade to that I can buy your 9 used :)

Nice try but I don't change my equipment that often. I had the original Vector arm and never upgraded to the 4 and enjoyed it for all these years.

When my Avantgarde Duos were new it took a while to dial them in to achieve their potential. More than any other speakers I've owned the Duos required extreme levels of synergy with other system components. Their 103 db sensitivity magnifies issues caused by non-synergistic components resulting in sound that's good but nothing special. When care is taken a Duo based system is unique in my experience, capable of realism that causes people who could care less about stereos to sit in rapt attention and clap at the end of an LP side.

At first I used the lovely monoblock tube amps that drove my previous speakers, Verity Parsifal Encores. Fidelity was above average but they had too much gain. Next I tried a SET tube amp known to be an excellent match with Avantgardes. The amp was OK, but obvious that the Duos were capable of significantly more sonic magic. As the SET amp cost about 65% less than my monoblocks my conclusion was I fishing in the wrong price category.

A suggestion was made to try different cables which seemed a waste of time as I had good cables including the special power cords that came with the Duos. With the SET amp still in the system I inserted Basis power cords and interconnects. My expectation was at best there would be a sonic trade off, some area of fidelity would improve and another area would suffer and the SET amp would still lack the required mojo. Not the case as about every sonic characteristic improved. Dynamics, low level resolution, transients, frequency extension, midrange realism, soundstage, etc etc. The Basis cables with the lower priced SET amp allowed the Duos to strut their stuff.

Later I inserted Basis speaker cables which, as I recall, did not provide new insights other than an across the board increase of the positive characteristics that were already there. Overall I found the Basis cables a revelation and "pretty special" to borrow a quote from Moryoga. In my case the hardness in the interconnects/speaker cables mentioned by Larryi was non-existent. This just goes to show that like most things relative to a stereo system synergy is dependent upon many factors within a system and the room it's in. And that in some systems the Basis cables might be excellent cables to use.

... vacuum clamp is retrofittable to any table...

Best is to ask the Manufacturer. I know he did that for the Ovation turntable and that one was never available with vacuum option..

... that Basis systems tend to sound "darker" and not as lively as tables that ring more.

The table itself is neutral from sonics. It can't be compared with the majority of other tables which have their sonic colorations (based on mediocre bearing, ringing platter, motor vibrations, platter resonances ....) Most Audiophiles compensate their units to "tune" a sound to their "preferences"....and we all know, the owner is always right. Discussions with such "groups" is wot, they never get it, even when you explain it 10 times....

The Linn/Naim system did sound livelier and more exciting...

The Linn is a midrange pusher and the Aro is weak in lower frequencies....in a way far away from a full range turntable...but when the difference is so obvious (I listened to such a combo a few times too and I will only do it again when someone wants to tape my crying before I fall in a coma) then I would seriously think about replacing the Vector Arm.

...and that there is no absolute "best."

That is wrong. There is better and best out there. "Taste" is the owner's excuse for not knowing anything to keep his investment alive. There are 30k tables out there which do not perform better than a 3k table and the owners love it. Each his own.
But in a good System you can hear the quality of Turntables at once. When you know the right records and what is in their grooves.