What is the best arm for a VPI Aries 2 and Benz L2

sme 309.

I believe the Triplanar VII (or earlier versions) works exceptionally well with VPI tables and Benz cartridges. The Graham 2.2 or Phantom works very well also if you prefer a slightly cooler, more detailed sound. I think both arms sound significantly better than VPI's own JWM. I just heard a Phantom on a super scoutmaster drop some jaws with both a couple of Benz cartridges and a Koetsu RSP.

The Benz L2 is breaking in beautifully on my Aries 2 and SME IV. I have been blown away by how much improvement has come over just a few more hours of playing. I have had several combinations of arms/cartridges in the past, but I have never experienced such a 180 degree turn in performance! In future I might still try something like a Graham 2.2. I noticed that there was no mention of any cheaper arms like the Audioquest PT 9. What if the PT 9 had a drop counterweight like those from Express Machining?

I have been very pleased with my L2 in a Moerch DP6 with 12" red wand. The sound improved steadily as the L2 broke in. I can't say when the improvements stopped, but it was probably in the 75-90 hour range (it now has slightly over 100 hours).

I also have a JMW 10 which I haven't tried yet with the L2, but the VPI arm worked extremely well with a Glider M2. I preferred the Moerch with the Glider, but the VPI arm has a smooth, rich, dynamic sound that is certainly a viable alternative.

Dave

I have owned VPI TNT and Scout turntables with the JMW arms. They sounded good once the arm settled down (about track 2). Those arms jiggle too much for me. What's the point of carefully setting up an arm and cartridge and getting a perfect azimuth only to have the entire arm assembly rocking from side to side after being cued onto the record. Thank you for your input Salectric.

Gfloyd53, I suspect your experience was with the JMW 9, which I understand can flop around a bit. But the JMW 10 and 12 have a heavy collar that effectively hangs below the pivot and keeps the arm pretty stable. I have never noticed the arm wiggling around when the stylus is lowered into the grooves.

I have the JMW 10.5 that came with it and am very happy with it. I used to have a HW19 with an SME IV that while good, is no comparison to the 10.5 in terms of silence on interbands. Plus it is very compatible with the Koetsu Urushi. I'm convinced that Harry's tables sound best with his tonearms.

I have a super scoutmaster, with the jmw-9, and i've never seen my arm wiggle once it's lowered into the grooves of the lp, i don't know what you referring to, it will wiggle when it resting on the arm rest, but once it's lowered, it's solid in the grooves, and sounds great.

Salectric, Stevecham and Readster,
What cartridges were you using and what were your VTFs? All three cartridges I had used with these arms (Van den Hul Frog and Black Beauty, Ortofon Kontrapunkt B) had light VTFs (1.3 to 1.7). Yes, the JMW 9 was much worse than the JMW 10.

The JMW-9 will accurately track only a handful of inexpensive cartridges. If one moves up the audio chain, leave the JMW-9 behind. Despite the attempts to upgrade the 9, VPI's other arms are far superior to it

The JMW-9 Signature arm is a significant upgrade over the regular JMW-9 tonearm and now can handle a wider variety of cartridges.

I have not had any tracking problems with my Shelter 901 cartridge.

try well tempered or the moerch.

I had good results with the SME IV using a Benz Glider L2 and after trading up to the Aries 2 and the 10.5 I ran this cart for awhile. It was noticeably better, but after awhile it seemed a bit out of place that I had a $750 cart with a $4000 rig so I got a good trade for a new Urushi and that has elevated the system far beyond my initial expectations; three years later I am still completely satisfied with this set up. I believe Koetsu and VPI are highly compatible.