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Tonearm recommendation

Hello all,
Recently procured a Feickert Blackbird w/ the Jelco 12 inch tonearm.
The table is really good, and its a keeper. The Jelco is also very good, but not as good as my Fidelity Research FR66s. So the Jelco will eventually hit Ebay, and the question remains do I keep the FR66s or sell that and buy something modern in the 5-6 K range. My only point of reference is my old JMW-10 on my Aries MK1, so I don't know how the FR66s would compare to a modern arm. So I'd like to rely on the collective knowledge and experience of this group for a recommendation.

Keep the FR66s, or go modern in the 5-6K range, say a Moerch DP8 or maybe an SME.

Any and all thoughts and opinions are of course much appreciated.

Cheers,      Crazy Bill
wrm0325
don_c55
1,025 posts
 
raul

I am discussing SOTA not merely good.

Index marks are IMO a must have aid.  It is possible, but harder, to land on the "tuned in sweet spot" without them. These sweet spots are very small, and hard to find. You can pass them by, if you are not careful, and not even know it.

A "good match" brings into the discussion "Magic" arms.

I prefer an engineering approach.

Thanks for the comments.

fleib
1,124 posts
 

Don_c55, I tend to agree with your list of necessary features and I realize you said SOTA. I believe the OP referred to arms in the $6K and less range, and while all these features could possibly be incorporated in a $6K arm, sometimes the elimination of a feature is an engineering decision.

For me, VTA OTF is a necessary feature and I would give up calibrated azimuth adjustment to have it. Azimuth is set-and-forget adjustment, and while a calibrated  azimuth might be convenient for cart swapping, I think it's more likely to compromise performance.

Even though this thread includes a lengthy travel log and fanciful stories, I enjoy reading personal opinions and comparisons and wish there to be more of that. I think these opinions are equally valid as a prof. review, maybe more so.

In the spirit of time spent, already compromised, I ask everyone (not you Don), can't we move on? 

Regards,

ct0517's avatar
ct0517
2,041 posts
 

Don_c55
Ct0517 When you say lesser arms can sound better, were the both arms you heard set up properly?And how did you know that was in fact true?


Don_c55

I will give you a couple examples of what I meant. Firstly - Setups are temporary. An audiophile is not able to resist change. Ones setup is as good as the last change.
Its one thing to discuss what one would like to see in a tonearm, and in this thread Crazy Bill asked for input. In the real world we know one needs to give consideration to the sum of the parts.Each part plays a separate role and contributes to the the sum of the whole. For vinyl play - type of building floor suspended or not (this is a huge factor); Shelf design being used, table design (suspended or not), Tonearm, Cartridge, Wiring, Phono Stage and the Elephant in the room - the Record. At a high level.

Example One A good entry level table set up well with a basic cartridge, outperforms a more expensive table with VPI tonearm and more expensive cartridge. The owner is puzzled. Reading the tonearm manual he compensates with extra twists in the uni pivots wiring, but this makes the situation worse. He does not realize that his turntable has gone a little wonky - it is out of level. No amount of proper set up on that tonearm will fix this situation.

Another example. A 7/10 setup on a good pivot arm will produce decent results, and will out perform a 7/10 setup on a good air bearing linear tracker. You have a small amount of leeway with an airbearing linear arm. Go outside of that and it will sound like crap. IME , a 9/10 setup on an air bearing linear tracker versus 9/10 on a pivot arm is another story.

And how did you know that was in fact true?

I know the owners and the setups well.

ct0517's avatar
ct0517
2,041 posts
 
Fleib

Ct0517 - Why would someone with a pivoting arm want to use a loom designed for an air bearing linear? Are you saying a pivoting arm can't use a straight run of wire? Of course you're not, you just want to get in a shot about antiskating.

I owed you this response Fleib from an earlier post. Lets break it down.

Why would someone with a pivoting arm want to use a loom designed for an air bearing linear?


Its not designed for an air bearing linear tonearm. Its just a straight shot of wire (your choice of brand) with your choice of connectors.
Unless you are going to solder the ends into the phono stage. If using the plugs, a Faraday cage and grounding on the plug side.

Here's a pic.

https://goo.gl/photos/iTQSAAATtommiQkx8

The setup in the bottom left replaces all of the tonearms own internal wiring along with what is seen to the right. The performance bump on my tonearm was incredible once one deals with the interference.

Are you saying a pivoting arm can't use a straight run of wire?

I am talking Audiophile real life here, after the original manufacturers tonearm has been brought home. Nobody I know would replace the inside original wire in the armtube of an expensive pivot arm. This is difficult to do and you lose resale value. On a gimbal tonearm; this external wire puts an additional force on the pivot arm tube as the wire is no longer exiting at the pivot. Not good.

Fleib - I showed you my loom. How about showing me yours....
ct0517's avatar
ct0517
2,041 posts
 
Griffithds
ct0517 - You could neither handle the air nor the water in Mexico City! But you might see the sun through the red haze in the air.

:^)
Griffithds Sounds like my the tonearm will have just as much difficulty as me. Your comments made me think of an automobile owners manual, and the section that discusses the oil change interval for extreme operating conditions.
Mexico sounds like extreme operating conditions, and a challenge, for a captured air bearing. Continued moisture/humidity and/or particles in the air cause capillaries in the air bearing manifold to clog up. First it starts performing poorly, and eventually could lock up. There is a designed pressure difference, between what is coming into the manifold, and the PSI that is maintained on the air bearing spindle. The pressure difference needs to be maintained. To do this the capillaries need to stay clean. Not a problem in a normal controlled environment.

Holy Moly I am starting to sound like an engineer now....but I am just a music lover.  Try to say capillaries 3 times.

Griffithds - Btw - Do I remember reading on this forum at some point that you are an aircraft engineer ?

Asvjerry - yes - the tonearm will be left at home if I ever visited Raul. My comment in the last post about the tonearm's life support system not surviving the trip - was referring to the pump. Its a bulky thing with wheels.

wow 3 posts. Good coffee this morning.

TTNP

(to the next poster)


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