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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
fleib
1,124 posts
 

Dear Raul,

I found an email, quite old, in an address used for other matters and one I almost never check.  I was wrong and should have taken your touching greeting at face value.

Enjoy the music,


wrm0325 OP
72 posts
 
Hello all,
Still here and immensely appreciating everyone's contributions.
Please keep them coming.
And I do mean everyone. 
I have learned a lot.
On another note,  my buddy struck again.
Regardless of how good the FR66s is, he wanted a more modern arm in the mix. So a Moerch chrome DP8 12 inch arrived yesterday. It will be a while before it is mounted, as I'm awaiting a Mint protractor, and a full set of Wally tool;s to set it up. But eventually I will have to compare them.
It is entirely possible that both stay and play.
As it unfolds I will, of course, report back, though it will take a while.

Cheers, Crazy Bill

BTW Flieb, nice to see the olive branch. I have learned A LOT from you. Please keep contributing.
lewm
13,142 posts
 
Wrm, If you don't mind I'd like to post a question to some of the other FR tonearm users.  Over on Raul's now quiet thread about MM cartridges (I think that's where I saw these posts), there were several who said that they used the FR64S and even the FR66S with relatively high compliance MM cartridges, and they claimed great success. I am finally about to audition my FR64S, several years after I bought it, and as it happens, I may like to use it with a MM type.  To those who have done it, did you use an FR headshell or a very lightweight headshell?  If neither, what headshell?  For that matter, what MM cartridges worked well? I'm not about to stick an ADC XLM on that heavy pipe. Thanks.
dover
2,249 posts
 
Lewm -
When I’ve run lighter MM’s on the FR64 I used 12-13g headshells - Denon PCL300 & Audiocraft AS12 in conjunction with the lighter W170 counterweight. The last 2 MM’s I ran were the Glanz MFG61 and Victor X1 - these are medium compliance and track around 1.5-1.7g. Personally I think you are pushing it with such a high compliance as the ADC.

wrm0325 OP
72 posts
 
Lewm,
please feel free to post whatever you desire.
As to your other question.
I use an AT150MLX on the FR66s from time to time. The headshell is light, being I believe a NOS Supex from the 80's. Combination works just fine.
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