2. analog
  3. 137118-214

Does anything better Jelco arm ~$1000

Been reading about the Jelco 850L and the other newer models as I look for arm with budget of ~ $1000 (new or used) to go with a Sota Star and Dynavector XX2mkII. Not a ton of user comments, but just about every one I've read (here, VA, vinylengine, and a few smaller boards) all imply thrilled owners and not a one who regrets the purchase. Sound quality performance value for its price is reportedly high and that has been my experience when I've heard the older 750 series and even their lower priced arms. Another arm under consideration is the Audiomods Series V.

My take so far:
Jelco: pro - longstanding reputation for quality, demonstrated by so many OEM arms provided to turntable manufacturers, good fit & finish, compatibility w/many carts of varying compliance, flexibility of changing headshells(including w/azimuth adjustment), high likelihood of parts/service if ever needed, likely decent resale value if I ever choose to go in another direction.
cons: extra electrical connection points @ armtube and headshell, lack of precise repeatable VTA adjustment (although EasyVTA aftermarket product can address this), knife edge bearings theoretically an improvement, but my impression is that in practice they often aren't ideal. 

To use a car analogy is this the Toyota Camry of tonearms? 

The Audiomods Series V:
pros: keeps the best aspect of the new Rega arm and replaces almost everything else with better design and quality parts, precise micrometer VTA adjustment, silver wire one piece loom from pins to plugs
cons: one man company uncertainties on parts/service if ever needed, relatively little user base or resale market, no opportunity to listen before buying,  a bit more costly than the Jelco. 
Hoping it's not a Saab 900; really cool when they were around but at some point a quirky performer from days gone by that might not be a keeper.

So anybody care to chime in on these or others that fit the bill in the same price range? If you're curious, the rest of the system is here: Austin City Within Limits. Cheers,
Spencer 
128x128sbank
sbank's avatar
sbank OP
3,378 posts
 
@bpoletti thanks I saw those. If the length isn't too long, it's an option. Having most recently owned another great vintage arm, the Technics EPA-250, I do like the on-the-fly VTA. The fact that this one was refurbished recently is clearly a bonus.

@williewonka Thanks for the comments. I enjoyed reading your review too. It's great to hear that Jeff is so in tune with his customers' specific situations. The details matter; for example my Nagra BPS has RCA inputs pretty close together, so larger RCA plugs might have a tough time fitting. In that spirit I confirmed via Jeff's manual online that S2P distance of 222mm would fit. I also saw one user mention using a Series V on a Sota table. Cheers,
Spencer
williewonka
3,075 posts
 
@sbank - I just took a look at the Nagra BPS and it looks as though the KLE RCA will fit OK, 

The minimum distance beween centres for KLE Innovations RCA's to be connected with ease is around 15mm (i.e. with a 1-2mm gap between the RCA housing)

Regards - Steve
lewm
12,845 posts
 
Chakster, In your post above, you wrote: "If the counterweight is in line with the armwand then you’re fine (on the bad samples the counterweight is bent down)."  I am surprised that someone who is such a consistent champion of the Victor UA tonearms in any discussion of tonearms could possibly get it so wrong. (Indeed, most of the regulars would probably never have heard of the Victor tonearms, were it not for your adoration of them.)  The slight "sag" of the counter-weight is a designed in feature of the tonearm, not a sign of abuse.  The joint between the pivot and the CW is made to be flexible so as to de-couple the mass of the CW from the downstream parts of the tonearm, and also to place the center of mass of the CW in the plane of the LP, which minimizes variation of VTF when the stylus traverses a warped LP.  (Nearly all the best modern tonearms are also built this way.) Evidence for this is to be found in the UA7045 owners manual, where there is a side view of the tonearm (see Fig 5) showing a slight sag of the CW aft of the pivot, although I admit that there are other drawings in the manual that seem to show a straight CW.  This treatment of the CW is one of the reasons why I agree with you that the UA7045 and 7082 are under-rated and overlooked by connoisseurs of vintage tonearms (but therefore also under-priced, which is good).  One problem that does arise is that over time, the sag gets worse, apparently due to stresses on the rubber grommet or joint between the pivot point and the CW.  My own UA7045 has that problem, but it is fixable.  So, I would say a very slight sag is to be expected.  I've never seen a UA7045 that did not exhibit it; is yours perfectly straight?
chakster's avatar
chakster
6,144 posts
 
@lewm yes, my two sample of Victor UA-7045 were perfect and never refurbished (just perfect condition), there are samples without problems with the counterweight and rubber grommet (the original). I think it depends how it was stored and used by the previous owner. However, the problem can be fixed (rubber grommet replaced) even with the bad samples.  

I am talking about "not a slight sag" of a few degree, but a complete sag or 20-30 degree. What i am calling straight in line with the armwand is "a perfect sample" in my opinion. 

Our member Don Griffith posted about Victor arms way before me on audiogon, he's the one who compared UA-7045 to Lustre GST-801 and was going to sell his Graham tonearm. 
sbank's avatar
sbank OP
3,378 posts
 
So does anybody else have a suggestion besides those already mentioned? Cheers,
Spencer 
More to discover